The Editor's Cut

So what #phone will you take to Barcelona?

2012-02-02T08:50:00.000Z

Mobile World Congress will no doubt reveal the latest innovations in smartphones, so have you considered what you will take with you?

This isn't an issue of phone envy as yours looks shoddy alongside the latest gleaming offerings, but according to dating site Match.com, more an issue of what your phone says about you...

Their recent survey, reported by VentureBeat reveals that Android users are most likely to have visited an online dating site, whilst iPhone users are the quickest to follow up after a first date (good news in the limited timespan of MWC?). As for Blackberry users, they fall in love and first sight, then get drunk! Read the results in their full glory here.

What the survey doesn't make clear is what impact, if any, these perceptions have on the brands using these operating system. We'll have to ask our friends at Brand Finance if they considered romantic connotations when compiling this years telecom brand valuation, including the Top 10 Handset Makers, which you will find on page 13 of this months Total Telecom+

RELATED CONTENT:
Mobile device developments: Phoney War (Total Telecom+ Welcome to 2012)
Top 50 Telecommunications Brand Ranking (Total Telecom+ February 2012)

Start the week: 10 #telecom stories not to miss

2012-01-30T09:39:00.000Z

Last week Total Telecom published over 220 news stories, plus company news, white papers, viewpoints and more, making it the unmissable source of telecom news.

So here are the 10 most popular:

Registered users can now access all Total Telecom stories up to 1-month old.

Breakfast: #LTE Opportunities, Register for free

2012-01-26T17:20:00.000Z

The successful ‘Breakfast with Total Telecom’ series continues in 2012; our first edition will take place on March 14^th focusing on the hot topic of LTE opportunities. Our fantastic line up of speakers will take the stand to discuss their strategies and ideas within the LTE space for 2012 and beyond.

Join the breakfast briefing and hear from:

Kevin Baughan, Director Metro Wireless, Virgin Media, discussing the role that small cell technology will play in creating truly super connected cities across the UK.

Dan Warren, Senior Director Technology, GSMA, will be looking at the true path to 4G and why we have to make the journey.

Francesco Liberatore, Associate, Jones Day will be focusing on the legal challenges associated with LTE opportunities; and the tension between current policy objectives and what the rules allow.

Following on from the presentations we have our panel discussion comprising of

Steven Hartley – Principal Analyst – Ovum Telco Strategy Practice
Ajay Joseph – CTO – iBasis (A KPN company)
Philip Marnick – CTO – UK Broadband (A PCCW company)
Kevin Baughan – Director Metro Wireless – Virgin Media
Dan Warren – Senior Director Technology – GSMA

This panel discussion will be looking at the current scenario in the LTE space whilst also examining the case studies and looking at the opportunities for Telco’s to exploit.

Our sponsors for the event are:

UK Broadband, holders of the largest commercial LTE network in the UK.

iBasis, the leading international voice carrier and a provider of data services for mobile operators.

Join Breakfast with Total Telecom March 14^th and discover the LTE opportunities. This event is free for operators, click here to register.

Get more from @totaltelecom for free: #register

2012-01-23T09:13:00.003Z

We all like more for less, so more for nothing must be even better! Especially when it comes to registrations and subscriptions.

Total Telecom has adjusted it's access rules, so you need to log-in less often to access our content, and when you do log-in you get more for your time by #registering

In summary:
>> all articles less than 14-days old are now freely available without having to log-in at all
>> registering for access to Total Telecom now gives you:
1. access to articles up to 1-month old
2. the ability to download white papers without having to complete a form each time
3. the daily email newsletter for the latest headlines
4. notifications for the latest issues of Total Telecom+ that you can view online, on your iPad or Android tablet or download as a PDF.

Remember the Total Telecom Daily Email is customisable to your interests in your PROFILE - select content areas including Mobility, Media & Entertainment, Business & Regulatory, Networks & Services, Finance, and People.

And if you need more information, Total Telecom still has one of the most extensive archives in telecommunications. Subscriber access allows you to access news and analysis dating back to 1997. Get details on the SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS HERE

It's patently obvious

2012-01-16T09:19:00.000Z

Is 2012 set to be the year of the patent? A quick search on Total Telecom reveals no less than 12 patent related news stories in the first two weeks of 2012, compared to just 5 in 2011.

With virtually every major player embroiled in some form of patent related action, you can't help but feel that there has been a shift in the telecom industry from selling products and solutions to gaining maximum possible leverage from patents that you hold, can sell or acquire. This message is certainly reinforced by headlines such as:

To keep up with the latest stories in this space, add this RSS feed to your reader

Operators On the Nose

2012-01-13T14:36:00.001Z

Lunchtime leisure, how are different operators represented on Twitter? I started working down the 2011 Global 100 Operators report to see how different telco's were using Twitter and found some stark (if unscientific) differences.

The most notable thing I observed was that ranking high in the Global 100 in no way correlates with a strong presence on Twitter. Whilst AT&T (#1 G100) are right up there with almost 12,000 followers (@ATTCustomerCare), NTT (#2 G100) aren't. Indeed the only significnat NTT account I could find was @NTT_America which has 787 followers, and China Mobile (#6 G100) don't appear to have a Twitter account at all.

I then enlisted the help of Klout (@klout) to see who they deemed influential and came up with a top 5 that looked like this:

AT&T Inc. (#1 G100)
T-Mobile USA (#4 G100 - Deutsche Telekom)
O2 UK (#5 G100 Telefonica)
Sprint (#14 G100)
BT (#15 G100)

Klout also give an idea of what the Twitters are influential about, so it was interesting to that whilst the top 4 are all deemed influential on Smartphones, only Sprint is deemed influential on Branding and O2 on Social Networks.

Finally, I looked at how Klout classifies the various Twitterers and found all the top 5 to be deemed Pundits- a phrase that to me conjures images of the esteemed John McCririck. With this image in mind I wait to see which major telco CEO is the first to be seen sporting tweeds and deerstalker hat? Anyone think they can get this one On the Nose?

And I'm the Twit!

2012-01-09T09:26:00.000Z

Just came across my blog post from 6 March 2009 that reads: " Fad maybe, but over 90 people are now following Total Telecom on Twitter".

I'd added a note on 5 May that said now 377 followers. Unfortunately I didn't continue with the updates but now @totaltelecom is at 6,851 followers. Wonder if that's still a fad?

Doesn't quite rank amongst the greatest failed predictions of all time though - but here's a better list "Ten Failed Technology Predictions" from the blog Skeptoid - I especially like "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home"

Total Telecom on #LinkedIn

2012-01-06T10:24:00.003Z

We're delighted that we now have another way for you to enjoy Total Telecom, via LinkedIn.

This continues our ambition to make it as easy as possible for you to get your daily fix of telecom news wherever you are and on whatever device.

Having Total Telecom on LinkedIn also gives a slightly different perspective to our content. Whilst our homepage www.totaltele.com reflects the stories that our editors feel are the most important, the page on LinkedIn is driven by users, reflecting the articles most shared via Twitter and LinkedIn.

To follow Total Telecom on LinkedIn visit www.linkedin.com/today/totaltele.com

Don't forget to mention @totaltelecom to reference our Twitter account!

Welcome to 2012 - a new year in #telecom

2012-01-04T09:16:00.000Z

As you warm up for the new year (not literally if you are in London this week), now is the ideal time to look at our special issue of Total Telecom+, Welcome to 2012.

Inside the seasonal cover you'll find a raft of invaluable information including:

A Review of the Year for 2011 - appropriately entitled Deal Breakers after AT&T pulled the plug on its $39 billion merger plan as we were about to go to press!

Our predictions for 2012 including European mobile consolidation, a new owner for Nokia Siemens Networks and an LTE iPhone in 2012.

Phoney War - a look at Mobile device developments

Analyst predictions from leading mobile analyst companies for 2012 and beyond.

The Female of the Species - movers and shakers were lead in 2011 by the women in the industry.

As well as a massive timeline of the year - all the news you cannot afford to have missed...

Of course if you want to catch up on the insight you might have missed in 2011, you ought to check out some of our back issues in the Archive.

Top 10 Global #Telecom Operators

2011-12-22T11:20:00.000Z

The annual Global 100 Operator report published by Total Telecom is the definitive who's who guide to the largest telecom operators in the world.

This year the Top 10 saw two go up, one go down and seven stay the same, the most significant being the rise of six places by América Móvil into the top 10.

The complete Top 10 list looks like this:

AT&T
NTT
Verizon
Deutsche Telekom
Telefónica
China Mobile
Vodafone
France Telecom
América Móvil
KDDI

You can download the entire Global 100 from Total Telecom

Of course revenue and profit is not the only measure of success, and this year we've seen different approaches rewarded, including:

AT&T (#1) CEO, Randall L Stephenson named CEO of the Year at the World Communication Awards (view his acceptance video)

BT Global Services (#15) named Best Global Operator at the 2012 World Communication Awards

Singtel (#28) named the Users Choice at the 2012 World Communication Awards (find out more about the Gap to Winner report to see how you measure up to Singtel)

Vodafone (#7) named the most valuable brand in telecom in our annual ranking of the 500 most valuable brands in telecoms.

It will be interesting to see how the winners shape up in 2012...

Top 10 #Telecom Downloads of 2011

2011-12-21T13:40:00.001Z

We all love rankings, don't we, so it seemed a good idea to end 2011 with another, this time the Top Telecom Downloads of 2011.

Downloads with Total Telecom mean white papers and other special reports and documents that we've hosted for you to download from our website, providing a wealth of valuable information, so there are bound to be some here that you would benefit from. The list below are the Top 10 most popular downloads of 2011:

Global 100 Operators 2011 (annual report from Total Telecom)
Global 100 Operators 2010 (annual report from Total Telecom)
Beyond MPLS: Enabling Cloud-Ready Networks (White Paper from Ipanema Technologies)
Carrier Ethernet Basics (White Paper from EXFO)
Telecoms Reinvention: Death Of The Traditional Telco (White Paper from ATG)
Smart Mobile Networks, Not Dumb Pipes (Customer Magazine from Tellabs)
Five myths of cloud computing (White Paper from HP)
Seizing The Opportunity In Mobile Broadband (White Paper from Acision)
Next-Gen PON: Sardana merges metro & access networks (Customer Magazine from Tellabs)
Best Practice to Stay Ahead of Communication Industry Standards (White Paper from Progress Software)

This list has been compiled based on the data captured by our Nielsen NetRatings online measurement tool, a fantastic analytical tool, that not only tells us who read what, but is also audited by the BPA, meaning you don't have to take our word for it (we're the only website in the telco sector to do this).

So does the list throw up any surprises? Probably not. Any cheating? No, not unless you count the omission of our media pack from the list - wow a lot of people like reading what we're planning!

Why not check out other White Papers yourself by visiting http://www.totaltele.com/whitepapers or speak to us about hosting your own.

The Year of the Device

2011-12-20T14:23:00.001Z

It's official, 2011 has been the year of the #device. Apple, Android, HTC, iPad, iPhone, iOS, even dare we say Nokia have all been prevalent buzz words amongst news stories this year, with the most read story of the year being "Rumour mill in overdrive pending iPad 2 launch"

So it's no surprise then that we've added some great analysis to the mix through Total Telecom+. So in case you've missed out during the year, check out the following issues:

October issue - Tablets: No cure-all

Mobile operators are looking to tablets as an area of future growth, but in the face of stiff competition they will need to prove they can add value for users.

November issue - Bring Your Own Device
Mobile operators show BYOD is on their agenda as enterprises deal with the risks associated with employee-owned tablets and smartphones.

December - January issue - Dangerous Duopoly

Vodafone keen to see more competition in the mobile OS space, but analysts and
handset makers believe the battle is already over.

and Augmented Reality: Real world view. Mobile operators are starting to find their feet in a new market segment, but the places in the value chain are still up for grabs.

These links are all to simple PDF downloads, but you can also read these on you mobile DEVICE (Android or iOS) or online

Of course there's no sign of device fever ending any time soon, so why not keep up to date by following Our Devices RSS feed

Snap! Were you in the picture? #WCA2011

2011-12-08T10:01:00.001Z

Selected photo's from this years World Communication Awards are now on our Flickr stream

And the winner is Total Telecom

2011-12-07T13:20:00.001Z

Total Telecom was yesterday named Digital Brand of the Year at the PPA Independent Publisher Awards in London. This is effectively the third year running that we have won this prestigious award (Online Brand of the Year 2009, Digital Brand of the Year 2010 and 2011) and reflects the ongoing strength of the Total Telecom publishing portfolio, and in particular our efforts to serve our market in multiple digital formats, including online news, digital analysis, and video.

Nick Carter - Sales Director, and Brain Dolby, Total TeleVision,
with Total Telecoms trophies

In addition, Total Telecom was Highly Commended in the category of Media Brand of the Year, recognising the way we have extended our portfolio into a range of events, conferences and briefings.

Our most recent event, also yesterday, was the Breakfast with Total Telecom briefing on Next Generation Cloud Services, which saw a range of participants join sponsors HP for informative presentations and lively discussions. You can download supporting documents from HP here.

What do Facebook and Cossacks have in common?

2011-12-06T15:25:00.001Z

What do Facebook and Cossacks have in common? The answer is Lulea. It's a little place on the edge of the Arctic Circle, ravaged by the Cossacks at the end of the 18th century and now the site for Facebooks first data centre outside of the US, and Total TeleVision has been there!

Watch our interview with Tomas Sundstrom - CEO of local fibre network provider, Lunet, from the edge of the facebook construction site...

We anticipate an event-full week

2011-12-05T10:59:00.001Z

The week might be eventful but it will certainly be event-full. On Tuesday we have our last Breakfast with Total Telecom for 2011, Next Generation Cloud Services, as well as discovering the results of the PPA's 2011 Independent Publisher Awards. On Wednesday the cameras will be out for Film Day, whilst Friday is the deadline for entries for the 2012 World vendor Awards.

Tomorrows breakfast briefing looks like a busy affair with fantastic speakers from COLT, CE On-Demand, NTT Europe, Verizon Business, as well as sponsors HP, and IDC who are moderating. You can meet the speakers on the event website, and there are still a few seats available.

At lunch tomorrow we discover if Total Telecom are the winners as the Professional Publishers Association (PPA) unveils the winners for this years Independent Publisher Awards (#Indpub). We're up for Digital Brand of the Year (which we won in 2010) and also for Media Brand of the Year. If you hear cheering from the direction of Vinopolis, it might well be the Total Telecom team!

Wednesday will see Total TeleVision busy at Film Day, generating more great executive insight for our channel. The next event will be early in 2012, so worth baring in mind if you are looking for pre-MobileWorld Congress expsoure for your executives...

Finally, Friday will see the traditional rush of companies getting their entries in for the 2012 World Vendor Awards (#wva2012). With new categories including areas such as Best Cloud Solution and The Small Cells Award we anticipate fierce competition. Don't miss out, get your entry in.

All in all, it's going to be busy. Who said it quietens down before Christmas?

The Pioneer Trail

2011-11-28T15:07:00.001Z

It's always nice to get noticed, and Total Telecom is doing pretty well right now! Most recently we've been nominated for the new Media Pioneer Awards to be presented at next year's Specialist Media Show.

In this instance we're being recognised for just doing what our audience expect! That's not to diminish how please we are to be nominated, but the actual reason we're on the list is because we've done and continue to do just what every business should, address the needs of our customers - whether they be readers or commercial partners, and in doing so develop our business for the years ahead.

So please do take the time to read the article on the Specialist Media Show website, or even better come and experience the reality through our digital publishing and events. Our next event is the Next Generation Cloud Services breakfast.

The Media Pioneer Awards will announce their winners next year, but much sooner are this years PPA Independent Publisher Awards. Total Telecom is shortlisted for Media Brand of the Year and Digital Brand of the Year (the category we won last year), so it's fingers crossed here to see what the results will be next Tuesday.

Bringing it all together - #WCA2011

2011-11-24T09:05:00.001Z

The World Communication Awards are the embodiment of every that Total Telecom represents and this year they were better than ever.

They've been referred to a s the 'bluechip mark of achievement' and the Oscars of telecommunications, and this year we can add the "Festival de Cannes of telecommunications" (Axel Haentjens, Orange Business Services).

The video's are now released from the night, including the overview that gives great insight into the event, the winners, and the sponsors. It's well worth spending a few minutes to watch it, whether you attended or not.

Once again our thanks goes out to all the judges of this years event, as well as the sponsors that help make this happen. The 14th awards will be held in London on the 13th November 2012, but before that you still may have the opportunity to participate in the World Vendor Awards or the 2nd annual Asia Communication Awards.

You can view the complete playlist of interviews on Total Telecom

DIY, BYOD, the new corporate strategy?

2011-11-22T13:47:00.001Z

So whose phone do you use? Your employers or your own? In this months Total Telecom+, Nick Wood talks about the growing trend to Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

Amongst the conclusions is a quote from Gartner vice president Nick Jones. “BYO is a principle that most organisations will adopt and organisations must prepare for this change.” If he's right then operators really need to jump on board to realise the opportunity to generate revenues from ‘bring your own device’

You can read Nick's article and others from this issue on your iOS or Android device, as an online page turning digital issue (see flip image below) or download as a PDF. Find out more here.

Every issue of Total Telecom+ is full of the latest analysis of the stories behind the news, so if you've missed any recent issues, check out our archive for recent issues including:

October: Device Strategies, Tablets
September: Content Strategies: Over-the-top content strategies
July/August: Self organising networks (SON)
and much more...
View the archive: www.totaltele.com/plus/archive

Not easily impressed: #WVA2012 judges

2011-11-17T17:02:00.001Z

Meet the judges for the 2012 World Vendor Awards. These are the men and women you've got to impress if you hope to win at this years awards, and between them they have a formidable track record in the telecom industry and knowledge second to none.

They include representatives of your customers, telecom operators who buy hardware, software and solutions, and industry commentators including analysts, journalists, and trade associations.

For the 2012 World Vendor Awards we are delighted to be able to welcome some new faces to join the established names, including:

Matthew Finnie, the CTO of Interoute;

Rob Staples, the Partner who is leading development of the Telecoms and Media practice at BearingPoint;

Isabelle Paradis, President of Hot Telecom.

In total this brings to 13 the number of judges for the WVA and without insulting anyone a collective experience of more than 200 years in telecoms...

If you can impress these people, you are indeed worthy of a World Vendor Award!
Meet all the judges at: www.terrapinn.com/2012/worldvendorawards/judges.stm

Enter now - DEADLINE 30 November 2011 www.worldvendorawards.com

Does your CEO have the X-Factor?

2011-11-16T13:07:00.001Z

The vendor CEO with the #xfactor will be recognised at the 2012 World Vendor Awards.

Last years winner was Vishwanath Alluri of IMImobile whose company also won Best Outsourcing Initiative.

Vishwanath commented: “I feel this is a reflection of the innovative and compelling work we do at IMImobile that delivers consumer engagement and increased revenues for our customers. Winning these two highly regarded World Vendor Awards is evidence of our continued excellence within the mobile industry.”

CEO of the Year is important because it is determined by the industry. In a two stage evaluation process we ask the industry to nominate candidates who are then put to an industry vote. To ensure fair play we use an evaluation system where voters have to tell us theior top three choices.

Of course if your CEO isn't nominated, they can't win, so make sure you submit your nomination today!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WVA_CEO_2012

Countdown for #vendor excellence

2011-11-16T12:44:00.001Z

The entry deadline for this years World Vendor Awards is the 30 November 2011, so now is the time to start refining your entries.

2012 will be the third annual World Vendor Awards and we're celebrating with some new categories and a new venue, the fabulous Jumeirah Carlton Tower in Knightsbridge.

A thorough review of the categories has seen eight categories appear that are either new or substantially revised, including Best Cloud Solution, Best Mobile Network Product, The Small Cells Award - you can view them all and download the categories brochure here.

The first entries are already in, but if you want inspiration, you may want to watch the videos from last years awards dinner, or read the Winners magazine to see who won.

The big Idea in India

2011-11-11T08:39:00.001Z

On Monday night Idea Cellular from India picked up the first award of the night at the 2011 World Communication Awards (#WCA2011).

CMO Sashi Shankar collected the trophy for Best Brand Campaign from PCCW Global CEO Marc Halbfinger in front of a packed house of truly global telecom professionals. Despite other strong entries from Tata Communications and Bharti Airtel, Idea remained the only Indian winner of the night.

Post event, clearly their press team demonstrated their part in making them such a strong brand by generating widespread coverage of their success, including these stories below:

BUSINESS STANDARD: Idea wins 'Best Brand Campaign' at World Communication Awards 2011

BUSINESS REVIEW INDIA: Idea bags 'Best Brand Campaign' award in London

RADIO & MUSIC: Idea wins 'Best Brand Campaign' at the prestigious World Communication Awards 2011

BEST MEDIA INFO: Idea wins ‘Best Brand Campaign’ at World Communication Awards

#Ofcom has it covered

2011-11-10T10:12:00.002Z

This weeks inaugural Total #Telecom World conference has clearly demonstrated an industry need for a conference dedicated to the future of the telecom industry.

No where is this clearer than by looking at the amount of press coverage generated by Ofcom's Ed Richards. The keynote on Day 2 left rather hastily having slipped Total Telecom World into a crammed diary but has been widely quoted in the tech press, including the esteemed publications listed below. If you've spotted more coverage of Total Telecom World, do let us know...

ZDNet - Ofcom: Level playing field needed for rural broadband
The Register - Ofcom boss warns of low interest in 'superfast' broadband
eWeek europe - Ofcom Boss Queries Need For Superfast Broadband
think broadband - Ofcom boss shares UK regulators approach with telecom industries
BroadbandExpert - Ofcom Chief Talks Broadband at Total Telecom World
ISPreview - Ofcom UK Warns of Competition Concerns with Low Superfast Broadband Uptake
HARDWARE (The register) - Ofcom boss warns of low interest in 'superfast' broadband
ИКС (Russia) - Ofcom chief backs WDM as future of fibre competition
ITProPortal - Ofcom: Equal Participation by Telecom Operators in Rural Broadband Needed
uSwitch.com - teenagers driving superfast broadband take-up
PCPro - Ofcom chief: only families with teenagers want fibre

It's a wrap! Awards and Conference complete

2011-11-09T12:55:00.004Z

The 13th annual World Communication Awards and first ever Total Telecom World conference are over for another year, so time to take a deep breath and relax. No chance, it's time to start working on Total Telecom Wireless World for June 2012!

Eighteen categories were awarded, with the highlights being the emergence of UPC Austria as the winner in two categories, Team of the Year and Best Customer Care, and the naming of Randall L. Stephenson of AT&T as CEO of the Year. Randall unfortunately was unable to make the awards, but did send us personal video message.

There is great press coverage of the awards this year, in particular the BBC were very quick off the mark to cover BT's win of Project of the Year for Superfast Cornwall.

Almost 500 people attended this years awards dinner at the London Hilton on Park Lane where Andrew Neil demonstrated just what makes him such a popular commentator and presenter with his unique blend of topical, humourous, and the slightly cutting - especially if you happen to work for Orange. You can view all the winners and highly commended companies on the website at www.worldcommsawards.com

Many of those who attended the awards also participated in the inaugural Total Telecom World conference where they were moved and inspired by Karim Khoja's story of telecoms in Afghanistan, as well as getting great insight from Ed Richards, CEO of Ofcom and the opportunity to hear first hand from Nigel Stagg, the new CEO of BT Wholesale in his first conference presentation.

Panel discussions in particular were lively with candid views expressed by the likes of Jeremy Boardman of Rothschild (Any new UK fibre investors would be 'certifiable'), whilst David Haigh of Brand Finance was described by one participant as making the other panellists 'squirm'!

An eventful two days, when all's said and done...

What's in the bag?

2011-11-04T15:18:00.000Z

We have boxes full of bags and bags full of.... well you'll have to come to next weeks World Communication Awards to find out.

Once again we are delighted to have the goody bag sponsored by Virtela for the #WCA2011

The 2011 World Communication Awards will be presented at the Hilton, Park Lane, London on the evening of Monday 7 November.

Warning - Beware of #Android's

2011-11-04T09:10:00.000Z

There may be a sudden outbreak of Androids, or at least Android editions of Total Telecom+ which is now live in the Android Market.

This new route to access for Total Telecom+ joins the iPad App edition that already has already been downloaded by over 1,800 users.

If you have an iPad, iPhone or Android device, make sure you check out the Total Telecom+ App - we're sure you'll be delighted by the compelling reading, viewing and sharing experience.

The latest publication on the App is the 2011 edition of the Global 100 Operators guide. If you want the full dataset, this will be available shortly in excel format - contact Total Telecom for more information.

Total Telecom+ provides indepth analysis of the issues behind the news from the editiors of Total Telecom and selected contributiors. It is available for tablet devices, as an online page turner and to download as a PDF. Find out more about the latest edition (October) by clicking here. Content includes TABLETS, RISK MANAGEMENT, SATELLITES, NEXT-GENERATION NETWORKS as well as the Q4 edition of Tellabs Insight Magazine.

Thought leaders you can't afford to miss

2011-11-03T15:34:00.000Z

Next weeks Total Telecom World will bring together senior executives from more than 90 organisations spanning the global telecoms industry, from AT&T to ZTE. Here's why you should grab a last minute opportunity to attend!

Royal Horseguards

The delegates will gather at the prestigous Royal Horseguards (One Whitehall Place) to debate the future of the teleocms industry, explore how business models are changing, examine the impact of new competitiors and challenges, and learn more about emerging partnerships and solutions.

A fantastic line up of keynotes, presenters and panellists has come together, with the highlights including:

Nigel Stagg, CEO - BT Wholesale - the new CEO of BT Wholesale, in his first conference presentation since taking over from Sally Davis, talks about moving away from selling capacity.

Diarmid Massey, MD, Global Wholesale & Carrier - Cable&Wireless Worldwide told his peers
partner up or lose out when talking to Total Telecom - we'll see if his views have changed

Gerd Leonhard, CEO - The Futures Agency was called by the WSJ ‘one of the leading Media Futurists in the World' - anyone who has seen him speak knows his presentation will be insightful and compelling

Ed Richards, CEO – Ofcom explains Ofcom's long-term vision for competition and investment

Marc Halbfinger has been CEO of PCCW Global since 2007 and has fantastic experience across the telecom industry. He joins other industry leaders from BT Wholesale, Orange Business Services and Virtela for a panel discussion examining how operators can profit from the cloud.

Erik Hallberg, President - TeliaSonera International Carrier provides the first keynote on Day 1. As the winners of the Best Customer Care award at the 2010 World Communication Awards, TSIC really understand what makes for happy customers.

Tom Homer became CEO of Telstra International earlier this year. He is responsible for delivering Telstra International EMEA’s growth strategy throughout the region.

It's now just a couple of working days away, so if you are still to book your place, the time for delay is over!

The World According to Ed: #Ofcom CEO Speaks

2011-10-31T15:36:00.000Z

In an increasingly complex telecom landscape, regulators are becoming ever more powerful. So we are delighted to have Ed Richards, the CEO of Ofcom, as a keynote speaker at next weeks Total Telecom World conference in London.

This is a rare opportunity to hear Ofcom's view on:

Their long-term vision for competition and investment?
What do the models of competition and investment look like in the superfast broadband world?
Recent developments and the challenges for industry and the regulator in next generation access

Coinciding with the 13th annual World Communication Awards, Total Telecom World is a fantastic opportunity to understand the future direction for the global communications industry and your role in it's development. To make sure you don't miss out, register today at www.totaltele.com/world

Duvet Days: is the #video solution under your Qwilt?

2011-10-20T14:08:00.002+01:00

Image Credit Graur Codrin

"I don't give a monkey's about your problems" was the quote from the audience at one of the Breakfast with Total Telecom events we hosted earlier in the year. He was of course referring to the economics of delivering content, a model that according to Michael Howard of Infonetics is "doomed to unprofitability" if it continues down the current path (see: Analyst Viewpoint).

It is of course a popular view that few would argue with, but it is not necessarily an unassailable position. Certainly Gerd Leonhard of The Futures Agency feels strongly enough to dedicate part of his Total Telecom World presentation to the theme "What are the opportunities for making money around content?", but actually the answer could lie closer to home.

Indeed it sounds as though ex Cisco executive Alon Maor has found the solution at the bottom of his bed! His company Qwilt is reported by Forbes to have a solution that shares the wealth along the value chain of carriers, CDN's and content providers, whilst all the time enabling consumers to enjoy a better service from their favourite sites, such as Hulu and YouTube.

So will it work and will it get beyond the trial stage? Who knows. Let's sleep on it.

Keep taking the #tablets

2011-10-19T16:50:00.000+01:00

In the October issue of Total Telecom+, Nick Wood has taken a look at the world of tablet computing and how operators need to prove they are more than a bit part player in this arena.

It's an important battle because the electronics retailers are already making this market their own, not only offering the advantage of tablets without contracts, but also great variety. In the UK for example, Best Buy current offer a choice of 17 tablets whilst Vodafone's shop offers just the iPad and Samsung GALAXY.

However arguably the biggest challenge is the opportunity cost of not convincing the consumer. The operator is not seen as the default choice for tablets because the network contract is not essential. The FT recently reported that Apple currently generates almost 3/4 of tablet sales in the UK, but the majority of these use wi-fi and not 3G. That's already an issue, but a recent study by Intel predicts that by 2020 there will be 31 billion connected devices worldwide.

Just think of the boardroom tears if operators aren't getting their fair share of this...

The challenges facing the telecoms industry will be discussed on day-2 of Total Telecom World by speakers including Orange Business Services and Reliance Communications. Don't miss your chance to attend.

Too busy to read @totaltelecom? Readers 10 most popular articles

2011-10-17T13:09:00.000+01:00

If you are wondering what everyone else is reading on Total Telecom or didn't get time to catch up, these are the 10 most popular articles on Monday morning.

US blocks Huawei from public safety LTE trial
Chinese equipment maker calls on authorities to be more transparent; insists it is still committed to expanding its U.S. operation.

Sony Ericsson sees weakening demand in Western Europe
Mobile handset maker says consumers are waiting longer to upgrade their phones.

M2M revenues worth $1.2 trillion to operators by 2020 – GSMA
Industry body rounds up operators, vendors and a research firm to encourage collaboration; consumer electronics identified as most lucrative M2M opportunity.

Everything Everywhere axes 22 middle managers
U.K. mobile joint venture's CEO Olaf Swantee gives acting chief technology officer Fotis Karonis permanent CTO role.

End of an era as Verizon sells most of its pay phones
Pacific Telemanagement acquires majority of U.S. operator's remaining 50,000 pay phones.

US telcos hope data plans offset slowing long-term contract growth
AT&T now facing off against Sprint for share of iPhone sales; Verizon's lack of unlimited data tariffs may result in customer losses.

Friday Review: Where there's a will there's a way
Apple grapples with iCloud issues, RIM reels from the great BlackBerry blackout and a survey reveals 11% of U.K. consumers plan to bequeath Internet passwords.

Imitation is the worst form of cloud innovation - analyst
Service providers berated for copying Amazon; urged to deliver solutions that address local demands.

BlackBerry service experiences problems in UK again
Source claims server handling consumer BlackBerry traffic has 'gone down'.

The Mobile Application Market
98 billion mobile applications will be downloaded in 2015

Total "Globetrotting" TeleVision

2011-10-14T11:52:00.001+01:00

The Total Telecom multimedia arm, Total TeleVision has been globetrotting like never before. Over the course of 10 days from the 27 September we have covered three major events in three cities, generating fantastic interviews and insight from the likes of BT Wholesale, Ericsson, Etisalat, Orange, Verizon and many more.

So much content has been produced from Telecoms World Middle East in Dubai that we are still in the process of editing and preparing it for viewing, but you can already view the show overview here:

We were also in London for Carriers World 2011 and Paris for Broadband World Forum.

You can view some outstanding Carriers World interviews with Ruth Pickering of BT Wholesale, Rakesh Bhasin of COLT, Willem Offerhaus of iBasis, and Mike Millegan of Verizon on Total Telecom, as well as a range of interviews from Broadband World Forum in Paris.

Total TeleVision increasingly provides the best insight from key telecom executives around the globe. The next chance to meet us will be at Total Telecom World on the 7 & 8 November 2011.

BRICs and Mortar

2011-10-14T08:57:00.001+01:00

Reuters reports today that Brazil, Russia, India and China (#BRIC) are working on ways to contribute money rapidly to expand the effective funds of the International Monetary Fund. This once again demonstrates the new found strength of these emerging markets and it is a real turning of the tables to see these countries talking about enabling confidence boosting statements for the G20.

Friday Review: BRICking it

Of course in telecoms we know all about the staggering growth of these markets - indeed Mary Lennighan reported in July that developing markets would account for 40% of global telecom revenues in 2012.

It will be interesting to see if this latest move feeds back into any obvious impact on the telecoms industry, and hear the views of the speakers talking about emerging markets at Total Telecom World next month, including Luca Luciani, the CEO of TIM Brasil and Mehboob Chowdhury, CEO of Citycell.

The one thing that's certain is that these newcomers are now in the driving seat on the global stage...

Every cloud has a murky and undefined lining

2011-10-13T12:45:00.001+01:00

The cloud: It's up there, high above, subconsciously suggesting that the sky's the limit. It's an intangible fluffy white entity, beyond our reach.

Its icon is usually a two-year-old's artistic impression of the phenomenon of precipitation; a squiggly polygon with giant lettering denoting "Cloud" right in the centre.

On my desk there is a Virgin Media magazine, entitled Practical Cloud, that has used the image of a typical desktop computer floating away underneath a giant red balloon with the company's logo emblazoned on the side that suggests data will be lifted into the sky and dispersed into a virtual realm, safe for eternity.

Of course, that's not entirely true. It is not floating. It is sitting on a server somewhere.

Talking with industry professionals in Rome at last week's NetEvents, the consensus seemed to be that the industry is not quite there yet, and has so far not delivered on the hype. Some of the foundations are in place, but the cloud is not unlimited, and not as spread out as we're led to believe.

Today, if you want to rent a few servers with more than 16 cores each and a wad of storage space for four days to do some data mining, you can't. The cloud is restricted by contracts, by capacity, and by bandwidth.

So what exactly is the cloud meant to be?

The current National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) definition has five simple, but essential, characteristics.

1. It has to be on demand, self service. If in the middle of the night I decide that I want to set up a Web server for a week, so I can host a site that details a dream I just had about flying sheep, I should be able to allocate the relevant resources without any human interaction.

2. Broad network access. That means anywhere. On the train, using a smartphone; sitting on a beanbag chair in the office tapping away on a tablet; or upright at my desk.

3. Resource pooling. Applications should be able to fire out to multiple users dynamically. I don't care if my data is coming from Iceland, the surface of Mars, or a combination of the two and I shouldn't ever need to, unless I'm getting latency issues. It should just get to me.

4. Rapid elasticity. The resources should shift and fluctuate like the ocean, except the tides are controlled by user demand rather than the moon.

5. And finally, measured service. It should all be automatically optimised, monitored, and reported. That way I know how much money I'm spending on my sheep dream website.

Essentially, I shouldn't feel like I'm renting a computer that just happens to be outside my office. I should be buying processing power, memory and storage in a way that seems completely unlimited; that will survive if a construction company accidentally chops through a copper line with a shovel; that can just exist whenever I have a passing whim, and disappear just as quickly.

That's cloud. It should be intangible; it should be a virtual world, spread across a multitude of physical entities. But it's not. Not yet at least.

Global 100 Operators take their place

2011-10-12T15:29:00.001+01:00

Next week's Global 100 breakfast briefing will see 50 senior telecom executives gather for the launch of the 2011 Global 100 Operators report. They will be hoping to see if there are major changes at the top (will AT&T still hold the number 1 position) and also to discover who has gone up and of course who has gone down in our popular ranking.

Global 100 Speakers

Behind the headline figures, generated for us this year by Ernst & Young, is the true story of what drives the positions and what trends are influencing the shape of the industry, and to help you understand this we have an outstanding line up of speakers and panellists ready to give their views, answer questions and share insight with those in attendance.

Speakers for this years Breakfast include:

Andrew Edison: Regional Vice President, AT&T Europe, Middle East and Africa
Dominic Jones: Director of Products and Marketing, Cable&Wireless Worldwide
Damian Skendrovic: Head of Managed Services Business Unit, NTT Europe
Adrian Baschnonga: Associate Director, Ernst & Young
Carl Murdock-Smith: Telecoms Equity Research Analyst, JP Morgan

The session will be moderated by Steven Hartley, Principal Analyst at the Ovum Telecom Strategy Practice.

2010 Global 100

Last year it was all about the companies from the Middle east, Latin America, and Asia, so it will be interesting to see this trends for 2011, and understand the impact of the buzz topics such as cloud, content, and 4G.

Places are now very limited for this breakfast briefing which provides unmissable insight for anyone doing business with the top telecom operators or wanting to understand the drivers in the market affecting not just the top 100 but every operator, so don't miss out, REGISTER TODAY

Google #Cloud: a threat to Amazon or a threat to you?

2011-10-12T08:50:00.000+01:00

Yesterday the Google enterprise blog unveiled a raft of new Cloud assets aimed at enterprise market place and was reported by various parts of the press as gunning for Amazon web services.

Whilst this may be true, once again this underlines the threat that the likes of Google pose to the traditional telecom industry, offering over-the-top services at no doubt competitive prices, but more importantly leveraging the enormous strength of the Google marketing infrastructure and making the entire proposition seem user friendly and simple with a typically clean proposition page.

Telecom operators are still not getting to grips with their cloud propositions and others are eating their breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

And it's not just Google. yesterday IBM strengthened its private cloud proposition through the purchase of Platform Computing, whilst the Total Telecom press release feed is awash with releases relating to Cloud initiatives, mostly from vendor companies.

However the opportunity for the telcos is clear. At a recent conference in Rome it was flagged that reliability tops enterprise concerns about the cloud and this opens the way to a terrific opportunity for the telecom operators. OTT providers cannot guarantee the reliability of the network, whilst telcos are far better placed to offer this reassurance.

Without doubt this is at the core of the debate and will be central to the discussion at the Breakfast with Total Telecom Next Generation Cloud Services discussion on the 6 December.

To talk to us about this event and the opportunities available:
Email sales@totaltele.com
Or call 44 (0) 20 7608 7077

Why #marketing matters to #telecom

2011-10-10T13:55:00.002+01:00

Why do we have a brand expert on the speaker list for Total Telecom World? Here's why. The speaker in question is David Haigh, CEO of Brand Finance, the company that compiles our annual Brand Ranking for the telecom industry

But there is a deeper reason than the simple partnership; brand and marketing has an incredible impact on the telecom industry, it impacts the value of the companies involved and dictates how credible their propositions to the market are.

No company demonstrates this more clearly than the current predicament now faced by the one-time untouchable brand of Research in Motion (RIM). Their plight has been well documented over the last few months, but is epitomised not by a telecom commentator, but by a marketeer, the acclaimed Mark Ritson writing in Marketing Week. His article "Nothing smart about RIM’s aimless strategy" demonstrates the perils for telecoms of ignoring marketing and brand.

For more brand / marketing stories on Total Telecom, use this search

To hear more from David Haigh, come to Total Telecom World www.totaltele.com/world

Pose your question for our #telecom experts

2011-10-07T15:29:00.003+01:00

7-8 November 2011, London

In exactly one month we will be welcoming participants to Total Telecom World. We have a fantastic speaker line-up (see below) and would like to invite you to pose your question to one of our keynotes or for discussion by one of the panels.

In an ideal world we hope you'll be at the conference to pose the question yourself, but we know that won't be possible for everyone, so we are inviting you to submit your question online and we'll pass them through to the moderators.

Ways to pose your questions:
1. Post them online to our survey form - CLICK HERE
2. Tweet them - message us @totaltelecom and use the hashtag #TTW11
3. Live at the event, and get the answer there and then! (Book your place)

Our speakers:
There are more than 40 speakers at Total Telecom World, including:

Abdul Aziz: CEO, Ufone
Byron Clatterbuck: President Global Carrier, Tata Communications
Chris Wood: CEO, WIOCC
David Haigh: CEO, Brand Finance
Erik Hallberg: President, TeliaSonera International Carrier
Gerd Leonhard: CEO, The Futures Agency
Jeremy Boardman: MD, Rothschild
Karim Khoja: CEO, Roshan
Luca Luciani: CEO, TIM Brasil
Marc Halibfinger: CEO, PCCW

Marianne Roling: MD EMEA, Microsoft
Mehboob Chowdhury: CEO, CityCell
Nigel Stagg: CEO, BT Wholesale
Olivier Baujard: CTO, Deutsche Telekom Group
Tom Homer: CEO, Telstra International

For the full list of speakers visit www.totaltele.com/world

Going for the hat trick

2011-10-06T13:20:00.000+01:00

Total Telecom have been shortlisted twice for the 2011 Independent Publisher Awards. The winners will be revealed on the 6 December 2011 at Vinopolis in London, when Total Telecom will be hoping to carry away the trophies for Digital Brand of the Year and Media Brand of the Year.

Success in 2011 will complete the hat trick for Total Telecom, having been named Digital Brand of the Year in 2010 and Online Brand of the Year in 2009 (you can view all our recent accolades on our website)

Total Telecom entries focused on the multiple ways in which we are seeking to serve our audience, both in terms of digital content delivery, and with our expanded event portfolio, including the launch of Total Telecom World and the Asia Communication Awards.

The Independent Publisher Awards are organised by the leading trade association for the publishing industry, the PPA.

Why #cloud isn't a compelling proposition

2011-10-05T08:48:00.009+01:00

Reuters have reported on a recent cloud adoption survey by Symantec and have found few organisations are adopting cloud computing and that those that have are generally disappointed.

This is a worry for telecom operators, many of whom are viewing cloud as a great opportunity - as will be discussed by a panel including BT Wholesale, PCCW Global and Orange Business Services at Total Telecom World. However the findings also highlight were the opportunity lies for operators to address the issues and restore confidence. In a recent Carriers World interview with Total TeleVision, Rakesh Bhasin, CEO of COLT, flagged up issues including, ease of doing business, security, and understanding the customer, closely echoing the findings of the Symantec research.

In December Total Telecom will host our next generation cloud services breakfast briefing, clearly how to make cloud computing a compelling option for the customer must become part of the mix.

More Cloud Computing resources on Total Telecom

London, Paris and Dubai

2011-10-04T11:51:00.007+01:00

In just one week Total TeleVision has been in three cities. Last week it was Paris for Broadband World Forum and London for Carriers World, this week it's Dubai for Telecoms World Middle East.

The result is even more fantastic content for Total TeleVision, even though the volume is causing a bottleneck in the production process!

So far we've released four excellent videos from Carriers World, including Ruth Pickering, Managing Director, Strategy & Portfolio at BT Wholesale, Rakesh Bhasin, CEO of COLT, Willem Offerhaus, CEO and member of the iBasis Board of Directors, and Mike Millegan,President - Global Wholesale, Verizon, with more to come over the next few weeks.

For the latest video, visit our video homepage www.totaltele.tv or look out for the updates on Twitter, @totaltelecom

The year won't be getting any quieter for our TV crew with major coverage being planned for Total Telecom World and the World Communication Awards in November.

World class #vendors to be recognised at #WVA12

2011-09-29T09:40:00.007+01:00

Calling all telecom hardware and software companies. Entries for the 2012 World Vendor Awards are now open!

The third annual World Vendor Awards build of the success of 2010 and 2011, recognising excellence and innovation amongst the companies driving forwards the global telecom industry.

For 2012 we have a new look, new venue and most importantly a thoroughly refreshed list of categories, recognising the big issues including cloud, small cells, and revenue assurance.

The World Vendor Awards are a unique proposition, the only awards aimed solely at telecom vendors, recognising their successes and most importantly using the power of Total Telecom to promote this success to a global audience of telecom operators and service providers, the buyers of your equipment and services.

This year we are looking for even more entries, from even more companies, those who think they can do as well or better than Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Comviva, Ciena, and IMIMobile, to name just 5 of last years winners.

Now is the time to get writing, so visit the website www.worldvendorawards.com to view the categories and download the brochure.

And remember, if the successes of telecoms hardware and software companies matter to you, why not talk to us about sponsoring the 2012 awards. You will not only benefit from positioning your company as a leader in the sector, but will benefit from a fantastic marketing campaign that will position your brand to the entire global telecom industry - have a look at last years Winners Brochure to get more of an idea of who has been involved.

Finally, keep up to date with the latest in the vendor community by joining our LinkedIn group, World Class Vendors and if you are Tweeting about the awards, use the hashtag #WVA12

Who are you - #Telecom User Survey

2011-09-28T12:22:00.003+01:00

Total Telecom User Survey: You know who you are (we hope), but we're not so sure and so we are asking you to complete our user survey.

Total Telecom generates visits from around 100,000 global telecom professionals every month. Many of you are registered users of the website and so we know who you are, but some people visit without having registered for our newsletter, to download a white paper or view older content, and that's one of the reasons for us to do user surveys.

We also like to ask questions about your interests and your views, and that helps us to understand they type of information and survey's we can generate that might interest you. You will notice that much of this years survey focuses on mobile issues, and this will help us frame the agenda for Total Telecom Wireless World that we will launch in 2012.

As a thank you for completing the survey, we are offering everyone who participate a 10% discount on attending our forthcoming Total Telecom World conference. As the survey should only take a couple of minutes, that's virtually Money for Nothing!

Please take a couple of minutes to complete the survey.

Image Credit: jscreationzs

SaaS is old hat - LaaS is the next big thing in #cloud

2011-09-27T08:20:00.003+01:00

Would you bet against Amazon hitting the big time with its forthcoming library in the cloud, as reported recently by the WSJ?

The Next Web also reported on this and said it would be Netflix for books, which surely makes it library as a cloud service or LaaS (remember you heard it here first!)

Whether we're going to see lots of the cloud players promoting Library as a Service is yet to be seen, but you could always ask them at Total Telecom's Next Generation Cloud Service breakfast on the 6th December...

The #smartphone myth?

2011-09-26T13:34:00.006+01:00

Gartner has reported that Smartphone sales continue to rocket (Total Telecom+ Sept 2011) with a rise of 74% year-on-year, and this clearly adds credence to the assertion of SK Telecom that free smartphone apps may place a threat to IMS based services offered by mobile carriers - see Roy Rubenstein's article "Multi tasking"

However SMS Marketing company Tatango have put out the fancy infographic shown here

showing that the main use of such devices continues to be text messaging and photographs.

You may well argue that it's a tremendous success that social networking, gaming, and downloading apps have all been listed as uses of smartphones by consumers, but it will be interesting to see how things pan-out as operators move away from diets of all you can eat bandwidth.

It will be interesting to hear from people like Alex Musil of Shazam and Marc Anné (VP Customer Insight & Advocacy) of Orange Business Services at Total Telecom World as they talk about some of the issues surrounding this subject as well as Olivier Baujard – CTO – Deutsche Telekom Group whose keynote presentation is entitled The Smartphone Challenge

The #socialmedia impact

2011-09-23T09:14:00.006+01:00

As the telecom sector is such a huge user of social media and vital to everyone else's use, these slides should be of great interest. There are an enourmous number of facts and figures here, but it's worth spending time to look through....

Social media around the world 2011

Some of these issues will be raised at Total Telecom World in November where Olivier Baujard, CTO of Deutsche Telekom Group is going to talk about the impact of Smartphones, and there will also be a panel discussion on Day 2 focusing on "is the future of social media a threat to telecom operators" featuring:

Axel Haentjens – VP Marketing – Orange Business Services

Alex Musil – EVP Product Marketing – Shazam

Ashwin Jaiswal – Head - IT Business Consulting & Practice – Reliance Communications

To find out more about attending, download the brochure

PCCW Global Support Total #Telecom World

2011-09-22T10:17:00.006+01:00

PCCW Global have become the latest organisation to offer their support as a sponsor of the new strategic conference, Total Telecom World.

They join a raft of great industry names, including Citycell, Interoute, LogMeIn, Orange Business Services, Qiwi, Tata Communications, and Tektronix who are sponsoring the inaugural conference to be held at prestigous One Whitehall Place on the 7 & 8 November 2011.

Marc Halbfinger, CEO of PCCW Global will be one of a stellar line up of speakers. You can meet them all by downloading the conference brochure.

This years conference coincides by date with the 13th annual World Communication Awards, which take place nearby at the London Hilton on Park Lane. Many of the 600 senior executives who attend the WCA will also be at Total Telecom World, so make sure you don't miss out on the limited places available by booking today.

World Class Telecom Countries (and Companies...)

2011-09-20T12:22:00.004+01:00

This years World Communication Awards (WCA) shortlist comprises 86 contenders, they represent 49 companies, themselves ultimately part of 44 brands. This in itself is an impressive representation of the breadth of the WCA, but almost pales into insignificance when you see the immense scale of their global coverage. The shortlist includes no less than 26 countries, whilst the original entries included more than 40 countries.

Countries who entered the WCA

So join us to celebrate the companies and countries making a splash at this years awards, from CVT in Cape Verde to Smart Communications in the Philippines and from Roshan in Afghanistan to Telmex in Mexico - well done to you all. The 26 countries are below. Karim Khoja, CEO of Roshan will be one of the speakers at Total Telecom World on the 7-8 November 2011.

Image created by Wordle - see the original here

Enterprise users name their favourites

2011-09-19T08:58:00.001+01:00

The shortlist is out for the Users Choice category at this years World Communication Awards. All those who have made the shortlist deserve recognition as this is genuinely the category where the winner is chosen by enterprise users of telecom services, based on extensive research by Total Telecom and our partners at Ocean82

So well done to:

AT&T

Cable & Wireless Worldwide

Etisalat

Global Crossing

Orange Business Services

SingTel

Telefonica

Telmex

Verizon Business

To find out who wins, join us at the awards dinner on the 7 November.

You can gain more insight into why Orange Business Services made the shortlist by listening to their VP Customer Insight & Advocacy, Marc Anné, who will be speaking on The Customer Experience track at Total Telecom World.

More information about the users choice methodology is available here.

45 Players in the Game

2011-09-06T13:12:00.005+01:00

The shortlist is out for the 2011 World Communication Awards (#WCA11) with 45 companies making it through to the final round, with the winners being revealed at the awards dinner in London on the 7 November.

We were delighted to see strong performances from the likes of Orange and BT, but even more exciting is to see AT&T, UPC and Vodafone on the shortlist.

We wish them all well for the awards and hope to see them at the awards dinner.

To view the full shortlist and to book your table visit www.worldcommsawards.com or scan the QR code below:

What is mHealth

2011-08-09T15:21:00.003+01:00

Found a nice video via the mHealth Alliance with loads of explanations as to what mHealth is. If any of these sound interesting and a good opportunity for you, then join Total Telecom at our mHealth breakfast to hear from Telefonica and Orange and to join in the discussions.

So what is mHealth? Here's some of the key words: Connections, personalised, in-pocket, intervention, connectivity, telemedicine, SMS, video, emotion, platform, access, disruptive, low cost, inclusive, on-the-go, cellphone, revolution, convergence, diagnosis, non-traditional, improved health...

We're Hiring!

2011-08-04T11:07:00.004+01:00

Total Telecom are looking for talented sales people to join our London based team.

If you are interested, or know someone who might be, view our jobs page at bit.ly/work-for-total-telecom

Your company needs YOU!

2011-07-29T17:04:00.003+01:00

Two big votes of the 2011 World Communication Awards are now live:

1. CEO of the Year - vote for three candidates who have the x-factor to help determine who will take over from Etisalat's Mohammed Omran, or whether he can retain the title. VOTE HERE

2. The Users Choice - what do enterprise users really think of the operators who supply them. Last year's winner, Verizon Business, clearly ticked all the right boxes as far as their customers were concerned. Get your customers to add their voice to our annual survey, conducted with Ocean82. COMPLETE THE SURVEY

Both winners will be revealed at the awards night on the 7 November 2011 - FIND OUT MORE AT www.worldcommsawards.com

Morocco govt to cut Maroc Telecom stake

2011-07-18T17:42:00.001+01:00

The Moroccan government aims to reduce its stake in Maroc Telecom from 30% to as low as 23%, Reuters reported on Monday.

The article went on to say that bidding for the shares, worth 8.86 billion dirhams ($1.10 billion) based on last Friday’s closing stock price, would begin on 7 September, but a completion date is still unclear.

The sale of the government's holding in Maroc Telecom has been a long time coming. Total Telecom reported way back in 2005 that the Moroccan government wanted to sell its remaining 34% stake in the incumbent operator by the end of 2006, fully completing the privatisation of the company.

Maroc Telecom is controlled by French conglomerate Vivendi, which owns a 53% stake.

SOLD OUT!

2011-06-15T16:57:00.004+01:00

If you wanted to attend the first ever Asia Communication Awards, you've missed your chance.

The launch event at the fabulous Raffles Hotel in Singapore is totally sold out, so you'll have to listen out for reports, watch the interviews when they appear on Total TeleVision or no doubt follow the announcements on Twitter #ACA11

Make sure you don't miss out on 2012 - talk to us now. sales@totaltele.com

How to win a World Communication Award

2011-06-10T13:22:00.005+01:00

It's simple, isn't it, write the best entry in the right category, the judges will be impressed and you'll go home with the trophy.

Well yes it is, but competition is fierce, so it's all about planning.

1. Recognise which categories to enter. Check out the entry criteria to ensure your entry really matches what the judges want

2. Maximise your chances - if you want to win, don't put all your eggs in once basket. this year there are 17 categories, so put in multiple entries - there's even a discount for additional entries!

3. Listen to the judges - they've all contibuted to a feedback page that you can view online plus you can hear their views and meet some of last years winners in the interviews from Total TeleVision

4. Don't leave it to the last minute. The entry deadline is 1 July, so start working on it now - not on the 30th June!

5. You know your products are good and your customers happy - so include their testamonials.

This years WCA will be presented on the 7th November at the London Hilton on Park Lane. To ensure you are there to pick up a trophy, FIND OUT HOW TO ENTER

Total Telecom World 2-day conference coincides with this years WCA

Visit www.totaltele.com/world for more information

A winning entry - Tip 2

2011-05-20T13:57:00.003+01:00

You now have 7-weeks to submit your 2011 World Communication Awards entries, so it's time for another tip from the judges.

Tip number 2 is:

"...show clear innovation and have measurable business benefits. [They must] stand out from the crowd and should extend beyond just being telecommunications solutions, e.g. into sustainability."

Entries this year are being sought in 15 categories, plus there are two voted categories. To find out more, visit the website www.worldcommsawards.com

This years awards will be presented on the 7 November at the London Hilton on Park Lane. Whilst you are in London to pick up your trophy (nb. this is dependent on writing an outstanding entry!) why not make the best of your time by attending our NEW conference, Total Telecom World? Being held just down the road at the fabulous One Whitehall Place, Total Telecom World is the perfect opportunity to discuss the short and long term future of the industry, and to network with senior level executives. It runs on the 7 & 8 November 2011.

Do you Tweet? Let's get the hash tags rolling:

World Communication Awards 2011 #WCA2011

Total Telecom World #TTW2011

Writing the winning entry - Tip 1

2011-05-04T14:13:00.008+01:00

Entry deadline for the 2011 World Communication Awards is 1 July 2011, so now is the time to take tips from those who know...

David Molony - chair of the judges 2010 - said

"The judges look for the entries that get their attention right from the start and are written with clear conviction. It is important to be economical and clear about what it is exactly that you believe your company or product does better than anyone else's. Keep statements short and always follow up with an example or data to support it. Customer testimonials are key, but it is vital to present the case first."

Hear more of David's words of wisdom, watch his video interview.

Find out how to enter at www.worldcommsawards.com

Tablet revenues to hit $49bn by 2015

2011-04-19T15:48:00.002+01:00

I just came across an interesting snippet from analyst firm Strategy Analytics, which predicts that wholesale revenues from tablet sales worldwide will reach $49 billion in 2015. That's $49 billion more than the nascent segment generated in 2009, the company points out.

"Tablets are a high-value casual-computing segment that is creating huge growth opportunities for major brands such as Apple and Samsung," said Neil Mawston, director at Strategy Analytics, in an announcement on Tuesday.

Mawston believes that by 2015 tablet revenues will exceed those generated by every consumer electronics category worldwide, apart from TVs and PCs.

Details of the company's latest report on the tablet space can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/3rqlvjj

Twirling, Trotting, Tennis or Telecom?

2011-04-12T15:32:00.003+01:00

As entries open for the 2011 World Communication Awards, it's time to make sure that key global operators are ready to work on their entries.

And more than ever that includes our colleagues from North America, especially with the new gala date of the 7 November meaning Thanksgiving is no longer a reason for not entering!

With this in mind, Total Telecom set about alerting key US trade associations to the WCA, starting with the US Telecom Association.

However our casual enquiry on Google brought forth not examples of broadband, wireless networks, and all things telecom, but instead Tennis (United States Tennis Association), harness racing (United States Trotting Association), and even baton twirling (United States Twirling Association)

Telecoms only made it onto page 2 of our Google results. Let's hope US operators will rank better than their trade association! Enter today...

Total 'Social' Telecom

2011-03-31T12:28:00.005+01:00

O2 have just released some research showing that Social enterprises are embracing social media and succeeding because of it according to new research from O2.

My immediate reaction was that social enterprises are bound to embrace social media, but checking out the definition shows it to be a bit more complex than that - but I still can't work out if Total Telecom really counts as a social enterprise...

Anyway details aside, hopefully we can still benefit from the 15% uplift in sales through our social media activity!

Twitter @totaltelecom

Facebook: Total Telecom

LinkedIn: Total Telecom Professional Network

YouTube: Total TeleVision

More Breakfast Please

2011-03-29T13:37:00.007+01:00

The first outing of Breakfast with Total Telecom was a great success with almost 50 people gathering at 76 Portland Place for a focussed meeting on Cloud Services for Enterprise. View photo's from the event below...

Breakfast with Total Telecom, a set on Flickr.

The next event is The Content Battle on the 19 May 2011. Find out more

Roll-up, roll-up, get your iPad 2

2011-03-25T16:20:00.006Z

With tills at Apple's flagship U.K. store on Regent Street in London due to start ringing very soon with iPad 2 sales, we thought it appropriate to bring you our very own pictures of thronging masses of fanboys eagerly waiting to get their hands on a shiny new tablet.

The owner of this somewhat weary smile informed one of our intrepid team that he had been waiting in line since 4pm on Thursday afternoon. Just a small metal barrier separates this man from his dignity.

The queue stretches right around the corner onto Hanover Street and off into the distance, seemingly forever. The non-believers at the back of the line probably don't even like Apple products.

NSN Sponsor iPad App

2011-03-23T10:46:00.002Z

We're really excited to have Nokia Siemens Networks as the launch sponsor for the new Total Telecom+ iPad app.

Numbers of users aren't huge yet, but growing rapidly and the feedback from happy readers is great.

If you can get your hands on an iPad, check out the App - search Total Telecom or visit the App Store for more information.

Total Telecom+ is truly becoming a monthly analysis product for today's telecom professionals with more than 14,000 monthly users across Digital Edition, PDF, and now iPad!

Find out more about the March issue with our exclusive telecom Brand Finance ranking here.

Everything Everywhere or Orange somewhere?

2011-03-15T16:48:00.002Z

Brand Republic reports that Everything Everywhere has set out it's brand strategies for Orange and T-Mobile.

Interestingly it's all about differentiating the brand and what they stand for. So having spent years turning everything Orange, France Telecom forms a JV with DT, creating a new brand and then sets about differentiating the Orange brand from T-Mobile.

I can't help feeling this has echos of large professional services firms a few years ago seperating their auditing and consultancy businesses and then launching consultancy arms of their audit business.

Hopefully the eventual result will be more successful than the infamous 'Monday' saga, but since the company newsroom currently has two consecutive posts proclaiming differnt stores to be the first high street store branded Everything Everywhere, you can't help questioning the likely success...

Appy to be reading Total Telecom+

2011-03-10T14:51:00.004Z

We've just launched our monthly analytical title, Total Telecom+, on the iPad and we're getting great response from people who think it looks good and are really enjoying the reading environment. If expressions of excitement turn into readers we will soon add a great number of readers to the 14,000-plus people who already download TT+ as digital page turner or PDF.

If you've yet to try the iPad experience, beg, borrow or steal to get your hands on one - it's no doubt one of the reasons why Apple have just entered this years Telecoms 500 at number 15!

To try Total Telecom+ on the iPad, search Total Telecom on the App store of visit our information page.

Assume the permission: Google wants your data

2011-02-22T16:35:00.007Z

With or without your permission, Google wants you to share your location.

As you can see from the above screenshot, I received an email from the Internet behemoth kindly informing me that my Android phone was broadcasting my location via Latitude - the Google service that allows users to share their whereabouts with their friends, and funnily enough, Google.

As an Android user who attaches some value to his privacy - otherwise known as a masochist - I was shocked to learn that I had automatically, and involuntarily been opted-in to reporting my location, and that I needed to access the Latitude settings on my handset to opt out again.

Mobile World Congress attendees who last week watched outgoing Google CEO Eric Schmidt's somewhat creepy keynote presentation will remember that he pledged to only share consumers' personal information with their "permission". A mantra he chanted on numerous occasions.

In light of my Google Latitude experience, perhaps he was protesting his innocence just a little too much.

Nokia MeeGo tablet spotted

2011-01-24T11:39:00.004Z

A number of Websites on Monday reported the sighting of a Nokia tablet running MeeGo - the operating system being developed by the handset maker in partnership with Intel.

A very dark photo of the device initially appeared on Mobile-Review's forum, seemingly swiped from MeeGo's bug-reporting Website.

Reghardware handily pointed out that tweaking the brightness levels revealed Nokia's logo - so we went ahead and did it - the results are circled in the image below.

There are no details on whether it is a bona fide tablet being prepped for launch, or a prototype device that has been created exclusively for the benefit of MeeGo's in-house developers, but it would be a surprise if Nokia elected not to produce a tablet.

Either way, the Finnish handset giant is holding a "Strategy and Financial Briefing" on 11 February - industry observers will no doubt be watching closely for product announcements.

Meanwhile, check out Total Telecom on Thursday for Nokia's Q4 results where we'll see whether the company has made up any lost ground in the smartphone space.

Write on! Deadline extended...

2011-01-18T14:40:00.004Z

If you are still desperately scribbling your entry for the World Vendor Awards, you can relax - a little. The deadline for entries has been extended to Friday 28 January, giving an extra week give a final polish to your entry!

This year there are 14 categories, including the NEW CEO of the Year. The latter will be voted by the industry, and we are currently seeking nominations.

If you missed last years awards night, here a reminder:

Contract killing: Website circulates T-Mobile cancellation letter

2011-01-12T14:33:00.008Z

A letter template intended for use by irate T-Mobile UK customers who want to cancel their contracts is doing the rounds on the Internet.

Published on the Website cantankerous, the letter cites the Ofcom conditions that the operator allegedly breached when it notified users of its plan to slash their fair usage cap to 500 MB from 1 GB from the beginning of February.

The letter claims T-Mobile failed to provide sufficient notice to its contract customers before announcing the changes.

If you're a T-Mobile UK customer who has already sent their letter, email newsdesk@totaltele.com and let us know how you get on.

Verizon launches iPhone

2011-01-11T16:15:00.003Z

U.S. telco Verizon Wireless finally got its own version of the iconic (and lucrative) iPhone on Tuesday, as predicted by industry watchers.

Verizon Wireless COO Lowell McAdam made the announcement at a press event in New York. The device will launch early next month; it will be available to everyone from 10 February but existing customers will be able to preorder from 3 February.

The price? $199 for the 16-GB version, $299 for the 32-GB version.

Verizon shop jumps gun on iPhone announcement

2011-01-11T11:23:00.004Z

Any remaining doubts over Verizon's plans to unveil a CDMA/LTE iPhone on Tuesday were further quashed after entries for both Apple and Apple iOS appeared on the operator's online shop.

As you can see from our screenshot, the entries in the drop-down menu are currently grayed out, no doubt not for long.

Plenty of gadget blogs have picked up on this development, and they are also among the news outlets to have received invitations to Verizon's press event later today.

We're sticking to our prediction that the operator will sell a version of the coveted Apple smartphone that will run on its LTE network for data with a CDMA module for voice.

Keep an eye on Total Telecom for news of Verizon's very own iPhone.

Verizon iPhone announcement looms?

2011-01-10T13:47:00.004Z

There has been frenzied speculation over the launch of a CDMA iPhone in the U.S. for years. The story has waxed and waned, but finally we seem to be close to an actual announcement. U.S. news sources are reporting having received non-transferable invitations to a New York press conference to be held by Verizon Wireless tomorrow (11am local time).

Admittedly, when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail (or, if you have a gap in your portfolio, everything looks like an iPhone launch), but nonetheless there appears to be some substance behind the latest rumours. Verizon's cloack-and-dagger approach to this press conference is unusual. More unusual is the fact that telecoms journalists have missed out on invitations, while Apple correspondents have been invited. This piece from Gizmodo provides more details. The guys at Gizmodo themselves have not heard from Verizon, fuelling speculation that this is in fact an Apple event, to which they would not be welcome after last year's iPhone 4 leak!

So, as it stands, we're expecting to see Verizon Wireless unveil an iPhone that will run on its LTE network for data with a CDMA module for voice. Keep your eyes on Total Telecom from late tomorrow afternoon - we'll bring you the story as it breaks.

Apologies if it turns out not to be an iPhone announcement. That though would be a PR disaster for Verizon: anything other than an iPhone launch would be a huge anticlimax!

Making a #Hash of it

2010-11-26T13:22:00.004Z

After the discovery that #WCA was being used by both the World Communication Awards and the World Cheese Awards, it should have come as no surprise to discover the new raison d'etre for the WCA.

Following a tweat from prolific twitterer @davidgilson sporting the #WCA tag I am led to believe that the World Communication Awards were introduced to assess whether benefit claiments are capable of working (Evening Standard article 23 Nov). Either this is a whole new side of the awards that I was never aware of, or maybe it's simply that #WCA is also being used to reflect Work Capability Assessments...

On balance, although longer, #worldcommsawards is so much safer!

New from Total Telecom: Asia Communication Awards

Follow on Twitter #asiacomms

Say Cheese

2010-11-25T11:23:00.002Z

Flash bulbs welcomed the winners, cameras rolled, and Cornish Blue reigns supreme - apparently. A coincidence of timing meant attendees at the World Communication Awards tweeting hashtag #WCA were sharing a tag with the World Cheese Awards!

Despite this one minor glitch, and more generous use of the alternative #worldcommsawards, twitter has been alive with news of this years WCA, including the success of BT - you can catch up with the latest HERE

It was a great night all round, Mary Knightingale was a popular and effective host, whilst Big Ocean Bands really upped the tempo...

So all that remains is congratulations to all the winners, including the big winners on the night BT, Orange Business Services and Verizon. You can view the full list of winners on the website: www.worldcommsawards.com

Gracious in defeat

2010-11-19T16:47:00.002Z

OK, so we didn't win at this years Digital Publishing Awards, so congratulations to @flightglobal - we'll beat you next time!

But at least we made the shortlist for Digital Service of the Year - which is more than any other comms sector website did, and we weren't embarrassed against some very big publishing names: Incisive, Reed Business, UBM et al.

Still PPA Independent Publishers Awards next month and Total Telecom is on the shortlist for two categories - hopefully holding onto ouor crown as Online Brand of the Year.

Guess...

2010-11-19T16:36:00.004Z

No prizes, but can you identify this image? All will be revealed at the World Communication Awards next week - now all sold out!

It should be a fantastic event, 550 senior execs including BT, Orange, Etisalat, Zaion, PCCW, China Telecom and many more...

Can you identify this image?

2010-11-17T15:38:00.002Z

All will be revealed at the World Communication Awards, next Wednesday, 24 November 2010.

Still one or two seats available, Book Now

Squeeeeeeeeeeeze

2010-11-11T13:45:00.003Z

13 days to the 2010 World Communication Awards and we are virtually sold out. We've thrown away the floorplan and started again - it didn't have enough tables on it; almost every company of this years shortlist is coming.

If you want the great and good of global telecoms, then you can start with Bharti Airtel, BICS, BT, and China Telecom, and move through to TIM Brasil, Turk Telecom, Verizon and Vodafone, with some very senior execs coming along...

So if you are still wavering, still wondering if you should be there BOOK NOW - seats we can definately do, whole tables, we'll have to consult the floorplan.

Seats, logos, and headaches

2010-11-05T09:58:00.003Z

It's go to that time of year again when all talk in the Total Telecom office turns to the World Communication Awards. With the publication of the shortlist for the Users' Choice earlier this week, we now know who all the finalists are (View the full list here), and now it's just a case of slotting them into the ballroom at the Hilton on Park Lane. Almost every finalist is represented, so if you haven't yet booked your table, it's time to do so to avoid disappointment.

This year promises to be a bumper year with an impressive crop of senior execs known to be attending: think Ian Livingston & Sally Davis (BT), Stephen Carter (Alcatel-Lucent), Rakesh Bhasin (COLT), Erik Hallberg (TeliaSonera) to name justs a few...

So it's all coming together, just as soon as we get all those company logo's in and work out if we really can fit seats in the lobby...

Book now - don't be disappointed!

Smart networks and Smarties

2010-10-26T16:41:00.002+01:00

It can't be a good sign when the highlight of a long day at a telecoms trade show was getting a large tube of Smarties as a gift for attending a press conference. A big thumbs up to Nokia Siemens Networks for that one: smart networks and Smarties - like it!

But to be completely honest, Broadband World Forum 2010 has been a bit of a damp squib so far. Interesting announcements have been thin on the ground and the conference speakers just aren't saying a lot.

Nonetheless, we have put together today's highlights for you delectation here:

Total Telecom at BBWF 2010

And I'm confident there will be more to come, so don't forget to check back in tomorrow for more from the show, when hopefully gay Paris will deliver a little more excitement.

Sand down your fingers - Steve Jobs

2010-10-19T15:19:00.003+01:00

Just for fun, in August 2007 Total Telecom reported the apocryphal tale of a U.S. man who had had his thumbs surgically whittled down to enable him to use his iPhone's touchscreen better. The story appeared in the U.S. press just weeks after the first iPhone hit the shelves, and the fact it was picked up and re-reported worldwide served to illustrate just how much hype surrounded the launch of the first iteration of the Apple smartphone.

Three years later and the idea of touchscreen-related digital surgery is back… this time introduced by none other than Mr Apple, Steve Jobs himself.

At Apple's fiscal Q4 results announcement late yesterday, Jobs embarked upon a lengthy diatribe against makers of tablet devices with 7-inch screens, which he believes pale in comparison with the iPad's close to 10-inch screen and do not facilitate a comfortable touchscreen experience.

Manufacturers of 7-inch tablets should sell sandpaper along with the devices, so users can "sand down their fingers to around a quarter of their present size," Jobs suggested.

That may have been a joke, but Jobs' attack on rival device makers and the raft of new tablets scheduled to come to market later this year was serious. The Apple CEO is clearly keen to protect the market segment he could reasonably be credited with creating, and his '7 inches is not enough' rant suggests Apple is feeling the pressure.

See Apple's Q4 results here and look out for more from Jobs on the forthcoming tablet "avalanche" in this week's Friday Review.

Thankfully I was sitting down...

2010-09-14T09:04:00.003+01:00

I am amazed, astounded, lost for words or at least pleasantly surprised.

Last year we achieved an outstanding 10,808 votes for our CEO of the Year poll for the World Communication Awards, so I was amazed when I looked at the voting to date and found that we are already at 18,359 individuals having voted. And since this year we are asking each individual to cast 3 votes, that's over 55,000 in total and voting doesn't close until the 8 October - so vote now!

It's also not all one way traffic, there's quite a few names in the frame, and the lead has changed several times, so make sure your prefered CEO doesn't miss out!

Also on user voted categories, we're getting a steady stream of votes for the Users Choice - if you are an end users, please do cast your vote...

This years World Communication Awards is shaping up to be a great event, so don't miss out, book your seat today!

Mobile buffet

2010-09-08T16:58:00.002+01:00

As any good penny-pinching journalist would, I lingered after today's Innovation Qualcomm event at London's Science Museum for the lunch, which I had been informed would be in buffet form.

Having been momentarily panic-stricken at the lack of anything that resembled a buffet, I was reassured when catering staff began circulating around the demo area with small bowls of deliciousness, cocktail party-style. True to form, I ate my fill then hurried off back to the office where I shared details of the event with an esteemed colleague.

"Mobile buffet?" he asked incredulously.

"They'll mobilise anything, that Qualcomm lot!"

What's Qualcomm up to?

2010-09-08T16:48:00.003+01:00

There was no hard news from Qualcomm at its second annual Innovation Qualcomm event in London on Wednesday, although the chipmaker did share some interesting developments, including the progress made by its Mirasol display technology which is set to come to market via e-reader devices in Q1 next year. More on that on Total Telecom.

However, something is afoot and I'm pretty sure there is a news announcement in the offing.

Andrew Gilbert, president of Qualcomm Internet Service (QIS) and Qualcomm Europe, was slated to speak at the event but pulled out late last week and instead appeared on the big screen, having pre-recorded his presentation. Why? Apparently another pressing engagement came up.

I later heard that Gilbert pulled out of the event for reasons that will become clear in the near future. An announcement is forthcoming. Watch this space...

iPhone 4 odds on for recall

2010-07-14T14:18:00.002+01:00

Paddy Power has slashed the odds on Apple recalling the iPhone 4 from 2/1 to 4/6.

The Irish bookmaker said in a statement it saw a "betting frenzy" in the 24 hours after it emerged that the influential product testing blog Consumer Reports was unable to recommend the smartphone due to the reception issues stemming from its antenna design.

That's not the only issue with the iPhone 4, The Inquirer has listed various issues as well as the antenna problem, including a faulty proximity sensor, a dodgy screen and what it refers to as movie software "so useless it makes you look like Michael Winner".

Do you think Apple will be so radical as to admit failure and recall its own hardware? Let us know by emailing newsdesk@totaltele.com, or leave a comment.

As seen on TV

2010-07-08T16:55:00.003+01:00

At the recent World Telecoms Council meeting in June, we rolled out the camera crew from Total TeleVision. They spoke to a number of the participants, including Michael Rocha from our colleagues at Brand Finance - who helped us put together the Brand 500 for the launch issue of Total Telecom Plus.

The clip below is via the Total TeleVision channel on YouTube, but you can also view all the content at www.totaltele.tv

Passion, Interest, and Scrap Yards

2010-07-01T09:20:00.003+01:00

This weeks meeting of the World Telecoms Council brought together another strong group of participants from players including BT, Tata, Belgacom, Orange, UK Broadband, Tellabs and more.

Debate was always interesting and as this strip of images of Nicholas Topham (BroadGroup) leading a session, observed by Joe Kelly (BT Wholesale) illustrates - sometimes impassioned!

The debates across Emerging Markets on day 1 and Wholesale Telecom on days 2 demonstrated a wide range of opinion as well as giving the opportunity for some great video interviews (available shortly) from Total TeleVision and briefings from participants to gathered Total Telecom editors. The resulting stories can be read online...

And yes a tale of scrapyards was included by AA Telco who are running a scheme called SecondLife in Uganda.

Countdown WCA 2010

2010-06-28T10:47:00.007+01:00

The entries have started to come in for the 2010 World Communication Awards - but there's still time for you to be involved...
Deadline for entries is this Friday, 2nd July 2010.

Submit your entries online in one of 15 categories that you can enter, including:

Best Brand
Best Content Service
Best Customer Care
Best Managed Service
Best Mobile Operator
Best New Service
Best Operator in a Devloping Market
Best Project Management
The Alireza Mahmoodshahi Technology Foresight Award
Best Mobile Device Strategy
Best Wholesale Carrier
Best Global Operator
Best Regional Operator
The Green Award
Team of the Year

You can view the winners from previous years and get a feeling for what makes them winners by visiting the Roll of Honour of winners since 1999 or check out the Judges advice on writing a winning entry.

Remember if you don't enter, you can't win! Don't miss out Friday is the deadline...

Watch the introduction to the 2009 awards:

Hold the phone

2010-06-25T11:29:00.006+01:00

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has responded to complaints that the new iPhone 4 loses signal when it is held a certain way.

"Just avoid holding it in this way," he said in an email to Ars Technica.

Unfortunately 'the way' that Jobs is referring to is a pretty standard holding technique in which the phone is gripped in the left hand the same way you would grip any other handset with your left hand, whether you're left-handed, or doing something crazy at the same time like writing, using a mouse, holding a TV remote or swigging Jack Daniel's in a vain bid to add focus to the blind fury induced by watching the reception plummet on your shiny new smartphone.

As reported by Engadget on Thursday, the problem occurs when the iPhone 4 is held by the bottom left corner of the stainless steel band that incorporates the antenna system. Gripping the phone there bridges the gap between the two aerials, causing signal loss.

Funnily enough, using Apple's official iPhone 4 rubber 'bumper' case - announced ahead of the handset's official launch - solves this issue.

Unsurprisingly Apple hasn't come close to admitting it's a design flaw.

"Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas," said Apple, in a statement emailed to Engadget.

"If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases."

Of course it won't be long until some wily entrepreneur releases a special iPhone 4 glove enabling the user to hold their coveted device however they please, replacing signal loss with enhanced feelings of self-worth.

World Cup fever

2010-06-11T10:16:00.002+01:00

After months, nay, years of build-up, the World Cup finally kicks off today, and while the planet's football lovers focus on South Africa, some telecom companies have sought to make the most out of the excitement any which way they can.

Translated that means so far I've received more than 50 World Cup-related announcements.

Some are from companies announcing special World Cup-themed offers and services, while others are providing comment on the various effects the World Cup will have on things like mobile Internet browsing, the number of texts being sent etc.

There have also been a few doomsayers predicting that both fixed and mobile networks will struggle to cope with the demand - and of course we're looking forward to receiving several press releases immediately after the World Cup about how [insert telco]'s network/service/platform coped brilliantly with unprecedented demand during this summer's football extravaganza.

One plucky press release even predicted that the World Cup will drive mobile TV usage - something's got to, I suppose.

Apple's new iPhone launch almost didn't happen

2010-06-08T12:03:00.004+01:00

Despite our outrageous prediction that Apple would hold off on announcing a new iPhone on Monday, we'd be lying if we said we were surprised when Steve Jobs produced a sleek-looking new smartphone familiar to anyone whose read Gizmodo in the last couple of months.

However, the iPhone 4 launch didn't go exactly to plan - not for any of the reasons we'd suggested, but because the sheer number of fanbois live-blogging the presentation from Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) swallowed up all the WiFi capacity.

"You know you could help me out if you're on WiFi," said Jobs, as reported by TheAppleBlog, live from WWDC.

He struggled to demonstrate a New York Times app, and later bemoaned his laggy video call.

"Jobs is complaining about people not turning off WiFi, as though he were our mother," said TheAppleBlog.

"I think bloggers have a right to blog, but if you want to see the demos, we're not going to be able to do it," Jobs said.

Of course, bloggers who blog about prototype iPhones tend to have their homes raided by police, as Gizmodo editor Jason Chen discovered.

Nevertheless the world has a new iPhone, and we're now girding our loins in preparation for the volume of ensuing coverage that one handset is capable of generating.

Vodafone launches femtocells in Spain

2010-06-07T17:26:00.002+01:00

In an announcement that slipped through the net last week, Vodafone has become - it claims - the first operator to launch a commercial femtocell proposition in Spain.

The telco is targeting the business market, adding femtocells into its Vodafone Office package to create a 'premium voice and data access' product. Voda said it has more than 25,000 businesses, with more than half a million lines, using Vodafone Office's cloud services. These customers will now be offered the 'premium' product for €15 per month. The service supports 32 connections, with a maximum of four connecting simultaneously.

Reasons why Apple (probably) won't unveil a new iPhone

2010-06-07T10:16:00.003+01:00

At 6pm U.K. time today, demigod and Apple CEO Steve Jobs is widely-expected to unveil a new version of the iPhone at his company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).

In keeping with tradition, speculative 'new iPhone' stories have been swirling for months, gradually building the hype to fever pitch. This year has been a little different though, thanks to a hapless Apple engineer who left a protoype device in a bar, only for it to eventually fall into the hands of gadget blog Gizmodo.

Among other things the new iPhone will reportedly have improved battery life, a higher resolution screen, a better camera with a flash, a front-facing camera for video chat purposes, and will be powered by Apple's latest smartphone software iPhone OS 4.0.

What's more Bloomberg reported late last week that Apple's online store is no longer stocking the iPhone 3G ahead of what is expected to be today's unveiling of a new one.

However, at the beginning of 2010 we predicted that Apple wouldn't unveil a new iPhone on grounds that a new version wouldn't be a big enough leap in hardware or software for it to be worthwhile.

Now, we could be wrong (judging by the volume of 'new iPhone' coverage how could we be right?), but just to make sure that we potentially end up with the maximum amount of egg on our face, here are some reasons why Mr Jobs probably won't be announcing a new iPhone today:

We've only just had the last one
A year might be a long time by Apple's standards, but not so for mobile phones. The iPhone 3GS launched in late June 2009, so while some early adopters will be coming to the end of their contracts, the majority will not, with many millions still six months away at least. Outside the U.S., iPhones have been on sale from some operators - and in some markets - for less than six months.

iPhone sales are still rising
Apple reported in April that iPhone shipments doubled on year thanks to strong sales in Europe and Asia. The momentum of its current product set isn't about to plateau, and there is still plenty of demand to drive iPhone 3GS sales even further.

Apple chooses user experience over technology
Apple is renowned for delivering the latest and greatest user experience in a compelling form factor; not necessarily for delivering the latest and greatest technology. The first iPhone was 2G, and slightly on the chunky side. Meanwhile its computers aren't known first and formost for their processor speed, nor its iPods for record breaking amounts of storage. Even the first batch of iPads to go on sale lacked 3G, if only for a short time.

The vast majority of what we've heard so far about the supposedly new iPhone has been focused on hardware, and with iPhone OS 4.0 already announced, is Jobs going to spend the whole time on stage talking about a high resolution screen, the benefits of a front-facing camera and the fact it looks a bit different? I don't know, maybe he will.

Competition is out there, but yet to mount a serious threat
Rival devices and platforms are gaining momentum - with Android immediately springing to mind - but try as they might, they have yet to steal the limelight away from the iPhone experience. Apple can't afford to be complacent - no company can (see Motorola post RAZR) - and to remain relevant and innovative the iPhone will need to receive an update at some point. Is it in need of that update right now? Perhaps as a design study that showcases Apple's vision of the not too distant future, but not necessarily as something it needs to put on the shelves right now.

What about the 'magical' iPad?
Will Jobs really be that keen to divert attention away from a product as ambitious as the iPad so soon after it launched? Apple no doubt has marketing cash to burn, and the world's press just love an Apple story, but shouldn't it concentrate on trying to convince consumers outside its core fan base that buying a tablet computer is a good idea?

So, even if we are subject to endless stories this week about Apple's new iPhone, what it does, when it's launching and on which operator, remember there was one publication that took on the risk of ending up with egg on its face to bravely question the hype!

Vodafone 360: The messy divorce

2010-06-03T09:38:00.002+01:00

Since deciding to ditch Vodafone 360 in favour of temporarily using a borrowed Nexus One as my primary handset, I've already hit a rather large hurdle.

Vodafone 360 doesn't let you export your contacts to the SIM card, so the Nexus One's address book is looking rather sorry. The reason I ended up with Vodafone 360 was because I'd lost my old phone - and with it the SIM storing my contacts.

I can't have been the only person to have decided to call it a day with Voda's bug-ridden service, and sure enough a quick check on Vodafone's 360 forums revealed someone else was having trouble transferring their contacts from their Samsung H1 to their shiny new Nokia N900.

"I'm afraid it's not possible to save contacts to the SIM on the H1, because everything is remotely synchronised with the 360 service rather than stored locally," said Vodafone tech support in a reply to the other 360 deserter. They even included a smiley at the end. A SMILEY!

Instead, if you really, really want to leave and 'take the kids with you', Vodafone recommends you retrieve your contacts by synchronising Vodafone 360 with Microsoft Outlook - which is likely to be easier said than done given that synchronisation is one of the buggiest parts of the service - and then cross your fingers that your new phone is also able to synchronise with Outlook.

If that doesn't work, I suppose I could either start a Facebook group requesting numbers from my friends, otherwise it looks like I'll be clearing my schedule, drinking lots of coffee, and sitting down with a pen and paper and copying my address book out by hand - a bit like a monk copying the bible. Only with more swearing.

Vodafone 360: I've had enough

2010-06-01T10:04:00.002+01:00

Regular readers may remember this post in December 2009, when I took the unusual decision to opt for Vodafone's first dedicated Vodafone 360 smartphone, the Samsung H1, as my next handset - the reason being I had lost my old phone, was due an upgrade, and the iPhone was yet to launch on Voda.

It was a gamble, but when the operator unveiled Vodafone 360 earlier in September I had been impressed by the 3D address book that aggregated contacts across various social networks and stored their details online. I was also impressed by the H1's specs, which as well as the standard smartphone fodder, also included 16 Gigabytes of built-in memory, a 5 megapixel camera, and a crisp, bright OLED touchscreen as standard.

However, I'm less than six months into my contract, and I've had enough. Despite Vodafone's ambition, its LiMo-based 360 platform is buggy to the point of rendering the phone unusuable.

The clever 3D address book - the star of the show - crashes. A lot. This means I have to look through the call history or the messaging app to find a contact.

It's worth leaving the latter up and running if you're in the middle of a text conversation by the way, because compared to the iPhone and most Android handsets, the messaging app takes an age to load. Sometimes it even renders the touchscreen completely unresponsive and the only solution involves a hard restart and a lot of self restraint to avoid throwing it out of a window.

Sometimes when trying to send a text only half the screen autorotates. So you're left with a horizontal keyboard and a vertical chat box, or vice versa.

Email synchronisation is a nightmare - I'm unable to send any emails, and it's only capable of downloading junk mail from my Webmail account. So I have a smartphone that spams me.

The Internet browser, despite incorporating Opera technology, crashes often and the software keyboard doesn't always appear when you touch on a dialogue box - so looking up train times, or filling out any kind of online form for that matter, is laborious.

Vodafone in March pushed out over-the-air updates to 360, only my phone didn't download them.

So I'm left with a device that has a sluggish interface that includes an unstable address book, messaging application and Internet browser, with an email app that does nothing but spam me. Not exactly the smartphone experience I've been hankering for, and more than once my phone has come very close to being 'flushed'.

Why am I writing about this now? I was sent a Nexus One for the purposes of another story I'm working on, and although it's had mixed publicity thanks to connection issues on T-Mobile USA and Google's lack of dedicated tech support, it has reminded me of what I've been missing out on: Any semblance of a smartphone experience.

So I will keep using the Nexus One until someone asks for it back, and I will keep the blog updated with how I'm getting on - stay tuned!

Film preview...

2010-05-26T10:46:00.003+01:00

OK so it might not be a blockbuster, but the video from the World Vendor Awards earlier this month is now available. Our video portal has a number of interviews as well, viewable at www.totaltele.tv/wva but you can watch the overview here.

iPhone 4G?

2010-05-25T10:15:00.002+01:00

Late last year Total Telecom predicted that Apple would not launch a new iPhone this year:

"The 3GS was a refined iPhone 3G; there isn't a lot more they can do with the hardware at the moment - other than make one with a better camera, more memory, an OLED screen and a projector - and there isn't a lot more they can do to the software without forcing app developers to invest more time and money into a new SDK," one of the team said.

"[However] by the end of the year Steve Jobs will reveal that Apple is working on an LTE-ready mobile phone," s/he added. At which point, there will be mass hysteria in the industry.

However, recent developments suggest we might be wrong. Yesterday Apple confirmed that Steve Jobs will deliver a keynote at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference on 7 June, triggering a raft of rumours that the CEO will announce a 4G iPhone at the event.

So, what do you think? Will 7 June be D-day for the next iPhone and if so, what can we look forward to seeing? Leave us a comment or drop us a line to let us know what you think.