Machine to Money #M2M

Total Telecom is awash with headlines relating to #M2M, but how do you change machine to machine to machine to money? 

Ericsson have offered one route with their recent announcement that Russia's Megafon will use their Device Connection Platform to cost effectively manage a large number of connected devices and machines for enterprises.(Read the press release) but their are all types of approaches being applied.

With this in mind, we are running a breakfast briefing on "How do you make money from M2M?" in London on the 16 November 2012. this is free to attend for operators, so register today!

In the meantime, here are a few other M2M headlines that have recently featured on Total Telecom:

Telekom Austria finds its way into new M2M verticalshttp://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?C=0&ID=477141

TeliaSonera deploys new M2M-platform from Ericssonhttp://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?C=0&ID=477576

Telefonica launches big data divisionhttp://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?C=0&ID=476901

Telit expands automotive product linehttp://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?C=0&ID=477313

Cows can text with M2Mhttp://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?C=0&ID=477163

Industrial PDA gets smarter with M2M technologyhttp://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?C=0&ID=477139

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE BREAKFAST BRIEFING: www.totaltele.com/breakfast
The M2M breakfast is sponsored by Ericsson

Copper Counting - #Wholesale Breakfast

Back in February, Total Telecom+ looked at how telecom operators were using techniques to maximise the life and ability of the copper cables (Counting the Coppers - Page 17) and what impact this might have for FTTH. So it should be interesting to see how the discussion goes at next weeks Wholesale Breakfast with Total Telecom event, where one of the discussion points is "Can we continue with copper?"

Looking at the line up of speakers including Justin Fielder of Easynet, Daniel Kurgan of BICS and Jonathan Nierenberg of IDT Global, moderator David James might have his work cut out keeping control of the debate.

Attendance at the event is already looking strong with companies including China Telecom Europe, Colt, Deutsche Telekom, Easynet, Everything Everywhere, Gamma, iBasis, IDT, Mediatel, MLL Telecom, SEACOM, Telekom Malaysia, and Telstra coming along, but there's still time to register if you want a seat.


For this meeting, we will return to the fabulous 76 Portland Place, and attendance is free for telecom operators and service providers (just £295 for everyone else). It starts at 08:30 on the 4 July 2012.


To find out more or register for the event, visit www.totaltele.com/breakfast

New World Order - #BRICS and more

There's a good article from the Guardian's David Smith on the rise of Africa. It flags how this is at least in part being fuelled by investment from China, which fits well with a pattern we know and understand in the telecom industry - you only need to look at the number of recent articles on Total Telecom referencing either ZTE or Huawei and Africa to know this is true.

This is also likely to be a theme at our next Breakfast with Total Telecom event, that focuses on high growth markets, and amongst the speakers boasts BT Global Telecom Markets (GTM) General Manager (Asia Pacific, North America, Middle East and Africa), Stephen Kelly, who is addressing The Carrier opportunity in Africa.

However it will be interesting to see how far the debate expands into the more concerning issue of the future, both for the currently emerging markets, and for the entire planet, as flagged in todays ars technica article, Hot, crowded, and running out of fuel: Earth of 2050 a scary place.

To join the debate, register to attend the Emerging Markets breakfast briefing on the 10 April 2012.

Unlocking the growth potential in Emerging Markets, how do you overcome the challenges?

If the past 12 months are an indication of the future, 2012 looks set to be another exciting and unpredictable year for both business and technology. At the forefront for many Telco’s at the moment, is how to unlock the growth potential in emerging markets, however there are several hurdles to be overcome according to some of the top execs in India, Africa and Brazil.

Mobile operators in some of the world’s largest emerging markets claim that the high cost of devices is preventing them from extending services to millions of unconnected would be customers. “SIM card penetration in India stands at 74% but in real terms less than 50% of the population has a mobile phone”, said Rajiv Bawa, head of Telenor India, at the latest Mobile World Congress Show in Barcelona. This leaves a potential market of 600-700million people without mobile connections for operators to target.

Mary Lennighan wrote in a recently published article on www.totaltele.com that, In China too, smart phone penetration is only 10%, Android based smart phones are being adopted at a rapid rate by consumers and although people are embracing the mobile internet with over 354million subscribers, a staggering 89% still use 2G connections. The story is similar in Brazil, where Claro generates 15% of its revenues from mobile internet services; however penetration of mobile broadband capable devices is just 12%.

The biggest challenge according to Marco Quatorze, VAS and International Roaming Director at parent company America Movil, in these markets is to “work with the diversity of its customer base, where the potential market ranges from subscribers using mobile data services on smartphones connected to LTE Networks, to those who live in areas without electricity”, bridging this digital divide in these regions is top of the agenda for several Telco’s.

The other challenge also arises from a lack of spectrum harmonisation, offering devices which are capable of operating on multiple platforms ranging from 2G to LTE is difficult but could be the turning point in terms of unlocking potential customers and extending mobile penetration in these regions. The next wave of growth could be spurned by an increased focus on innovation. Roll out of new products and investment in expansion of data services and value added services such as M-Pesa or other mobile financial solutions, and indeed mHealth, which according to the GSMA will generate £1.2billion by 2017, are expected to create significant growth.

Much has been made of the opportunities presented by the BRIC economies, but for Telco’s looking to explore opportunities outside of their domestic markets these are not the only emerging markets to watch; Breakfast with Total Telecom, taking place on the on the 10^th of April will examine some of the hottest high growth-markets globally and explore how opportunities vary with location.

Speakers include:

·         Tom Homer, CEO-EMEA, Telstra International

·         Stephen Kelly, General Manager - Asia Pacific, North America, Middle East and Africa, BT Global Telecom Markets (GTM)

·         David Molony – Principal Analyst – Ovum

·         James Tooke – Head of Strategy and Development – Cable & Wireless Communications

·         Laurent Viviez – VP and Partner – AT Kearney

Breakfast with Total Telecom is free for operators and services providers. Find out more about participating or sponsoring at www.totaltele.com/breakfast, or for more in the Emerging Markets space, come along to Total Telecom Wireless World on the 13 & 14 June 2012.

Contact : breakfast@totaltele.com

Breakfast has been served #LTE

Today's LTE Breakfast with Total Telecom was a great success, with seats at a premium at the Institute of Physics on Portland Place.

We were delighted to have fantastic speakers and panellists including Kevin Baughan of Virgin Media Francesco Liberatore (JonesDay)and Dan Warren of the GSMA, and would pass on our thanks to iBasis and UK Broadband for sponsoring the event, and sending along their CTO's for the panel: Ajay Joseph (iBasis) and Philip Marnick (UK Broadband)

We promoted the hashtag #TTLTE and had some active Twittering going on - thanks especially to AT&T's Rebecca Atherley, for a steady stream of Tweets. It was also great to see a number of participants in the room who had flown in especially for the event, including three from North America. It just goes to show that a niche event can really work for many people.

The next event will Emerging Markets on the 10 April. Operators can register for free. Find out more about participating or sponsoring on our website www.totaltele.com/breakfast or for more in the LTE space, come along to Total Telecom Wireless World on the 13 & 14 June 2012.

UK finally gets LTE !! UK Broadband first to launch TD-LTE Network

UK Broadband, the PCCW owned company on Wednesday switched on its TD-LTE Infrastructure, becoming the first organisation in the UK to do so. Not only that, it also became the first-TD LTE network worldwide to operate in the 3.5GHz spectrum band.

The network, based on equipment provided by Huawei is mainly for demo purposes as the company seeks to attract potential customers, however its rollout plan will see it build additional network in areas where customers require 4G LTE, with a commercial launch slated for May this year

Nicholas James, CEO of UK Broadband, was quoted in an article published on www.totaltele.com this week, by Mary Lennighan as saying “we will be announcing a city build in a couple of weeks”, he also went on to mention that “by June of next year” UK Broadband would be launching a Huawei Smartphone that will run both on its frequency and in the 2.6GHz band, as well as on standard 3G networks to provide full coverage.

The company also stated that many potential wholesale customers are waiting in the wings to test out the new network, having waited for a few years to see what UK Broadband would do with its sizeable spectrum holdings. The announcement brings the UK another step closer to the launch of 4G LTE internet.

Total Telecom is delighted that UK Broadband will be sponsoring at Breakfast with Total Telecom’s LTE opportunities event on the 14^th of March, in London. CTO, Philip Marnick will be speaking at the event for the first time, post UK Broadband’s announcement on Wednesday at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, with further insight into the company’s plans for its LTE network.

With industry experts from Virgin Media, GSMA, iBasis, Ovum and Jones Day also speaking at the breakfast, do not miss the opportunity to be part of this event and join in on the discussion. Registration is free for operators/service providers and carriers, availability is limited so now is the best chance to confirm your participation. Click here to register, alternatively email breakfast@totaltele.com.

Breakfast: #LTE Opportunities, Register for free

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.

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

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

More Breakfast Please

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