Market forces will overcome mobile device fragmentation says Analysys Mason

Fragmentation is a major issue for portable multimedia
As the mobile industry catches up with the iPhone, device fragmentation will increasingly become an issue and  the costs and effects of potentially needing to rewrite (and maintain) every application for every device and platform combination will become increasingly noticeable, says Jim Morrish, Principal Analyst at Analysys Mason. This has recently been highlighted by Adobe’s desire to use Flash CS5 to write software once for deployment across multiple mobile platforms, and Apple’s recent actions that effectively prevent Flash-compiled software from being admitted to the App Store.
In the medium term, defragmentation may be driven by developers of more-sophisticated applications, mobile operators, handset manufacturers and the use of browsers as runtime environments, and combating device fragmentation is currently high on many agendas in the mobile industry.
This is in the context of a boom in smartphones worldwide, forecast to grow at an annual rate of 32% between 2010 and 2014, according to a Analysys Mason report, Smartphones forecast to grow to 26% of handsets by 2014.
More than 50% of this growth will be generated in developing Asia–Pacific and Latin American markets. Western European, North American and developed Asia–Pacific markets combined will account for less than 30% of total growth, so it is clear that the market for smartphones will transform over coming years.
This means initiatives to combat the effects of device fragmentation are now moving centre-stage. The GSMA recently announced the Wholesale Application Community, which will take the JIL (browser widget) and BONDI (handset API standardisation) initiatives and develop them into a common standard for widget-based applications. It will also take advantage of the work that the GSMA has already undertaken in developing open network APIs (OneAPI).
Others are taking an alternative approach to the same problem, promoting a ‘write-once, deploy-many-times’ scheme. For instance, Tech Mahindra is working to develop software that will ‘translate’ applications between incompatible OS environments, and Nokia is seeking to exploit the Qt application development environment, which is capable of compiling applications into code suitable for a variety of devices and platforms. Writing a mobile application once and then compiling it into many OS environments (cross-platform compilation) is also something that Adobe is pursuing with Flash CS5, as are Appcelerator with Titanium, Metismo with Bedrock and Nitobi Software with PhoneGap.
Another theme in the battle against device fragmentation is the extension of a ‘smart-like’ environment to non-smart phones. Opera Software is mining this vein, with its server-side widgets that are accessible via a handset web browser client, and shift application processing requirements off the handset and into the network. Another example is Silent Communication, which has written a proprietary software client that it claims will work on the majority of handsets shipped in developed markets during the past two years. The client acts as an abstraction layer, enabling the effective roll-out of standardised applications across a large range of handsets. An example is visual voicemail, which the company soon expects to roll out across the whole range of handsets from a leading manufacturer.
From a developer’s perspective, many of the defragmentation initiatives can simply seem to result in more fragmentation. Apple’s recent stipulation that all App Store applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++ or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine – not, for example, in Flash and then compiled – adds further complexity (although cross-platform compilers that use Apple’s SDK may sidestep this restriction).

Moving forwards in a fragmented world It is unclear how this situation will evolve, but fragmentation is certainly here to stay for the foreseeable future and will continue to affect different applications in different ways. For example, it might be easier to port sophisticated games that depend on specific handset capabilities (such as a touchscreen interface) between OS environments for handsets with similar capabilities than it would be to port them within OS environments for handsets with different capabilities. Such an effect may drive some standardisation among high-end smartphones – for example, manufacturers and developers might adopt the latest iPhone capabilities as a lowest common denominator. The reach of sophisticated applications beyond this set of phones would then be determined by a simple business case: the incremental cost of tailoring the application compared with the addressable market per additional handset type, combined with an expected sales-conversion rate.
Many simple applications are relatively untroubled by fragmentation within OSs. For example, Nokia’s Ovi app wizard enables users to construct an RSS newsfeed client in a few minutes, and the resulting application runs on nearly all Nokia devices that support Ovi Store. Other relatively simple applications may simply be developed as browser widgets.
Operators and handset manufacturers are likely to be the driving force behind the development of more-sophisticated applications that are suitable for a large cross-section of devices. Such effects suggest that in the medium-term new dynamics may emerge in the market for mobile content and applications, including:

• a range of high-end handsets (running various OSs, but similar in terms of functionality) that benefit from an extensive and sophisticated developer community, using cross-platform compilation and application translation tools
• a significantly larger group of diverse handsets (not necessarily smartphones) that will have access to a more restricted set of moderately sophisticated applications for which investment by operators or handset manufacturers to overcome device fragmentation is financially viable
• an extensive range of less-sophisticated applications, available via a browser interface across an extensive range of handsets.

Against this framework, the main opportunity for mobile operators will be to drive the creation of high-quality applications that transcend the boundaries of OSs or specific handset types. These applications’ ability to drive customer acquisition and limit churn will provide the justification to do so.

Related App Developer articles

• Daring Fireball: New iPhone Developer Agreement Bans the Use of Adobe's Flash-to-iPhone Compiler (dccrowley.posterous.com)
• Apple iPhone move kills Mac coding conference (news.cnet.com)
• Android 2.2 May Deliver More Performance, Less Fragmentation (gigaom.com)
• Apple: PhoneGap Framework Is Ok for the App Store (macstories.net)
• 100 Million Club H2 2009: Breaking the 500 million barrier of mobile software (visionmobile.com)
• iPhone 4.0 SDK bars un-Jobsian code translation (go.theregister.com)

Solaris Mobile extends mobile broadcast network in France

Solaris Mobile, the Dublin based pioneer of next generation mobile communication networks, is expanding its Paris-based network to cover Rennes and Nancy and the surrounding areas. The network was launched in November 2009 to demonstrate the broadcast of TV and radio services to mobile phones, other handheld devices and cars within Paris.

Solaris Mobile and its partners in this collaboration, Alcatel-Lucent and towerCast, have built a hybrid network based on satellite and terrestrial mobile technology. Based on its success within France, Solaris Mobile is looking towards a pan-European roll out programme in the near future.

The collaboration sees Solaris Mobile providing satellite capacity and spectrum rights; Alcatel-Lucent manages the system integration and is providing transmission equipment, and towerCast is providing its antenna sites in, and around, Paris. The resulting ‘hybrid network’, under the overall management of Solaris Mobile, combines the instant coverage of satellite with the deep network capabilities of cellular mobile systems, making it the first such network to be deployed within Europe.

Such networks, operating across the whole of the EU, in frequency bands adjacent to the existing 3G mobile bands around 2GHz, will open up new opportunities to deliver next generation broadband and broadcast services to people on the move. Video, data downloads and ubiquitous voice services delivered to people’s phones, or cars, will soon match the range currently available only with fixed line services in their offices or homes.

"Due to the success of the hybrid network in Paris, we are delighted to be able to utilise our technology and expand the service out to two other regions in France. The roll-out of the network in Nancy and Rennes will enable the delivery of mobile broadcast services to people on the move," said Steve Maine, Chief Executive Officer at Solaris Mobile.

This hybrid network was enabled after the European Commission and the 27 EC member States authorised Solaris Mobile to operate services in 2 x 15 MHz blocks of S-Band spectrum across Europe in May 2009.

MPEG LA eyes up LTE patents

Patent pool expert MPEG LA says it is making significant progress working with a group of interested companies to create a joint patent pool license for the Long Term Evolution (LTE) Standard for mobile telecommunications. It is calling for interested parties, both with patents and patent applications, to be part of the pool.
MPEG LA’s efforts, started last year, have been directed toward educating the market about the benefits of a pool license to address the patent thicket around this next generation wireless technology and assist the market with its adoption. A fight or uncertainty over the patent situation would dramatically slow the adoption of the the technology, as happened with high definition video and the AVC patents.
“The market is ready, and we are proud that industry leading companies have invited us to facilitate creation of an LTE pool license,” said MPEG LA President and CEO Larry Horn.

“Given the history of telecommunications patent pools, MPEG LA has taken the time to consult directly with mobile network operators, network equipment manufacturers and mobile handset companies regarding the benefits of a patent pool for LTE, and they have encouraged MPEG LA to move forward with this effort. Next generation wireless technology, with its multifunctional capabilities, begs for a patent pool licensing alternative to make its full potential available to consumers worldwide, and MPEG LA’s success in creating large pool licenses uniquely positions us to achieve it.”

MPEG LA would like as many essential patent holders as possible to be included in this process. Therefore, MPEG LA invites any party that believes it has patents that are essential to the LTE Standard to submit them by June 19, 2009 for evaluation of their essentiality by MPEG LA’s patent evaluators in order to participate in the creation of a joint LTE patent license.
Although only issued patents will be included in the license, in order to participate in the license development process, patent applications with claims that their owners believe are essential to the LTE Standard and likely to issue in a patent also may be submitted.
A key point is that, although the process will begin with LTE, it may be expanded at a later stage to provide coverage for backward compatibility with other mobile
telecommunications technologies.
http://www.mpegla.com/pid/lte.

Hong Kong launches 21Mbit/s mobile network

In a move that starts to make portable multimedia services viable, Hong Kong operator CSL has launched a mobile network using the HSPA+ protocol that will provide downloads at speeds up to 21Mbit/s.
The all-IP network uses software defined radio (SDR) to make it flexible to upgrade and cost effective to roll out, as the demand for high bandwidth mobile services will be slower to take off.
Developed by CSL and Chinese infrastructure provider ZTE in stages since the network project begun construction in March last year, the network will be up and running in the next couple of days. The Next G network will provide revolutionary mobile multimedia services that offer unparalleled usability and functionality, says CSL, a subsidiary of Australian operator, Telstra.

Motorola Launches LTE Trial Network in the UK

Motorola has launched its next generation LTE trial network and testing lab in Swindon, UK.
The launch at the development labs was marked with a live, over the air, standards compliant LTE call during which high-speed data services were streamed using Motorola's LTE infrastructure operating in the 2.6GHz spectrum and a prototype LTE device.
This facilities offers operators the ability to engage in LTE technology field trials and detailed real-world equipment testing at the UK site. Additionally, Motorola can host the core elements of the LTE network for operators that require a hosted LTE trial in EMEA. The network and trial activity is fully supported by Motorola services, giving operators access to Motorola's expertise in deploying and optimizing OFDM-based mobile broadband networks as well as developing 4G migration strategies.
"Motorola is at the forefront of 4G development which will address the mobility demands of today's consumers who are looking for personalized media experiences and operators looking to lower their cost per bit and gain a competitive advantage," said Joe Cozzolino, senior vice president and general manager, Motorola Home & Networks Mobility, EMEA & Asia Pacific. "With our latest trial network we look forward to working closely with our customers in EMEA as they transition to LTE during 2009 and beyond."
Within its LTE lab in Swindon, UK, Motorola engineers work on LTE radio frequency and self organising network (SON) development. In addition, the site in Swindon remains a centre of excellence for Motorola base station transceiver (BTS) development for GSM and now LTE. Development of Motorola's LTE solutions is also conducted in Arlington Heights, Illinois; Fort Worth, Texas; Beijing, China and Bangalore, India.
Motorola's first commercial release of LTE solutions later this year will include products for the 700MHz and 2.6GHz spectrum bands and the company is engaged with operators in North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region for LTE field trial activity.
LTE demo video is here

www.motorola.com/lte and www.motorola.com/experiencelte

Ericsson demos 21Mbit/s wireless

Ericsson has demonstrated high speed HSPA Evolution functionality capable of peak network speeds up to 21 Mbps on the Telstra Next G commercial network in Australia with the world's first data call on the newly-enabled network. For the first time, a commercial network makes use of the enhanced, standardized improvements called HSPA Evolution.
This adds a new dimension to broadband experience with the capability for significantly faster internet browsing and file download, even faster than many fixed broadband connections. With HSPA Evolution, operators will increase the capacity in the networks and reduce the costs to deliver Mobile Broadband services.
Michael Rocca, Group Managing Director, Telstra Networks & Services says, "HSPA Evolution is live and working for the first time anywhere in the world in a commercial network on the Telstra Next G network.
Trials of the 21Mbps mobile broadband service begin this month with a full commercial launch to follow early next year.

Solaris aims for satellite mobiles

Satellite joint venture Solaris Mobile has submitted an application for harmonised EU mobile services across the European Commission in the S-band.
The Dublin-based company, a joint venture between satellite operators Eutelsat and SES Astra, intends to operate in a 2.00 GHz frequency band, the S-band, reserved for the exclusive use of satellite and terrestrial mobile services. The S-band sits alongside UMTS frequencies that are already used across Europe for 3G terrestrial services.
The successful applicant(s) for the spectrum will be able to provide innovative mobile services, such as mobile TV reception, high-speed data transfers, public safety, disaster recovery and remote medical communications via satellite, anywhere within the 27 Member States of the European Union. In addition, operators may deploy complementary terrestrial networks where necessary.
“We are excited to be submitting our application today in what promises to be a landmark development for European mobile communications," said Steve Maine, Solaris Mobile CEO. "This timing complements our investments, with our commitment in 2006 to procure a satellite payload from Thales Alenia Space in France. Solaris Mobile will be in the unique position of being able to offer mobile satellite services as early as 2009, empowering state-of-the-art mobile networks and enabling innovative services to consumers across Europe, well ahead of the Commission’s deadline of 2011. We look forward to continue working with European consumers, regulators, network operators, equipment and solutions vendors, car manufacturers, content and service providers, to make this vision become a reality within the next twelve months.”
The company plans to provide TV, video and radio plus two-way communication to a variety of handheld and vehicle-mounted mobile devices. Solaris Mobile’s range of services, scheduled for launch in early 2009, is aimed primarily at Broadcasters, Telco operators, the Automotive industry, and Data & Communication providers.