The latest from Telecom-Funda
- Broadband Pricing Plummets
- A classic example of app complexity that network DPI would find hard to resolve
- comScore: Good Days for iOS, Great Days for Android
- Ericsson Newbie Eyes SPIT, TV Growth
- Creating user engagement in RCS and other communications services
- Euronews: DT Ups Its Hellenic Holding
| Broadband Pricing Plummets | Top |
| A classic example of app complexity that network DPI would find hard to resolve | Top |
| Today seems to be the day for me to needle some of my main targets. This morning I had another shot at the hapless RCS service, and now it's the turn of my biggest network-side punchbag, application-based charging. I've just been given a classic example of why this is going to be nigh-on impossible to ever get right. In theory, the network should be able to pick out the fact that I'm using Google Maps. I'm sure it's got a pretty predictable "signature" that the average DPI can spot. But what it probably can't spot is *why* there is Google Maps traffic being used. I've just downloaded the latest version of the Vodafone "MyVodafone" app for my iPhone. It's pretty useful, with a good dashboard feature showing how much data I've used against my cap and so on. This version also comes with a WiFi logon feature. The sign-up for this has a warning message, telling you that in order to find the nearest WiFi access point, the app uses (guess what) Google Maps. And that I am liable for the data charges incurred in doing so. Now I'm guessing that this is done for a good reason - most probably speed and expediency of getting the thing released, plus I also expect it doesn't use *that* much data in the big scheme of things. In theory, Vodafone ought to have set up some sort of rule in its network to obviate this, and zero-rate its own offload-location data consumption, especially as its reduced macro network load makes it the main beneficiary. But that would have needed to somehow check that the offload app was indeed the "user" of Google Maps, rather just than me trying to find my way around normally. And that's rather hard, without some sort of agent on the device watching what's going on and trying to decode what GMaps packets are "native" in the mapping client, and which are used via the local API for specific apps. This is precisely sort of hard and complex situation that I have in mind when I say that app-specific charging is going to be a nightmare. Imagine for a moment that Vodafone had a "menu-driven" non-neutral pricing model, where I got charged £3 a month for using the Google Map app. I'd be rightly irritated if *I* didn't use it, but the operator did itself through its own software, charging me for the privilege anyway. I don't expect the regulator would be too happy either. On another note, let's see how the Vodafone WiFi app manages to coexist with my other WiFi finder (BT Fon) on my handset. I don't think either is auto-logon, but I can imagine some interesting situations if they are, as both use BT Openzone. Will I be able to tell which "virtual" WISP I've logged into? | |
| comScore: Good Days for iOS, Great Days for Android | Top |
| Ericsson Newbie Eyes SPIT, TV Growth | Top |
| Creating user engagement in RCS and other communications services | Top |
| I've been having many more discussions recently about my vehement views on RCS and why I think it is (still) destined for failure. In short, the current hoopla about various operators and vendors doing a big push to "make it happen" is not enough. Yes, it helps that DT, FT, the US & Korean operators and (belatedly) Vodafone seem to be getting their marketing machines & spin-merchants lined up. Yes, it helps that RCS-e ditches the early RCS presence function which normally kills batteries and generates large amounts of extra signalling traffic. Yes it helps that Android is "malleable" so operators can get RCS-e clients onto some future handsets without too much pain. Yes, Orange and others are reportedly trying to strong-arm handset vendors into implementing it. Yes, executives from DT and other operators are name-checking it wherever possible on the conference circuit. Yes, I've even heard the word "freemium" mentioned in the same sentence as RCS. All good stuff. But falling under the banner of "necessary but not sufficient". These improvemens still don't mean that RCS-e somehow overcomes the other dozen or so problems I identified last year in my report on its near-inevitable demise. I predicted it would launch, splutter along for a bit, and then fail. It's notable that when I have discussions with operators or vendors about what the problems really are, the one theme that seems to resonate is that of user engagement. How do you encourage people to actually use and exploit RCS rather than the myriad of other messaging and sharing and social-networking tools at their disposal? What makes them "invite friends" and others to accept those invitations? What makes them "invest" in the service? Top of the list of things that versions of RCS I've seen *don't* do is permit the little snippets of user interaction that make alternatives like Facebook or Twitter or BlackBerry BBM so engaging. The most obvious is "Like". On Facebook, you get instant validation that you've posted a cool picture, added a fun status update, attended a great event, listened to a great music track or whatever. It's a single click, but it communicates involvement, friendship, respect, attention, humour and all those other human qualities. It's a way to say "No, I haven't forgotten you, I am reading your stuff but don't have time to write a full message". It's like smiling at a friend, rubbing your partner's back, winking at someone in a crowd. "Retweet" is similar. As are a whole host of "Vote up/down", "+1", "Recommend", "Share" and so forth. These create user involvement and engagement, with a simple HTML link. They also tend to be extensible - as seen by the amount of Facebook Connect logos around the web. Maybe a future version of RCS - or perhaps some operator-specific variants - will do something similar. Because if not, the services are likely to be very "dry". There's another form of user interaction for messaging I've just become aware of in this context as well, triggered by this article about Apple's new iMessage service. It has something that most PC-based IM software has had for years, as well as BlackBerry Messenger - "typing indication". That's the little animation on a Skype or Yahoo IM window that shows that the other person is composing a reply. It will be interesting to see if any RCS clients can do the same thing - some of the specification documentation suggests it should . The problem is that in future, communications users will have a very low tolerance of "clunkiness" - and they will also expect features to be upgraded like today's best apps, on a monthly or quarterly basis. There will also need to be a mechanism for operators to test different types of apps on certain groups of *live* customers. Google and Facebook can change their web page layouts, or app behaviours, for certain groups of their users, to see what works best. In my experience, it's pretty rare for telcos to do comparison-testing of different versions of services on their "production" customer base. Overall, I still think that RCS is going to face insurmountable challenges - especially with newcomers like iMessage and whatever Google does with adding communications services into the browser. I think there will be a few niche usage cases - and perhaps specific countries where local conditions are unique enough to support it. But unless they get the user experience not just "good", but "fun" and "engaging" as well, it will struggle to gain traction. | |
| Euronews: DT Ups Its Hellenic Holding | Top |
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