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Mobile Youth Creating Next 'Killer Application'
Posted by WDN (editor@wirelessdevnet.com), June 11, 2003
New Wireless Communities To Drive Growth,
blah! General Manager Tells Conference Attendees
Wireless communities -- particularly communities for mobile youth -- will determine the next 'killer application' that will drive growth in the wireless SMS market, said Scott Long, general manager of North America for blah!, the leading provider of cool and exciting 'infotainment' products for wireless carriers in Latin America.
Speaking today at the IBC Mobile Messaging Americas 2003 conference in Miami, Long said many companies are holding onto the myth that technology will create the next high-growth application, and then push it onto users. However, he believes that user communities -- not technology -- will select from existing and new applications they want -- and essentially create the 'killer applications' everyone has been waiting for.
"It is not the applications that make the applications successful. It is the ability to use the applications amongst a community of people that makes an application popular," Long said. "It is only when a user community adopts and interacts amongst themselves by using those applications that the application itself becomes successful."
He pointed to applications such as instant messaging, chat groups, blogging, email and chat services as examples of applications that were not successful until communities began using them to interact amongst themselves.
The mobile youth -- people between 14 and 25 -- are the most active community and the heaviest users of wireless messaging services, Long said. Therefore, they will be the leaders in identifying and creating the most successful applications.
"The cellular phone is the center of the wireless community experience, and the wireless community is a social space where users develop relationships," he said. "The technology is transparent and invisible to the user. It is the community that they are focused on, not the technology."
These communities represent a strong growth opportunity for wireless carriers, he added. "Quite simply, the more people in the community, the more interactions they conduct, and the more revenue opportunity for the carriers."
To help make these communities possible, Long said carriers should partner with value-added service providers focused on the 'infotainment' market for the mobile youth. Issues that carries should address include solving interconnection issues; allowing multiple billing solutions; and promoting an open model for the wireless messaging 'ecosystem.' Meanwhile, value added service providers need to create a single user experience, strong brand identity, and an established user base to create loyalty for the service.
He went on to describe how blah! has successfully partnered with carriers to establish the largest wireless community for mobile youth in Latin America, and today is striving to create the world's largest wireless community.
blah! partnered with 11 carriers in 7 countries to create a community of two million users who send 50 million messages a month, all within the first two years of operations, Long said. Created in June, 2000 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, blah! is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM). blah! provides wireless carriers with a unique array of value-added services, while offering users fun, new ways to interact with others who share similar interests and ideas. blah!'s services have proven to be a hit in all of the markets it has entered by almost instantly raising carrier's average revenue per user (ARPU). And, blah! introduces the mobile youth to a dynamic world of interactivity, entertainment and information.
blah! targets the mobile youth market, which has shown to be the early adopters and trend setters. Industry research indicates there are more than
50 million mobile youth in the U.S., 32% of which currently use SMS services. And, according to eMarketer, the number of teenagers subscribing to wireless services in the U.S. will quadruple by 2006.
blah! last month announced that it had signed Verizon Wireless as its first U.S.-based wireless carrier, has established a North American headquarters and service hosting operation in Miami, and has begun negotiations with other U.S carriers to offer its full range of wireless services. The Miami headquarters will serve as the company's base of operation to service all carriers throughout the North American market
"The SMS market in North America has started to mature over recent months and carriers are seeing the financial benefits of offering a broad range of new services to their customers. We believe SMS could become one of the most profitable data products for carriers moving forward," Long said.
About blah!
blah! is the leading provider of cool and exciting 'infotainment' products for wireless carriers in Latin America, focused on the mobile youth. blah! serves a community of 2 million users with 12 wireless carriers in 8 countries. Created in June, 2000 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, blah! is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM). blah! entered the U.S. market in 2003, with its North American headquarters in Miami, Florida. For more information about blah!, visit www.blah.com.
Glossary of blah! expressions
- 2DAY - today
- AFK - awy from the keyboard
- ATB - all the best
- BBL - be back later
- KISS - keep it simple and stupid
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