Mobile World Congress 11-14 February 2008 in Barcelona
Once again the Mobile World Congress 2008 (formerly called 3GSM) will take place in beautiful Barcelona from 11-14 February 2008. The Mobile World Congress is the epicentre of the mobile economy and I strongly recommend you to go there to see mobile innovation and meet wireless executives for dealmaking and future-talking.
What will be the big mobile innovation in 2008? 2007 has brought me the iPhone which is the new benchmark in the industry. The national data plan offered by T-Mobile Germany is pretty good with 5 GB data volume included in the 1000 minute package for € 89,00. But when it comes to international data roaming we still have a long way to go and many high invoices to pay until international and national data tariffs are the same. This is my dream for a long time.
One of the hot topics this year will be Mobile TV via DVB-H. Mobile 3.0 in Germany yesterday received the green light for a 3-year license from the national body of the regional media authorities. In June 2008, German consumers can expect the first DVB-H handsets and a new Mobile Pay TV bouquet right in time for the EURO2008 in Austria and Switzerland. How broadcast Mobile TV will compete with on-demand Mobile Video in the German market remains to be seen. Personally, I am an on-demand guy. The promising picture quality and easy usability of broadcast Mobile TV will attract early adopters only if Nokia & Co. bring out nice DVB-H handsets that can compete with the iPhone, the Blackberry and other leading Smartphones. Until Mobile TV will reach the mass market, It will take 2-3 years as DVB-H takes time to become a standard feature in most mid-end handsets.
I will also focus on Mobile Advertising during my stay in Barcelona. After Blyk has launched the first ad-funded MVNO in UK many MNOs and MVNOs think about launching ad-funded voice and data tariffs, too. At the same time, many innovative startups are offering platforms that can deliver any ad format to any device via any channel. The money from advertisers will help to bring mobile services to new target groups, a development the mobile economy really needs. I strongly hope that MNOs support the growth of mobile advertising with low data tariffs that enable consumers to surf with their handsets without worrying about unhealthy invoices.
