hello ...

Welcome to the December newsletter, our last edition until February 2008 (we'll be taking a short-break in January due to the holidays).

It has been a busy November. Both the CEO of O2 and Motorola have resigned. Orange has introduced the iphone to much fanfare in France, and Orange Partner held two successful 'mash up' events in London and Paris.

We are also making the rounds! I met several of you at the Motorola Developer Conference in London, and Tom Angelucci and I will be in Seattle on December 11th to speed date at the Microsoft Mobile Developer event. Lets us know if you will be there as well. We will also be holding the inaugural meeting of a new Mobile Developer Industry Association that week as well. I will have more to tell you about that in February.

To continue providing you with valuable mobile industry knowledge, in this edition we've gathered reports containing the latest facts and figures, looking at aspects of 3G, fixed and mobile penetration globally and churn rates in Europe.

Read on to find out about the exciting new trials that Orange is conducting in mobile contact-less payment and register to attend our free virtual seminar where you can learn about how ACCESS and Orange are working together to encourage mobile development using Open Source technology.

Don't forget to take a look at the latest device specs on the Orange Partner website and get an update on what happened when we offered you the opportunity to Fast-track your mobile applications into the Orange Application shop.

Finally, all that remains for me to say is - enjoy the holidays!

Kind regards,

New devices on the website – download the specifications
Check-out a sample of the new devices that have been added to the Orange Partner website this month.

Blackberry 8320
The BlackBerry Curve 8320 smartphone is the big brother to the BlackBerry 8300. The 8320 is the smallest and lightest BlackBerry smartphone ever to come with a full QWERTY keyboard. It's features, include a camera, media player, Wi-Fi capabilities, Voice Dialling, BlackBerry® Maps and trackball navigation.

HTC P5500 Touch Dual
HTC Touch Dual is the upgrade to the original HTC Touch. The HTC Touch Dual effortlessly combines an intuitive touch screen and keypad within a stunning design. The P5500 features a 3D menu system with a unique never before seen TouchFLO interface.

Nokia 6301
The Nokia 6301 is an evolution of the modern monoblock design. Weighing a mere 93 grams and measuring less than 13.1 mm thin, the 6301 is constructed of quality materials. To accompany the UMA technology, the Nokia 6301 also offers consumers a modern suite of features, including a 2.0-megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom and full screen viewfinder.

Samsung G800
The G800 is from the same family as the hugely popular Samsung G600 & both handsets are defiantly eye catching mobile phones but with different built in capabilities. The G800 is a slide opening handset which comes with a large colour screen complete with easy access external keys.  It's a 3G phone, with HSDPA, also has microSD expandable memory, Bluetooth, a TV-out port and an FM radio.

See all the available device specs – click here >

If you'd like to be informed about new devices on a weekly basis subscribe to the Orange Partner RSS feed.

Click here to find out more >

back to top

Application Shop – public launch in UK: 10 December.
The Fast-Track deadline has ended in time for the public launch, but you can still submit your applications via the usual Orange Partner submission process.

In November we ran a fast-track process to help speed up the time-to-market to get your downloadable applications into the Orange Application Shop and if necessary help you with your industry standard and Orange Compatibility testing.

The response was overwhelming! We received over 250 submissions in just under a month. Many thanks to those of you who have submitted your applications for consideration. We are getting back to you all (if we haven't already) with your next-steps. The Shop is now full and ready to launch on December 10th in the UK.

If you missed the deadline, then don't despair, you can still submit your applications using the usual Orange Partner submission process. To do this you must first apply to become a premium member and once approved you can upload your application (via the product submission link within 'my account' on the Orange Partner website).

Find out more about how to become a premium member now >

Also, we'll imminently be updating you on the latest on the launch plan for the Shop, so keeping visiting the website for the latest updates.

back to top

Mobile contact-less payment – Orange is involved in a major field trial
A large scale field trial is currently taking place to test 1000 customers and 200 sales outlets.

Earlier this month Orange announced that it's launching a field trial in France with six major French banks (BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole and LCL, Crédit Mutuel-CIC, Groupe Caisse d'Epargne, La Banque Postale and Société Générale) as well as four mobile operators (Bouygues Telecom, NRJ Mobile, Orange and SFR) in cooperation with MasterCard Worldwide and Visa Europe to test mobile contact-less payment in the cities of Caen and Strasbourg.

This exciting new multi-operator payment service, aims at simplifying proximity payments, offering customers a fast, practical, and safe way to handle their everyday transactions.

The "Payez Mobile" trial is based on a payment application embedded in the customer's SIM card and NFC (Near Field Communication) technology.
The field trial will serve to evaluate users' interest in this new payment solution and to test the interoperability among solutions provided by different suppliers: LG, Motorola and Sagem (mobile phones), Ingenico and Sagem Monetel (payment terminals), Gemalto and Oberthur Card Systems (SIM cards and secured application management), and Inside Contact-less (NFC components).

This initiative, under the supervision of the Secure Electronic Transactions (TES) cluster of the Lower Normandy region, is also geared toward standardization within the future SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) by contributing to the emergence of a mobile contact-less payment standard.

back to top

Article download – A look at all aspects of 3G
Read through this article by Orange Badim and understand everything there is to know about the global 3G market.

With over 253 million users at the end of September 2007, it seems that the global 3G market has hit 'cruising' speed. Between rapid network deployment, expansion of the number of compatible terminals; mobiles, PC cards, boxes and USB modems along with the effects of marketing initiatives of mobile operators 3G, expansion seems to be effective.

By late September 2007, the worldwide picture is very positive, with 88 million
EV-DO users, and 164 million customers on W-CDMA networks.

While Japan and South Korea have traditionally been the furthest ahead in terms of 3G distribution, the advance is nowadays smoothed out across the world. Hence, whilst in mid-2005, Japan and South Korea accounted for half the world's W-CDMA 3G customer base, their share is now down to a third, as Europe and the emerging countries have caught up considerably.

In these times where the dash is on for very high speed broadband, the time is ripe for an assessment of the 3G market.

Download this article and understand where the world 3G market is now, find out about new entrants, who are the heavyweights, the uses yet to come and predictions for the future. Plus, get a roundup of what Orange is doing in this area.

back to top

Latest figures – Broadband: comparing fixed and mobile penetration
Get the latest figures for broadband penetration and take a look the comparison between fixed and mobile in this article prepared by Orange Badim.

According to analyst reports, there were more than 148 million broadband customers in Western Europe at the end of June 2007, a rise of 46% over one year.

This strong growth is delivered mainly by mobile broadband (W-CDMA, HSDPA), whose 63 million customers now account for 44% of the total customer base, compared with 33% a year ago.

The increase has been prompted by the drop in handset prices, the success of USB modem offerings featuring downlink speeds and a significantly larger coverage than one year ago.

The result is that in Italy, Portugal, Austria, Sweden and Spain, the dynamism of mobile companies (including H3G) is benefiting not only from the rapid development of mobile broadband but is also impacting the growth of fixed line broadband.

Mobile operators in these countries are offering packages featuring USB modems sold as fixed line broadband substitution offers, with downlink speeds equal to or even greater than those of fixed line connections, as well as attractive prices (3 Austria is offering a 15 GB plan for €24 a month with a 7.2 Mbps modem).

back to top

Latest figures – Mobile churn rates continue to fall in Europe
Read this article by Orange Badim and see which operators are generating customer loyalty.

According to the latest benchmark survey conducted by Strategy Analytics, the churn rate of European mobile operators is continuing the slow decline that began nearly two years ago, falling under the 1.5% per month barrier for the first time in the second quarter.

This drop can be attributed to seasonal effects and the fact that the second quarter usually posts the lowest figure of the year, and to the continued rise in the post-paid share.

Churn rates can vary significantly from one operator to another. In Austria,
T-Mobile sees a churn rate of 2% per month, double that of Mobilkom. Still, the only country to stand out from the crowd is the UK, with percentages of between 2% and 3% per month. 3 UK (which Strategy Analytics does not take into account) even reported monthly figures of 3.6% in the first half.

Find which Operators are 'top of class' in keeping their customers and see what the effects of price wars in some markets have been.

Get the full figures by country – download now >

back to top

Free Virtual Seminar: Developing for Mobile Linux –24 January 2008
Presented by Larry Berkin Sr. Dir; Developer Ecosystem and Technology Acquisition; ACCESS and Martin Wrigley, Head of developers' technology; Orange Partner.
 
'Open Source'. Developers you've heard the hype. It's now time to find out what it's about!

Are you a developer interested in creating mobile applications for next generation platforms? Are you familiar with C development and the software process?

If so, then join us in this exclusive seminar to find out about 'Open Source' technology, the growing mobile Linux market and how you can start developing for the ACCESS Linux Platform.

ACCESS has been working with leading Industry Analysts to conduct research on the market opportunities within this area. They're now ready to share this information with you.

Participate in this virtual seminar to:

• Understand what Orange and ACCESS are doing to promote open standards and support the rapid growth of Mobile Linux development.
• Understand the market dynamics and trends in the Mobile Linux market.
• Get an insight into emerging technologies and the latest mobile development techniques.

Plus, we'll provide you with technical insights and information so you can start native development for the ACCESS Linux Platform.  

back to top

'Mash-up and Develop with Orange' – Madrid: 29 and 30 January 2008
The third leg of our European Tour sees us in Madrid …

We've mashed-up with you in London and Paris in November, are having a break in December, and will mash-up again in January at the Orange Labs offices in Madrid.

The London event was fully-booked, and Paris was over-subscribed.  So, if you're interested in what Orange is up to in the world of web 2.0 from commercial and technical perspectives, we suggest you come along to the Madrid event, but please do register early.

You could win a MacBook, an iPod or an Apple TV.
Interested?  Oh, and it's free.

Find out more, and discover what happened in Paris and London >

back to top

'Orange Partner programme in China' seminar – download the presentations
Find out what happened at the Beijing seminar.
Over 50 Orange Partner members along with Adobe, Microsoft, Sony Ericsson and Symbian packed into the Orange Labs offices in Beijing, for a fully-loaded day looking at all aspects of developing for mobile in China.

The day kicked off with an introduction on 'The contribution of Orange Labs, Beijing to the Orange Partner programme', followed by a look at the mobile market in China and specifically the mobile applications market.
Success stories followed where select members gave other attendees an insight into their own success stories.

In the afternoon attendees were given the opportunity for one-to-one discussions on out how to work with Orange Partner to get their products into the Application Shop.

Plus, attendees were given the opportunity to participate in the "Interactive Platform" – to demonstrate their own mobile products to other attendees.

back to top

Are you reading off of the same page as your fellow newsletter subscribers?
The Orange Partner newsletter is the best way for our members to regularly keep up with the latest market and technology developments from Orange and the mobile industry.

To help you keep up to date we've collated the top 5 stories and articles from the newsletter and website that were of interest to our members last month (compiled using clicks per page analysis).

• Download article - 'Mobile Television: time to choose'
• Mobile: the latest trend in instant messaging - find out why
• 'Mash-up and develop with Orange'
• Almost 160 million W-CDMA customers worldwide – find out which countries are the new stars of 3G
• New devices on the Orange Partner website – find out what they are

back to top