Screen Shortage Might Last Until 2012

HTC Evo devices are in very short supply at the moment, as are HTC Incredibles, and most likely, HTC Droid X devices as well, as all seem to use the same screens, and there currently is a shortage of capacity to manufacture the screens, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Analysts say there's a particular dearth of the Samsung Electronics Co. touch screens the HTC phones use. Samsung is building a $2.2 billion factory to make the screens, but it won't start operations before 2012.

It is unclear how the parts shortages might affect mobile providers selling the popular HTC devices, in particular Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile, none of which yet has the right to sell the Apple iPhone.

But to the extent all three carriers experience HTC device shortages, it does not seem clear that the relative positions of the three carriers will change, based specifically on ability to sell HTC devices in this class. For Sprint, though, the advantage it had by launching the first nationwide 4G network is dwindling as Verizon Wireless readies its own launch later in 2010.

84% of Internet Users Never Click on Ads

About 84 percent of Internet users never click on any ads, comScore says.

Conversely, eight percent of users are responsible for 85 percent of activity.

Should we be surprised by that? Not really, considering the Pareto principle, commonly known as the "80/20" rule.

Despite that pattern of behavior, it seems unlikely most advertisers will stop relying on click-through rates.

Google Chief Predicts "Interactive Video Ads"

Google CEO Eric Schmidt says  "interactive video ads," are on the way, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The ads, which could appear anywhere on a Web page, would be like mini-Web pages, allowing Web users to watch a video, leave a comment and see real-time updates within the ads that are more customized to their interests.

Schmidt says he has pushed Google's ad teams to think about the potential for such ads, without specifically adding details.

Indian Operator Aims at Wireless Broadband Market

Infotel Broadband Services plans to use its 20-MHz worth of national wireless spectrum in India to make a dent in that country's roughly one-percent broadband services penetration. But the company will not be able to offer switched voice services, according to the terms of its license. The restriction means Infotel will offer a fairly focused data access service, with users able to use PC-to-PC calling services to other Infotel subscribers.

The restriction illustrates the foundational impact regulation has on business models. Some observers say Infotel can only get so big while it has no ability to offer full mobile voice, which would require that it acquire another firm able to do so (a 2G or 3G provider, for example).

Government officials note that 30 percent to 40 percent of  36 million fixed line connections in India are not capable of supporting broadband services.

read more about Infotel

read more about fixed broadband in India

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Social Media Dominates Asia Pacific Internet Usage | Nielsen Wire

Social media usage has seen unprecedented growth in Asia Pacific in the past year and is now one of the most critical trends in the online sector, according to Nielsen.

A new survey found that three of the seven biggest global online brands are social media sites: Facebook, Wikipedia and YouTube.

Close to three quarters of the world’s Internet population (74 percent) have now visited a social networking or blogging site, and Internet users are spending an average of almost six hours per month on social media sites.

Korea is one of the most social media engaged countries in the world, with the country’s leading social media site, Naver, attracting 95 percent of the Korean Internet population every month.

Japanese Internet users are the most avid bloggers globally, posting more than one million blogs per month, significantly more than any other country in the region.

Social Media Dominates Asia Pacific Internet Usage | Nielsen Wire

Cisco Touts "Connected Conversations"

Services, not raw speed, is where consumers think the value of faster broadband will be.

SIP Trunking: Growing, But T1 Remains the Mainstay

Although many organizations have deployed VoIP on their premises, they still use legacy technologies to connect to the PSTN, with T1 lines the most commonly used trunking service today through 2012, according to Infonetics Research.

Much of the SIP trunk demand is fueled by fast-growing hosted IP telephony services. For the first three months of 2009, service providers experienced an average of 40 percent to 50 percent year-over-year growth for IP Centrex, indicating the demand for outsourcing and managed solutions.

Infonetics Research expects hosted UC services to take off, with worldwide revenue doubling between 2009 and 2013, and we forecast SIP trunking service revenue to hit an 89 percent compound annual growth rate from 2008 to 2013.

It also is worth noting that many carriers interconnect with each other using T1 protocols, even if end user service is supplied exclusively in the IP domain.

SIP trunk use is growing, and by 2012 will be the second most commonly deployed trunking service, says Infonetics.

AT&T and Verizon are used most often as providers of SIP trunking services, survey respondents said.

Infonetics Research - SIP trunking gaining on T1 lines as companies seek efficiency

Mobile Subscriptions Hit 5 Billion

Mobile broadband subscriptions will reach 3.4 billion by 2015, up from from 360 million in 2009, Ericsson forecasts. Ericsson also predicts 80 percent of all people accessing the Internet will be doing so using their mobile device.

In 2000, about 720 million people had mobile subscriptions, less than the amount of users China alone has today.

The way Internet access gets used also will shift. Mobile subscriptions allow people who don't have access to a bank or a bank account to transfer money; fishermen and farmers can get quick updates on sudden changes in the weather forecast, villagers to get local medical care, and children to access online education.

Mobile subscriptions hit 5 billion mark - Ericsson

Most VoIP LInes Sold as Part of a Bundle

Most VoIP service is sold as part of a bundle, data from the Federal Communications Commission shows.

About 79 percent of IP telephony or VoIP lines sold by cable companies or competitive local exchange carriers are sold as part of a bundle, and intended to be used at a fixed location.

About 90 percent of IP telephony or VoIP lines sold by incumbent telcos are sold as part of a bundle, and intended to be used at a fixed location.

Tiered Mobile Pricing Hasn't Had Any Repercussions, Yet

AT&T's move to new tiered mobile data plans does not seem to have provoked much consumer protest, or much apparent change in usage, content provider strategies or even competitive responses from other wireless providers. That doesn't mean there will not be impact, though.

Content providers, application developers and OEM manufacturers have sought to provide the richest multimedia streams, the most interactive apps and the most eye-popping displays and capabilities to consumers, with no concern for impact on bandwidth consumption.

For some consumers, bandwidth consumption will start to become an issue. That might ultimately force some rethinking of device and application design, and some rethinking of business models and partnerships. Firms that

expected to stream video to end users, either for free or as subscription services, might have to think about how bandwidth caps now will potentially affect those business models.

On the other hand, some content providers might have new incentives to figure out ways they can work with mobile service providers in ways that take away bandwidth concerns.

Some might find a partnership, where content provider and access provider share revenue, might go a long ways toward creation of new "video service plans" that allow consumption outside any existing caps.

Yankee Group :: Research Report

Cheaper Cable TV Packages?

Don't hold your breath, but U.S. cable executives might be quietly mulling creation of more-affordable packages that cost something more like $25 a month to 40 a month than $80 a month, Reuters reports.

There would have to be quite a bit of negotiating with the cable programming networks, which typically want the broadest possible carriage they can get. Offering more-affordable tiers of service necessarily would limit carriage of many channels.

Some Wall Street analysts reportedly have warned the cable industry could harm itself by continuing to raise prices well ahead of the rate of inflation. Of course, some will speculate that the floating of "affordable new tiers" might also be a negotiating tactic by cable operators in advance of contract renewal talks.

Both cable operators and programmers are aware that most people watch a dozen or fewer channels, no matter how many are available. The problem is that it is not the same 12, from one person to the next.

Cable companies, networks mull smaller TV bundles | Reuters

Mobile Voice Will Keep Growing, Despite Pressures

Though growth will slow at some point, it does not immediately appear that mobile voice revenue on a global basis, at least, is in any danger of serious erosion, according to the Yankee Group. Average revenue per user is dropping, but the number of users is growing.

By some estimates, the world has added one billion new wireless customers in just 18 months, for example.

Global average revenue per user will fall from U.S.$14.28 in 2009 to U.S.$11.38 in 2014, Yankee Group predicts.

But paid minutes of use will offset most of those ARPU declines.

Yankee Group :: Research Report

How Long Does it Take to Add 1 Billion Mobile Subs?

It has taken just 18 months for one billion new subscribers to get mobile services. There now are five billion global mobile subscribers, according Wireless Intelligence.

The firm predicts that the six billion mark will be achieved in the first half of 2012. Mobile penetration on a global basis now is 74 percent, compared to 60 percent at when there were only four billion subscribers. The highest penetrated region is Western Europe on 130 percent, while the lowest is Africa on 52 percent. Eastern Europe (123 percent) is the only other global region to have passed 100 percent mobile penetration.

Wireless Intelligence — Analysis — Global mobile connections surpass 5 billion milestone

65% of Mobile Users "Text;" 30% Download Apps

About 65 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile device in May 2010, up 1.4 percentage points compared to the prior three month period, while browsers were used by 32 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers (up 2.3 percentage points).

About 30 percent of the mobile audience downloaded apps, an increase of 2.1 percentage points from the previous period. Accessing of social networking sites or blogs also saw significant growth, increasing 2.6 percentage points to 21 percent of mobile subscribers.

comScore Reports May 2010 U.S. Mobile Subscriber Market Share - comScore, Inc