What
SMS Users Are Telling Telcos by: Colin Ong TS
The recent rollout of 3G-ready mobile
devices has caused a lot of excitement in the Telco industry, especially
in the Asia-Pacific region. This article will highlight the message that
current customers are sending through their SMS messaging habits. Many
consumers have been used to sending SMS for at least 2 years. Even with
its humble typing of tiny keypads and source of simple news channel, SMS
is a global phenomenon. Telcos must take time to study what their customers
are saying.
Here are some guideposts.
Equitable Pricing Plan:
Most customers fall under a mobile
plan that guarantees a certain number of free SMS a month. This will imply
that even with future sophisticated messaging systems, they are still more
inclined to expect the same pricing plan. Thus it could be inappropriate
to introduce a per-messaging pricing, no matter of sophisticated the delivery.
Telcos must conduct extensive market research to find the correct pricing
plan.
Customisation of Ads:
Customers are not only willing to
receive high quality advertisements on their mobile devices, but also want
these advertisements to be customized to their interests and preferences.
This implies that customers are ready to share more personal details and
the mobile devices can be viewed as a channel for dynamic and real-time
feedback channel. This may spell the demise of the print newsletter and
survey form as the penetration rate for mobile devices increase.
Unchanged Keypad:
Many critics of the SMS system had
reservations that customers are not adept at typing messages through small
mobile device’s keyboard. They had felt that the customer is too impatient
and too many typing errors will be made. Well they were wrong! Telcos should
collaborate with phone makers to keep the current mobile device’s keyboard
unchanged and concentrate on keeping the screen larger and equipped with
better resolution.
Integrating the experience:
Telcos must pay heed in collaborating
with the various broadcasting corporations to create an integrated experience.
Current mobile device users are very comfortable in voice and SMS communication.
Take this as an example: A customer plays a LAN game on broadband in an
Internet Café, decides to leave the play-station and continues the
game on a mobile device. When he reaches home, he turns on his home entertainment
system and continues the final stage of the game. This is possible with
the GPRS system and 3G Technology synergising with the broadcasting corporation.
But more importantly, a number of media and communication providers benefit
from this integration. New revenue streams can be developed.
The overlooked education industry:
It is unfortunate that the education
industry has not fully utilized SMS to complement the delivery of lecture
notes and tests. The same grouses are the small mobile device screen and
the lack of security features to determine the identity of the user. However,
with 3G technology, educators should think out of the box and allow students
to spend more time off campus to conduct their own research. Occasionally,
they can arrange for the student to sit for a test that can be transmitted
through their mobile devices.
Untapped Security Market:
The Mobile Device can be the next
“in-thing” as a security device. The concept is relatively simple. The
student’s location can be tracked by the GPRS system through the mobile
device and the parent can have a face-to-face chat with the child. This
concept can also be stretched to include these devices in various parts
of a car – i.e. like a black box in a plane. If there are any major accidents,
insurance companies can view these recordings and get a better picture
of the accident.
Ringtones are melodic sounds a cellular
or cell phone makes when an incoming call or message arrives. Since cellular
phones are significantly more sophisticated than landline phones, ringtones
can be personalized to suit the owner's personal taste. A variety of ringtones
have appealed to consumers, increasing handsets saleability.
Why use Ringtones
There are a number of reasons consumers
use distinct ringtones.
1) Distinguish Callers - Advanced
feature sets allow for different sounds to signify different callers.
2) Identification - When you are
in a meeting and a phone rings you will know if its yours without having
to look
3) Fun - Lets face, having a cell
phone with personality and character is appealing to general consumers
Types of Ringtones
There are typically two different
types of ringtones: monophonic ringtones and polyphonic ringtones.
Monophonic Ringtones
Monophonic tones are simple tunes,
most commonly compatible with today's cell phones. The majority of cell
phones can only make a single tone at a time. The monophonic ringtone tune
is comprised of a series of sequential tones at different frequencies.
Polyphonic Ringtones
Polyphonic tones are played on cellular
phones that have the capability of playing up to 16 separate tones at once.
The combination of tones creates a harmonic melody. Polyphonic ringtones
are more musical than a monophonic ringtone. Newer phones support polyphonic
ringtones.
It is likely that future cell phones
will be capable of producing musical ringtones of CD quality.
Finding Ringtones & Ringtone
Compatibility
There are a number of websites that
offer ringtones, graphics or even games to download onto your cell phone.
The websites vary in that some allow you to purchase specific ringtones
while others offer subscriptions that allow you to download an unlimited
number of ringtones. When you locate a ringtone be sure to first ensure
that it will work with your cellular model phone and that the site is respectful
of the artists copyright. Like any original works, artists receive royalties
for ringtones, be sure that the website has the permission to distribute
the ringtone. Sites that we've found helpful in finding ringtones and determining
compatibility are:
Frequently consumers will wish to
compose personalized ringtones. Occasionally, cell phones can be programmed
with ringtones by entering a series of buttons. Software is also available
that allow consumers to create their own melodic ringtones. The software
runs on a computer, and once the tune is perfected it can be transferred
to the phone via a data cable. Suggested ringtone composition software
can be found at:
Cellular phones and pagers are part
of the "now" generation, instant contact, anywhere at any time. People
are looking for convenience, comfort and security. The question is how
instantaneous and reliable is the contact?
Talking with someone is the main
use for a cell phone, yet due to poor reception how often do calls not
go through, or important calls "dropped" due to flaky coverage? Let us
not forget, that in a time of tragedy, lines were congested and the resounding
"all circuits busy" messages were heard from coast to coast. There is certainly
room for improvement if you want to reach out and touch someone.
The alternative to voice communication
is traditional text messaging, enjoyed by the young as SMS, a 'hip' communication
method, and the older as the tried and true paging, a trustworthy means
of communication. A carrier receives pages or text messages via a traditional
dial up modem or Internet connection to their terminal, and then broadcasts
the messages over their network to the appropriate wireless device. How
instant is sending a text message? The answer might surprise you...it depends.
Traditional means of sending text
messages is surprisingly reliable and fast. However, many cellular carriers,
wishing to merge technologies while keeping costs down, have opted to utilize
email technology to send text messages. Why not, an email is nothing more
than a text message, using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). On
the surface this sounds like a great idea, nearly everyone has email access,
and the use of the Internet streamlines the sending of messages.
What is often overlooked, is the
fact that email was not designed to be time sensitive. There can be significant
delays and an instantaneous receipt can be lost when sending email to a
pager or cell phone. Text messages sent via the email protocol SMTP could
take a more scenic delivery route. While in many cases, receiving messages
in a timely fashion is not critical; some industries require and benefit
from the receipt of urgent messages. It is therefore important to realize
and make a distinction between the protocols that are designed for instantaneous
communication and those that are not.
If sending messages immediately to
a cell phone or pager is required, more reliable protocols are available.
When sending text messages, via a modem, the Telocator Alphanumeric Protocol
(TAP) is extremely dependable, albeit slower due to the modem dialing.
If sending messages with a high-speed Internet connection use the newer
time sensitive Internet protocols: Simple Network Paging Protocol (SNPP)
and Wireless Communication Transfer Protocol (WCTP). If your carrier supports
these protocols they are the better options for sending important messages.
If carriers understand the "now"
generation is about speed and reliability, customer satisfaction will improve.
Text messaging is a reliable and useful communication method, especially
since voice is not always convenient or possible. With public awareness
and urging, carriers will increase their offerings of text messaging protocols.
Carriers should offer email or SMTP, but they must also support time sensitive
protocols, regardless, of whether the protocols are older such as TAP or
newer such as WCTP.
Long Distance and Phone Systems
for Small Business by: Gobala Krishnan
Telecommunication cost is always
an obstacle for small business owners, especially if you need to call domestic
or international long distance. The long distance cost factor alone, depending
on the type of business you're in, can make the difference in the success
of any small business.
The telecommunication market today
is one of the most competitive. Rates for both local, domestic long distance
or DLL (long distance in the same country) and international long distance
(ILD) are going down every day.
The new player in small business
phone systems, VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), puts big guns like
MCI, AT&T and others in competition with smaller providers. Although
the quality of VoIP from the big telecommunications companies are usually
better, it's the smaller companies that are proving to offer better rates
at an acceptable quality. Business owners have to choose for themselves
based on the tradeoff between quality and cost.
Before choosing the proper phone
system for your business, you need to figure out exactly what your business
needs. If your business relies on the phone for prospecting customers,
providing customer support, or giving out important information through
the phone, then you should opt for better quality.
If you use the phone for short communication
with your business partners or agents, or any other reason which is NOT
your main business function, it would be better to save a little and go
with the low cost option. The difference in quality is not very apparent
in most cases.
If you are just starting you small
business, phone cards also provide some sort of temporary solution until
you can get enough financing to develop a better system. Phone cards usually
let you dial international and national long distance at a lower cost because
they use either VoIP as the back end provider or through a special promotion
or arrangement between telecommunications companies.
Regardless of which phone system
you choose for your small business, make sure you are getting the most
out of the money you spend for these long distance or international plans.
Forget the bells and whistles. The purpose of having a good phone system
is, and always should be, to communicate and express yourself.
