China market: Mobile video services to keep growing to 345.75 million yuan in 2010

29 Sept, 2007

The demand for mobile video services in the China market is rapidly on the rise with the total market value estimated to continually increase from 34.60 million yuan (US$4.60 million) in 2006 to 81.37 million yuan in 2007 and further to 345.75 million yuan in 2010, according to China-based consulting company Analysys International.
Currently, 3G.cn, MM2u.cn and Le-TV.com are the top-three providers of mobile video services in China, according to Analysys.

China market: Forecast value of mobile video services, 2007-2010
Market value (yuan million) Y/Y

2007 81.37 135.2%
2008 133.60 64.2%
2009 216.93 62.4%
2010 345.75 59.4%

September 2007, Analysys

Broadcom Joins the LiMo Foundation

18 Sept, 2007

[Broadcom joins LiMo Foundation as semiconductor supplier. LiMo Foundation members collaborate to create a unified Linux-based OS for mobile devices.]

Irvine, CA -- Broadcom Corporation, a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced that it has joined the LiMo Foundation as one of its first semiconductor suppliers. Broadcom joins a prestigious group of founding members (Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic Mobile Communications, Samsung Electronics and Vodafone) that have collaborated to create a unified Linux-based operating system for mobile devices. As part of the group's charter the LiMo Foundation is delivering a globally consistent software platform and unified applications programming interface (API) to enable open source contributions that will help to drive smartphone capabilities and developments.
As Broadcom 3G solutions continue to evolve towards more powerful and increasingly connected devices, next generation handsets will require a software platform that can keep pace with this increasing level of sophistication. Today's smartphone is expected to enable, enrich and entertain consumers with dynamic user interfaces and increased security. As the Linux operating system continues to gain momentum in the mobile space, Broadcom will work with the LiMo Foundation to address industry concerns such as power, size and cost, in an effort to achieve widespread adoption of Linux-based handsets.
"Broadcom's membership in the LiMo Foundation highlights the growing enthusiasm for mobile Linux and the effort to build products within a shared architecture," said Morgan Gilis, Executive Director of the LiMo Foundation. "The power of the LiMo Foundation increases with each new committed contributor and the addition of Broadcom to this alliance will make the technology increasingly attractive for new handset products."
As an associate member of the LiMo Foundation, Broadcom will gain access to the Foundation's code, participate in working groups and make contributions that will enable Broadcom to further assert its leadership in the developing smartphone segment, while continuing to maintain technological leadership in the mobile Linux arena.
"Adding the expertise and commitment of a leading chip supplier such as Broadcom to the LiMo Foundation makes the organization stronger and ultimately more successful in commercializing innovative LiMo solutions," said Kiyohito Nagata of NTT DoCoMo, Chairperson of the LiMo Foundation. "We're excited to have Broadcom as a member and we expect the company to make strong contributions to our technology and market initiatives."
"Broadcom is an exciting addition to the LiMo Foundation," said Hankil Yoon, the chair of Architecture Council of LiMo and Vice President of Samsung Electronics. "Broadcom's diverse connectivity portfolio will drive increasingly advanced devices into Linux handsets."
Broadcom's move to join the LiMo Foundation follows the recent expansion of its smart-phone Design Center in Taiwan, which currently focuses on the development of Windows Mobile solutions, and joining the S60 developers' community for Symbian S60 based smart-phones. These three recent moves highlight Broadcom's strong commitment to and investment in all popular types of smartphone. It is this commitment and investment, combined with world-leading silicon solutions that enable Broadcom to target the majority of the feature-rich mobile phone market.
"Broadcom has a long history of working closely within the Linux community on advanced communications products. Our membership in the LiMo Foundation highlights our commitment to the expanding opportunities within the Linux mobile environment," said Jim Tran, Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Mobile Communications line of business. "Support for advanced operating systems, such as Linux, is a key feature of our advanced baseband products and we're excited to support LiMo Foundation devices for both the smart- and feature-phone markets."
Key Broadcom Linux-compliant Mobile Solutions
Broadcom expects its initial Linux-compliant mobile solutions to include the BCM2153 and BCM2820.
The BCM2153 HEDGE (HSDPA + EDGE) multimedia baseband processor is the industry's first solution for mobile handsets that integrates a High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) baseband modem with world-class application, audio and multimedia processors on a single monolithic chip. The new Linux-compliant mixed-signal device is the first developed completely in a 65 nanometer CMOS process and integrates an advanced HSDPA modem that delivers 7.2 Mbps (megabits per second) for applications requiring high speed 3G connectivity. With this level of integration, the BCM2153 HSDPA processor requires less board space, cost and power than competing solutions, thus eliminating the cost premium associated with HSDPA handsets today.
The BCM2820 applications processor is a high performance system-on-a-chip solution that combines Broadcom's industry-leading VideoCore's multimedia processor and an ARM11(TM) applications processor. Fully supporting Linux, the BCM2820 is optimized for high volume markets including mobile phones, mobile TVs and portable audio/video/game devices, while delivering unprecedented levels of integration, multimedia performance and low power dissipation. The BCM2820 applications processor offers an impressive array of multimedia features including support for an 8 megapixel digital camera, MPEG-4/H.264 VGA video decoding at 30 frames per second, video encoding at 30 frames per second, and NTSC/PAL TV output via composite, component and S-video connections.
Both the BCM2820 and BCM2153 are currently available to Broadcom's strategic partners. Broadcom also makes available complete development platforms, pre-integrated with associated software and peripheral devices, such as PMU, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, FM Radio, and GPS.

Mobile Dating Revenues to Reach $1bn by 2012

17 Sept, 2007

Revenues from mobile dating and chatroom services are expected to pass US$1 billion by 2010, according to a new report from Juniper Research. Globally, the number of users of such services is expected to rise from just over 40m in 2007 to 260m in 2012, driven by strong demand in both developed and emerging markets, including more than 60m users in the Indian sub-continent.
According to report author Dr Windsor Holden, "Major brands such as Match.com and Webdate have recognised that customers are willing to pay a mobility premium for 24/7 access to these services and are increasing deploying mobile applications to complement and enhance their existing offerings."
Holden added that the sector was also becoming increasingly attractive to start-ups seeking to launch cross-platform services from the outset.
"The increasing proliferation of 3G handsets and a mean that companies are increasing confident of introducing converged services at the outset. Furthermore, those companies which embrace such a strategy - such as Flirtomatic - are experiencing significantly higher levels of traffic from their WAP users than from their users on the fixed internet."
The report cautions, however, that usage was being retarded in many territories by excessive and confusing data pricing, stating that the high costs of data - particularly for prepaid customers - were continuing to act as a disincentive for regular usage and more widespread adoption.
Other findings from the report include:
At the present time, the largest mobile dating markets by user numbers are Japan and India.
The low level of fixed penetration in India, and the increasing tendency in the country to use mobile services directly as an aide not merely for dating, but for marriage, suggests that overall penetration here will be significantly higher than elsewhere in the world
Many customers will use mobile dating as an adjunct to, rather than instead of, their fixed internet dating services

Nokia Buys Mobile Advertising Provider, Enpocket

17 Sept, 2007

Nokia has announced that it is buying the mobile advertising group, Enpocket for an undisclosed amount. The Enpocket platform is a mobile advertising campaign management and delivery system distinguished by advanced consumer insight, targeting, and measurement. The platform can deliver mobile advertising across multiple formats including SMS, MMS, mobile Internet advertising, and video.
"Nokia has already announced its intention to be a leading company in consumer Internet services and we believe that mobile advertising will be an important element in monetizing those services for our customers and partners. Enpocket's mature leading edge platform and people expertise are a strong fit with Nokia existing capabilities in the mobile advertising market," said Tero Ojanperä, Chief Technology Officer, Nokia. "This acquisition is a game changing move to bring the reach and depth of Nokia to organize the market across the world, and make it easier for an ecosystem to develop."
Enpocket is a privately-owned company, established in 2001 and headquartered in Boston, USA. The company employs about 120 staff.
The agreement is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2007.

MediaTek to acquire Analog Devices cellular handset radio and baseband chipset operations

10 Sept 2007

MediaTek announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the assets related to the Analog Devices Othello radio and SoftFone baseband chipset product lines, as well as certain cellular handset baseband support operations, for approximately US$350 million in cash.
Through the acquisition, MediaTek's wireless handset division gains: a global team of approximately 400 product development and customer support professionals; an established customer base around the world; new radio transceiver and baseband chipset products, including GSM, GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, and TD-SCDMA chipsets.
The boards of directors of both companies have approved the transaction, which is expected to close near the end of 2007, following the satisfaction of regulatory requirements and other customary closing conditions. Tax assessments and any additional closing costs will reduce the net amount of proceeds received by ADI from the transaction.
ADI plans to continue to invest in the wireless handset market by focusing on developing high-performance analog, micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS), and programmable digital signal processing (DSP) products that enhance the audio, video, connectivity, and power efficiency capabilities in a range of wireless multimedia devices, said the company.
In ADI's recently completed third quarter of fiscal year 2007, revenues from these product lines represented US$43 million, or 6% of revenues, noted the company.