Page 1 - Mobile World Daily - Day 2
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BROUGHT TO YOU BY: OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2015
IN THIS ISSUE DAY TWO • TUESDAY 3RD MARCH
ANALYSIS: MVNOS
ACCORDING TO GSMA INTELLIGENCE THERE WERE ALMOST ONE
THOUSAND MVNOS IN OPERATION WORLDWIDE IN 2014. PAGE 35
ANALYSIS: MOBILE INTERNET
GSMA INTELLIGENCE FORECASTS HALF OF THE WORLD'S
POPULATION WILL BE SUBSCRIBED TO MOBILE INTERNET
SERVICES BY 2020. PAGE 36
SHOW IN PICTURES
ALL THE ACTION FROM THE SHOWFLOOR AND CONFERENCE
SESSIONS. PAGE 56
Operator CEOs
call for “same
service, same
rules” principle
interoperability even extended to as easy to switch digital ecosystems Google opens
“closed networks”, such as Google up on mobile
and Facebook. He ruefully added as it is networks. strategy
that internet giants were asset light
and could offer services for free. Putting himself in the shoes of By Anne Morris
“How can you compete with a
voice, SMS or video service which customers, Vittorio Colao, CEO of Sundar Pichai, SVP of
costs nothing?” asked Hoettges. products at Google, said
By Joanne Taaffe and Ken Wieland against consumer interests. Vodafone Group, was prepared to the company should
Timotheus Hoettges, Deutsche Cesar Alierta, CEO of Telefonica announce plans to offer its own
Regulators should stop Group, said operators were admit that the likes of Facebook, mobile services in the coming
treating network operators Telekom Group CEO, said “competitively disadvantaged with months, although he stressed
and internet players Facebook was a communication over-the-top players”, owing to Google and Amazon were that Google does not intend to be
differently, argued leading mobile service, yet not regulated as one. heavy infrastructure investment. He a network operator at scale.
industry figures at yesterday’s He then argued there was a “clash reckoned regulators should apply “brilliant services”. In the same Cont. on P3 f
opening keynote of Mobile World of business models” between the principle of “same service,
Congress (MWC). network operators and internet same rules” to players of every hue, breath, however, Colao
firms, and that network players and that consumers should have a
Chief executives from Deutsche were left holding the short straw. “portable digital life” where it’s just highlighted how consumers’ digital
Telekom, Telefonica, Telenor and
Vodafone claimed un-level playing “We are an asset-heavy industry, lives were dominated by just a few
fields threaten network investment where everything is interoperable
and economic growth, and go and open,” said the Deutsche internet players. Echoing
Telekom chief, pointing out that
comments made by Alierta, the
Vodafone chief said customers
were beginning to question the
lack of portability between
different digital platforms.
Cont. on P3 f
By Ken Wieland argument goes – they’ll be more Zuckerberg
inclined to pay for mobile data. makes case
Mark Zuckerberg told for free
delegates at Mobile World The internet.org app, rolled out in mobile data
Congress (MWC) that six countries since its mid-2014
offering free basic internet services launch in Zambia, offers a suite of Tanzania, he said there was a 10 per
can help mobile operators grow their basic services – including Facebook cent increase in smartphone sales
businesses faster in emerging markets. – without charge. Zuckerberg said after internet.org was launched,
there was no cannibalisation of although he stressed it was still
Under questioning from Wired revenue among operator partners, early days.
Magazine’s Jessi Hempel, the with customers not deserting paid
founder and chief executive of data for free services. Christian De Faria, chief executive
Facebook said internet.org “works”. of Airtel Africa, another internet.org
Mario Zanotti, senior vice partner, would not be drawn on
A Facebook-led initiative, president of operations at Millicom, detail regarding the internet.org
internet.org has the aim of connecting an internet.org partner, said first business, only to say there was no
everyone on the planet. As part of signs were encouraging. Joining adverse business impact.
making that happen, the Facebook Zuckerberg on stage, Zanotti said
CEO wants to raise awareness of the there was a 30 per cent increase in Jon Fredrik Baksaas, chief
internet. One way, he contends, is for data users when free data packages executive of Telenor Group – which
mobile operators to offer some were launched in Paraguay, which is not an internet.org partner – was
services for free. And once users get a then led to more paid data users. In the most sceptical among the panel.
free taste of the internet – so this He maintained that any initial
encouraging statistics would need
to be sustainable. “Only then,” he
said, “would there be a business
proposition.”
MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS DAILY 2015 | www.mobileworldcongress.com Tuesday 3rd March PAGE 1
