Morodo Group Limited

The Wholesale Mobile Network is Not Dumb

richard — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:18:01 +0000

Earlier last week, Connected Planet reported a new Mobile Network planned to launch in the US later this year. Backed by Harbinger Capital Partners, the new network, named Light Squared, will be 100% open, allowing VoIP, streaming video, peer-to-peer applications and any other conceivable service over both satellite and 4G.

Such is the power, potential and at present, poor capacity of Mobile Wireless that Light Squared can raise US$ 4.6 billion to build-out a high-speed 4G mobile data network.

So, who are Light Squared customers? According to CMO Frank Boulben, the new operator will target a mix of:

“National and regional wireless, wireline and cable operators; retailers; device-makers; and Web-content providers…. We’ll have no gatekeeping rules on our network.”

It’s extremely significant that Light Squared will be open to all comers. For the Morodo Team, this is the next logical step in network evolution, bringing true competitiveness and a level playing field to the wireless world. There is no need for the network operator to ‘own’ the end-user in order to run a profitable business. We expect to see this business model become more popular as struggling networks consolidate to survive.

Elsewhere in the news, Juniper Research released a widely published report predicting sharp growth in Mobile App downloads. If you missed the headline, Juniper state that we can expect 25 billion downloads in 2015. That might seem like a big number but given the current global subscriber base in 2010, it only accounts for 5 downloads per mobile. We think they might be rather cautious in their forecast.

The report noted that “freemium” is becoming the prevalent business model in mobile app distribution. That is, you give the app away and monetise it through service usage. That’s the model that Morodo has been expounding for some years.

Without a doubt, the consumer’s understanding of a downloadable mobile app is far more sophisticated today than it has ever been.

Unlimited Mobile Data means unlimited Mobile VoIP

The Morodo Team — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 07:00:55 +0000

It’s a truism of Telecoms that Asia leads the way in innovation. Japanese Mobile Network Operators are offering services that are years ahead of the West and creating massive revenues from virtual goods sold from the mobile. They were first to market with video calling, Multimedia Messaging, mobile micro-blogging and the full experience Mobile Internet.

South Korea enjoys an enviable reputation for high-speed broadband connections per capita and an enlightened attitude to new network services. This week SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest mobile operator, announced new unlimited data plans for mobile, flying in the face of the latest received wisdom form the USA where AT&T recently switched from unlimited data plans to metered data use.

SK Telecom’s new offer is the inclusion of Mobile VoIP use with the data package (capped to 1,000 minutes per month). This makes SK Telecom the first operator in the world to offer a true Mobile VoIP service to its customer base. One thousand minutes is more than 95% of consumers would use in any given month. We’ve been banging on about this for years so it’s good to see our convictions realized.

There is absolutely no doubt in the Morodo mind that Mobile VoIP is the way of the future – with or without the co-operation of the network operators. Whether the customer uses 2.5G, 3G, 4G, WLAN or WiFi they can use Morodo’s MO-Call app directly from a mobile and save a fortune on voice calls and SMS.

Image: Bloomberg Business Week

Android Fragmentation a Challenge? Bring It On

The Morodo Team — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:00:19 +0000

We all know that Google owns the desktop, or should we say about 85% of all advertising revenue originating from it. Over the last 18 months Google has promoted the open source Android Operating System in an effort to compete for a slice of the lucrative mobile advertising market. Droids, as they a colloquially known, offer an enhanced web browsing experience. They also are proving a popular vehicle for third party software developers. These third party downloadable applications are extending the handsets functionality. Traditional utilities are being replaced by services, the classic example of this happening in an app being MO-Call .

Recently there has been some criticism levelled at Google concerning platform fragmentation. No less than four different versions of this platform have been distributed during its very short lifetime. We’re often asked: is this a barrier to entry for developers?

The fragmentation debate is not new to Android. Fragmentation has been a landmark of the industry ever since there was a mobile industry. The Morodo Team saw the individual characteristics of mobile devices as a huge opportunity, not a barrier. If we could cover all devices, what lead would that give us? What a challenge.

Morodo, as a software development house, supports all the popular Mobile Operating Systems. We cover 95% of the developed World’s most popular handsets (including Android). Downloadable software as a service is recognisable for what it can do, good Mobile VoIP embraces barriers and fragmentation and makes things simpler for the customer. And as far as we are concerned: what the customer wants – they get.

Footprint and Unified Services Key to Mobile Operator Success

The Morodo Team — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:00:24 +0000

A new report from Strategy Analytics details the changing dynamics of Mobile Network Operators, especially those that think and act globally.

The report fixes on four themes: Network Evolution; Traffic Evolution; Value Creation and Customer Loyalty. As the authors point out, much that is covered here follows on from Orange’s strategy announcement last week. In her speech launching the new direction, Orange CEO Stephane Richard made much of the need to deal with “the new incursion of new actors from the Internet world” and “the conquest of customers…and international development.”

As we have said many times before, for most Mobile Network Operators, growing a footprint and capturing new customers with Unified offerings means embracing the new Operators, like Morodo. Orange’s stated strategy is “growth through innovation.” What better way to expand than through the MO-Call Mobile VoIP model.

Image: NASA

Mobiles and WiFi: Everywhere

The Morodo Team — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:00:24 +0000

As reported in the Symbian Blog, the WiFi Alliance are close to announcing a new standard, WiFi Direct. What does that mean? Basically, any device with a WiFi chip will become a hotspot. Your mobile phone, your computer printer, your camera, your laptop, your PC, even your fridge, can all connect to each other wirelessly and share an Internet connection. This functionality won’t just be limited to your own devices, you’ll be able to wirelessly connect to the Internet via any WiFi enabled device.

The implications of this are significant. The local WiFi network and its connection to fixed broadband may yet usurp the Mobile Networks in metropolitan areas. The implications for Morodo and MO-Call type services are also significant as it means the availability of connections points could increase tremendously making free WiFi a real alternative network.

How many connected mobile phones in the World? This week, global mobile subscriptions passed the 5 billion mark. There are now more than 5 billion mobile connections working in the world today. The 6th billionth connection is forecasted for 2012.

Mobile is the largest single market in the history of humankind.

Image: Associated Press

Mobile VoIP Growing – Sharpen Up Your App Skills

The Morodo Team — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 11:00:10 +0000

Juniper Research published its latest Mobile VoIP report forecasting 470 billion minutes of call traffic originating from Mobile apps, like MO-Call, by 2015. As senior Juniper analyst Anthony Cox put it. “We forecast that mobile VoIP over Wi-Fi will cost operators $5 billion globally by 2015.” That’s revenue that disruptive companies, like Morodo, will be taking away from the Traditional Operators.

Perhaps we should leave the final word on this subject to Om Malik who wrote of Morodo’s like-minded companies: “..well, maybe the carriers who hate them so much will end up buying them.”

Elsewhere in the online press, further interesting statistics reported by AppstoreHQ. According to their latest metrics, 43,185 developers are working on the iPhone platform (iOS) and 10,199 developers are working on Google’s Android smartphone platform. Only 1,412 developers work on both platforms.

As we have stated before, Morodo developers work on both of these platforms and many more. When we looked at the Venn Diagram that AppstoreHQ published, we thought: I wonder how few developers can truly compete with Morodo for cross-platform coverage? In our opinion, not many.

Yet more good reasons why Morodo is leading the way in Mobile VoIP and Mobile Development.

Image: AppStoreHQ

Press Release: Morodo and Palm Tree Technology Announce a Strategic Alliance to Secure Users Mobile Top Ups

The Morodo Team — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 07:00:50 +0000

LONDON – Morodo Limited today announced that it has partnered with UK based Palm Tree Technologies to implement the privacy enhancing technologies to protect their global mobile users when they use their comprehensive line of low cost telecommunication services. These solutions are offered worldwide in both emerging and developed markets. The company offers services that include low cost mobile phone solutions and VoIP all integrated into a single product offering.

Morodo Managing Director, Andrew Reid, said, “MO-Call user base is growing rapidly this partnership reinforces our commitment to deliver brand innovation to our mobile community. Implementing and deploying privacy enhancing technology will build user confidence and trust in our services. This initiative will build customer loyalty in some of the world’s most competitive mobile marketplaces.”

Key Points around this partnership

• Customers will benefit from a protected environment on their mobile devices.

• Both companies will focus on building trust around the new mobile medium.

• Palm Tree Technology PLC is the leading pioneer in bringing privacy enhancing technology to the mobile transactions space.

Palm Tree Technology CEO Ross Macdonald quoted: “Implementing LiveEnsure™ into Morodo services will provide safe and secure mobile authentication for their users when they top up and use their phones. Their users will rest assured that they can use the broad spectrum of Morodo services safely and without fear of fraud or Identity theft .”

MO-Call enables low-cost and free calling and SMS direct from a mobile phone or computer. MO-Call works through a browser or plug-in software applications that can be downloaded from the MO-Call website www.mo-call.com

About Palm Tree Technology

Founded in 2004 Palm Tree Technology is a UK PLC Technology company with innovative IP and global reach, markets and partners. The company’s products include ID InsureTM an identity authentication application that secures users, devices, sites, and sessions on client and host platforms. LiveEnsureTM is the authentication self-service (SaaS) variant of ID InsureTM for small and mid-sized websites; an online user authentication plugin that is a new breed of privacy enhancing technology that enables secure online transactions.

www.liveensure.com

For further information, contact:

Palm Tree Technology PLC:

Louise Robertson

Marketing and Corporate Communications,

louise@palmtreetechnology.com

Mobile Operators Giving Up Voice?

The Morodo Team — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 11:00:58 +0000

We were interested to read Scandinavian Analyst Company, Northstream, had to say about the future of voice for traditional Mobile Network Operators.

I’m sure you’ve all heard, or read, of the coming 4G networks, the next generation of data connectivity from mobile devices. Northstream has tested the world’s first true 4G network offering from TeliaSonera and not found it wanting.

For customers in Stockholm, Sweden, TeliaSonera provide access to the kind of high-speed network that puts your fixed broadband to shame, for the kind of price that your Mobile Operator sells a few hundred minutes of national calls.

Why is this important?

As Northstream has it, this is put up or shut up time for the Mobile Network Operators. The technology used in TeliaSonera’s 4G network is known as Long Term Evolution (LTE), a perfect bearer for standard SIP VoIP; as of yet, the Operator’s own plans for Voice Over LTE have yet to reach consensus on standard or implementation. As Northstream state:

“..operators do not possess the working culture and skills required to be service innovators or even full-service providers of digital services and content: The level and speed of innovation originating from online service providers is too massive for operators to offer serious competition on the service level, even in markets where operators continue to dominate mobile service delivery.”

There we have it, in short the Mobile Network really is a bitpipe. We’re not ones to crow, but we could point out that we told you so back in 2006. This is the most exciting time to be offering alternative voice and messaging services, not only is the hype-cycle climbing the curve of mass adoption, the technology is also shifting in our favour.

MO-Call teams with Ukash to connect the unbanked.

The Morodo Team — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 07:00:20 +0000

LONDON – Morodo Limited today announced that it has partnered with Ukash to provide a new payment option for customers of its well-known MO-Call voice and SMS service. MO-Call customers may now use Ukash vouchers to buy airtime credit at the MO-Call website from their mobile phone or computer.

Morodo Managing Director, Andrew Reid, said. “Working with Ukash allows us to connect the unbanked to low-cost calls and SMS. MO-Call offers the best value in communication from just about any mobile, anywhere in the world. Perhaps the most frequently asked question of our customer services team is ‘How can I pay if I don’t own a credit or debit card?’ We’re very pleased that Ukash provides us with a simple answer to that question. MO-Call is now equally accessible to everyone.”

Paul Coxhill, Marketing Director, Ukash, said: “Ukash provides everyone – from the hundreds of thousands of unbanked consumers to those who are wary of using credit cards on the Internet – with a way to make simple and secure payments online using cash. The partnership with MO-Call is another step toward our goal of allowing everyone, anywhere in the world to benefit from using cash to shop, pay and play online.”

Bit Torrent and Open Government

The Morodo Team — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 09:00:26 +0000

Generally speaking, I don’t think it’s unfair to say that the UK Government has got a few things wrong in its short history of using and legislating the Internet.

Let me nail my colours to the mast and say that I am a huge fan of Cory Doctorow’s philosophy:

“As a practical matter, we live in the 21st century and anything anybody wants to copy they will be able to copy. If you are building a business model that says that people can only copy things with your permission, your business is going to fail because whether or not you like it, people will be able to copy your product without your permission. The question is: what are you going to do about that? Are you going call them thieves or are you going to find a way to make money from them?”

I truly believe that there are new business models waiting to be discovered, tried, tested and executed. I’m not just talking about Kevin Kelly’s Truefans or Rupert Murdoch’s Paywall, P2P is perhaps one of the best marketing tools that has ever existed (next to the immortal words Free Beer). The best way to monetise P2P file-sharing is not through litigation.

Today, whilst reading Nextweb’s piece on the UK Government releasing 10GB of public-spending information via Bit Torrent, I actually felt a little proud of the Men-from-the-Ministry for embracing the 21^st Century.

Dare I say it, I even felt hopeful. This is what Open Government should be. Fingers-crossed eh?

Image: P2P Foundation