The mobile revolution is just getting started

[Posted by Thomas Husson]

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I just presented the latest findings of a new research published "Mobile Technographics in Europe" to Forrester clients at our London Consumer Forum.

This report looks at the state of the European mobile market and at how consumers are using mobile services. We have created different profiles looking at how consumers are using their mobile phones in the different countries.

Over the past two years, the introduction of the iPhone has changed the way consumers and brands perceive mobile phones. It acted as a marketing catalyst, raising awareness of smarter devices and conveying the idea that there are as many mobile services as there are consumers. Consumers will continue to shift their attitudes toward mobile phones — perceiving them not only as communication tools but also increasingly as entertaining and productive devices that can help them in their daily lives. More than 40% of European consumers are beginning to demonstrate sophisticated usage of mobile services.

We expect this to grow over time led by the two most sophisticated group of users (SuperConnecteds and Entertainers). They will change the general perception of mobile phones:

I had a number of conversations with financial institutions, retailers, travel companies and global CPG or luxury brands either planning to add a mobile dimension to their strategy or already doing so. Most of them recognized that mobile could be potentially as disruptive as the PC a decade ago. Japan or South Korea are not exceptions. The question is not if but when and how to phase out their mobile investment.

I have also met executives that are still skeptical saying the market is not mature enough and acknowledging they are still struggling with their online strategy. We believe they are wrong because the path of innovation is accelerating like never before and because they are growing even if limited opportunities to tap into today. The key is to identify the relevant audiences.

Companies that hadn't anticipated the disruption of the PC internet such as media companies are now doubling their efforts to catch up in the digital space, not only on the PC but also on mobile.  

Let's face reality, mobile is not going to change drastically their P&L even in 2010. However, it is time to make the most of new consumer behaviors and to anticipate changes.

One first step is to look at the mobile profile of your own customers to at least know the potential you can tap into today...and to plan ahead for tomorrow.

Clients can access the research here. If you want to discuss this more in depth, feel free to contact me at thusson AT forrester DOT com.

Is there life beyond the iPhone and beyond mobile applications?

[Posted by Thomas Husson]

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Latest Research published: Mobile Strategy/Frequently Asked Questions.

Let's be a bit provocative after this week's announcement from Apple letting us know that they had sold 7,4M iPhones during the last quarter (+7% yoy). Apple's stock valuation was even higher than that of Google (as of October 20, 2009): $179 bn vs $173 bn. I am not a financial analyst so I won't comment the results from a profitability perspective, but would just like to throw out a couple of ideas to discuss whether this trend will last in 2010. Let's add a pinch of salt without taking into account the fact that Apple could (and certainly will) surprise us with new products.

Beyond the terrific iPhone user-experience, the power of Apple's marketing and the AppStore's ecosystem, part of the success is due to Apple's new business model introduced in July 08. When launching the 3GS, they also announced lots of international (and non-exclusive) deals with operators worldwide and finally accepted to let operators subsidize the device. No doubt there is a huge consumer demand for the iPhone but operators will have to solve a complex equation. It is a little dirty industry secret that many carriers are analyzing the profitability of the iPhone model:

The subsidy is quite high and close to 300 € in many European countries (looking at the difference between the wholesale and the retail price) but the incremental revenues are primarily driven by slightly more expensive voice/data packages (content sold through the App Store do not appear in operators' P&L), around 10€ / iPhone user / month. Let's do the math: to recoup the investment, the lifetime customer value has to be over 2,6 years. Of course, the equation is much more complex than that but if you take into consideration that network costs are exploding (just think about the YouTube traffic), it becomes to be challenging. 

If you also take into account the product life cycle, the price point will soon be lower and I wouldn't be surprised to find iPhones at a retail price of 49€ in the coming months (of course you can have them for free but usually for high end voice/data packages). The sur-subsidy was really interesting in the context of an exclusive distribution agreement. Looking at Orange France, they managed to attract the most valuable customers before the regulation authorities imposed a non-exclusive agreement that opened the door for SFR and Bouygues. It is less interesting now to say the least. Operators are thus bound to find the right balance between answering consumer demand and challenging Apple's growing power by promoting alternatives such as...Android.

New device makers (ACER, ZTE, Huawei and many unknown Chinese sub-contractors) have bold ambitions and want to enter a volume war. To do so, they are likely to rely on the cheapest OS that is also following a volume play to monetize its mobile audiences...Android/Google.

I wouldn't be surprised to see iPhone-like devices for half or even a third of Apple's wholesale price. Of course, the brand won't be there but this might be a game-changer in the years to come.

Bear with me one second. I am not saying Apple's iPhone won't continue to overperfom the market, gain significant market share, expand in China and be profitable. The iPhone is probably the best thing that happened to the mobile services' industry. There's little doubt that the iPhone has acted as a powerful catalyst for mobile services adoption. The list of brands that have launched iPhone applications is comprehensive and covers many different industries. Apps can offer a truly rich media experience that matches brands' quality standards and can interact with higher-end consumers that are more likely to buy their services. However, iPhones are not necessarily a panacea:

iPhone users offer growing but still limited reach in Europe.

Brands will soon realize that they need more metrics to engage with iPhone consumers. Detailed analytics are critical and the industry will move away from reporting uniquely a number of downloads. What brand should care about is frequency of use and profile of (potential) users.

Basic commercial rules will apply in the Apple App Store just as in any retail environment. Few applications manage to be really viral and appear in the top 20 apps that drive audiences and revenues; most of them are lost in the back catalog of more than 85,000 applications. To fully promote an application and make the most of the iPhone audience, brands will have to integrate mobile with their digital and offline communication plans and use basic merchandizing tools and promotions.

Other distribution routes will open up for applications. Replicating Apple's success is not an easy task, but most mobile stakeholders are strengthening their alternative retail stores.

Also, there is life beyond applications:

The consumer benefits of mobile applications will diminish over time. The real benefits to consumers of applications are their provision of a richer user experience and the fact that they make the most of the core characteristics of different OSes and handsets, such as cameras and GPS chipsets. If your services do not specifically require these elements, an optimized mobile Web site can deliver benefits just as well. In addition, browser solutions will improve in the coming years and will be better integrated with OS and handset capabilities. For example, they will offer the ability to enter geo-localized information into the browser itself. Html 5, Skyfire and Google Gears are good technology examples of this trend. In addition, mobile websites (call them Webapps if you wish) increasingly support Ajax and Flash (as per Adobe's recent announcement).

Mobile Web sites offer wider reach and are less costly to develop. Mobile Internet penetration currently stands at 13% in Western Europe. Growing penetration will increasingly offer direct-to-consumer opportunities. Applications and browser-based solutions are — and will continue to be — complementary rather than competitive.

SMS offers the only mainstream way to reach consumers. 

Many other technologies exist beyond the mobile Web and SMS

Technologies evolve quicker than one could expect. That's the reason why brands should start thinking about analyzing the profile of their customers first, define their objectives and strategy and then only decide which technologies to implement.

 

Why mobile could reinvent social computing

[Posted by Thomas Husson]

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Many innovative start-ups have pioneered mobile social networking in the last few years: BuzzCity, Peperoni, Fring, Nimbuzz, eBuddy, Zyb, Plazes, Loopt, Foursquare and many others demonstrated the potential of the market.

 

In the last few months, a bunch of announcements clearly showed that the convergence between mobile and social computing is gaining traction and attracting the largest stakeholders:

 

·         In September 2009, Facebook announced it had passed the 65,000,000 mobile users' monthly mobile audience mark (which represents more than 20% of a global online audience of 300M users). Bebo, Friendster, MySpace, Orkut also are among the top mobile Web destinations in countries where they have significant online audiences. Twitter partnered with Vodafone and O2 in the UK while offering a mobile VoIP offering with Jajah.

·         Operators such as Vodafone with its “360” initiative and to a lesser extent Orange with “Social Life” are going one step further than just offering access to social networking sites.

·         Handset manufacturers are trying to integrate online social experiences in their devices: INQ gained lot of attention with its INQ 1 (see below a pic from a recent trip in Italy) by winning the “handset of the year” award at MWC, while Nokia recently announced a deeper integration of Facebook in the N97, not to mention the Motoblur product.

 

In the UK, 40% of 16/25 years old are either accessing (17%) or interested in accessing social networking (23%) via their mobile phones. Of course, mobile social computing is primarily a youth activity today. However, it has a strong potential to unlock.   

 

Most of the digital revolution has taken place on the PC so far, with the emergence of email, instant messaging, blogs, photo- and video-sharing sites, and social networks. The ubiquitous nature of mobile phones has changed the way we live and communicate. Letters, diaries, address books, and memories have gone digital, while communication with friends, relatives, and colleagues has never involved such a mix of our personal and professional lives. However, mobile phones are not only communication tools. Mobile phones have unique characteristics that will enhance and modify existing PC-based Social Web experiences.

 

Indeed, mobile social activity is more than just accessing social networking sites while on the go. Mobile phones have the potential to become the hub of Social Computing activities and to be more than just a complement to the PC experience. Mobile phones will increasingly become the glue that holds the social graph together, offering creative tools and immediacy, presence, location, and context when interacting with the real world. The “always on” mobile connected handset frees the Social Web from the chains of the PC and thrusts it into the real world.

 

As Social Computing is still primarily about social communication, traditional telecom and online players will start fighting to tap into consumers’ social address books. It is too early to say who will win the race: stakeholders have different assets, and uncertainties around business models still exist. In fact, stakeholders have no other choice but to collaborate, as no single player can really own a person’s social graph. They need to balance business opportunities with the need to respect consumers’ privacy concerns by providing them with the tools to manage their digital identities.

 

Despite massive communication audiences, traditional online giants have failed so far to turn their communication audiences into social audiences — a lesson that traditional telecom stakeholders should bear in mind! Moving away from personal information management (PIM) to fun, exciting social experiences is not an easy game.

 

If you want to know more about this topic, Forrester Research just published a new report: “Why mobile could reinvent social computing”. Clients can access it here.

 

I had some interesting discussions with my colleagues serving Interactive Marketers and there are still lots of unknown and open issues around the convergence between mobile and social computing. I’d be curious to know your thoughts on this nascent and exciting topic. If you want to share your ideas, feel free to comment below.

Mobile augmented reality

[Posted by Thomas Husson]

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The pace of innovation is accelerating in the mobile space like never before and opening up new opportunities. Mobile has the potentiel to bridge the digital and the real worlds. Not a day without a new mobile augmented reality service or application out on the market. Of course, that's still niche but it clearly demonstrates the potential of the mobile platform.

If you disagree or if you don't get my point, just watch the video below

This video is not brand new and has already been seen close to 500,000 times. The service is provided by an innovative start-up that offers a reality browser available for Android. However, these types of applications are flourishing. See for example the Métro Paris application here or more recently the Meilleursagents.com app here.

I bet the best mobile service at the next MWC conference in Barcelona will be a mobile augmented reality app or service. If you haven't submitted your service, the contest is now open at www.globalmobileawards.com.

What do you think? What are the most innovative mobile services you have seen in the recent weeks?

Quantifying mobile trends in Western Europe

[Posted by Thomas Husson]

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At the end of this year, Forrester expects mobile Internet penetration to reach 17% in Western Europe — the same adoption rate for the PC Internet a decade ago. At that time, mobile phone penetration was still below the 40% threshold and mobile shops were opening at every high-street corner. Companies were only starting to launch their web presence and to anticipate the impact of the Web. Operator-branded mobile Internet solutions would only launch 3 years after and 3G in 2003/2004.

10 years after, the mobile Internet is reaching critical mass and a virtuous mobile Internet cycle is kicking off. Consumers who have a flat-rate data bundle spend more and more time on the Internet from their mobile phones, brands begin to launch their mobile Web presence to monetize these growing audiences and engage with their customers via more relevant mobile content and services, which in turn attracts more and more consumers to unlimited mobile Internet tariffs.

The current economic climate will lengthen handset renewal cycles, foster the development of low-cost offerings, and boost the uptake of SIM-only contracts. Operators are likely to postpone major investments in new networks such as 4G / Long-Term Evolution, despite early trials and commercialization in the Nordics. However, it will only slightly reduce the pace of growth for those elements that stimulate mobile Internet usage: 3.5G and Internet-centric mobile phones as well as all-you-can-eat data plans will be widely available in the next five years. That's the reason why Forrester expects mobile Internet to grow to 39% by the end of 2014. That's a lower end point than for the PC Internet in 2004, but the growth curve per se looks quite the same.

The iPhone is just the tip of the iceberg and many other compelling devices and services are on the roadmap in the next five years. Early examples of PC trends being reinvented by the mobile media are numerous: social computing, widgets, ad-funded business models, search engine optimization, behavioral targeting, content on demand or even augmented reality. New entrants are simply shaking up the value chain and the pace of mobile innovation is accelerating like never before.

It is about time to building a mobile strategy and to tap into today's opportunities but also to anticipate the significant changes that will happen in the coming years.

To do so, we truly recommend to look at the diversity of European countries. We've just published a brand new report: Western European Mobile Forecast, 2009 to 2014 to quantify mobile trends in many European countries. If you are a Forrester client, you can access the report here. To know how to obtain detailled mobile figures (adoption rate, handsets by type and by network, flat-rate data plans and other metrics) for 17 Western European countries, learn about ForecastView here.

I'll be hosting a teleconference on this topic sharing our latest Forecast and recent consumer survey data tomorrow Tuesday at 5pm CET. If interested, you can register here.

If you want to discuss your vision of the future of mobile in Europe, feel free to let a comment below or to contact me at thusson AT forrester DOT com.

What role will mobile play in the future of social networks?

[Posted by Thomas Husson]

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I published my first report on mobile social networks 2 years ago (see here) at a time when Facebook audience was "only" around 50 million unique monthly visitors. At that time MySpace was a paid-for and exclusive experience on Vodafone-Live and Bebo was about to launching a mobile version. Needless to say lots has happened in the last 2 years.

Numerous acquisitions and parternships took place between the likes of Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Twitter, Hyves and with handset manufacturers / mobile operators. Several mobile-only communities (AirG, peperonity, itsmy.com, buzzcity...) have gained traction and there is plenty of innovation in that space. INQ generated lots of media coverage and interest by lauching its so-called "Facebook phone" and plans to launch new devices. I am not sure what the latest Facebook mobile stats are but not that long ago rougly 10% of the worldwide installed base of FB users had registered to the mobile version. Even more significantly, the GSMA announced a few months ago that UK mobile consumers who access Facebook via their mobile phone spend, on average, 24 minutes on the site daily, just shy of the 27.5 minutes that PC-based Internet users spend daily on Facebook; mobile users of Facebook average 3.3 visits per day versus 2.3 visits per day from PC users.

It is not clear yet who is best positioned to tap into consumers’ social address books but it is quite clear mobile phones offer a great potential as they are not only communication devices but increasingly consumption and creation tools.

I have plenty of questions and would be curious to know your thoughts. Feel free to contribute to the questions below my letting your own comments below:

- Is it just a question of who will control the social address book? I tend to believe it is (see a former post on this here)

- By easy sharing and integration, can mobile phones become the hub of social networking? - Is it key to control the core technologies (APIs and web services that use them)?

- Is there a future for mobile-only communities? Aren't itsmy.com and others overhyped in Europe?

- How will mobile be part of the social graph?

- What are the most innovative ways to connect people and to enhance social networks?

- Aside from increasing data demand and traffic, how can social networks help mobile operators?

- How can mobile operators and handset manufacturers control or facilitate mobile social network ecosystems?

- What types of business models will emerge around mobile social computing?

 

I am planning some new European research on this theme to try to answer these questions and plan to interview lots of stakeholders. If you want to discuss this or if you want to set up a briefing, please contact me at thusson AT forrester DOT com.

Mobile contactless payments in Europe: reality beyond the NFC hype

[Posted by Thomas Husson]

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 Hardly a week goes by without a press article or conference reporting how ubiquitous mobile payment services and their adoption are in Japan. Forrester decided to put some figures on the so-called Japanese mass-market reality and to understand why Japan is the declared leader in mobile contactless payment services. What lessons can others learn from the Japanese market and to what extent do they apply to Europe?

There are several reasons why Japan is ahead of the curve among which the role of Felica Networks in the value chain and the scale merchants could benefit from (Sony and DoCoMo invested several dozens of million euros to make sure that retailers and points of sale had the technology to read the chipsets embedded in mobile devices), the loosening of Japan's financial regulations (making it possible for non-banks to become financial services players), operators' role in paving the way for mass market adoption of mobile Internet and higher usage of mobile services (fostering the natural expansion of mobile payments).

Despite this, reality is that the mobile contactless market in Japan is only reaching critical mass, not mass-market adoption. In Europe, conditions differ quite a lot and even if Near-Field Technology is likely to play a key role in the future, the technology is only entering the pre-commercial era.

There are some very positive signs such as banks rolling out NFC payment cards (Barclays in the UK), hypermarket chains like Carrefour adding NFC to their loyalty cards, transporters adding NFC to their transport cards (Navigo, Oyster Card), card networks (Visa, Mastercard) and technology vendors (handset/hardware and smart chip manufacturers) evangelizing the solution, governments offering pre-live conditions (many regions in Europe will help funding live tests such as the one starting next year in Nice). 

However, two key inhibitors will prevent mobile contactless from becoming mainstream anytime soon: conflicting interests and the classic chicken-and-egg situation (handset manufacturers won't start mass production of NFC-capable handsets until the supporting infrastructure is in place) and the huge marketing efforts needed to convince consumers of changing their habits since mobile contactless payments provide only marginal improvements over established systems like cash and credit/debit cards.

However, NFC is much more than a mobile payment technology. It will enable a range of applications and services from various industries, linking together mobile marketing, mobile CRM, and mobile commerce. That's the reason why we believe in its long-term potential.  

If you want for more information, see the full report "Mobile Contactless Payments in Europe: Reality Beyond the NFC Hype".

The "magic blue circle"

[Posted by Thomas Husson]

I recently came accross this quote in the Financial Times from the former Vodafone CEO on November 19, 2007: "The simple fact that we have the customer and billing relationship is a hugely powerful thing that nobody can take away from us". Would you still agree with this operator statement written in golden letters at the forefront of any "smart pipe" operator strategy? 

Since then, new entrants such as Google and Apple have shaken up the value chain. I have two examples in mind showcasing the tectonic shifts happening: 1) Apple imposing a direct billing relationship via iTunes/App store and 2) Google managing to create its own location data base (via cell ID or Skyhook's wireless technology) without relying on operators' network.

As early as in July 2007 (before the 3G iPhone version embedding a GPS chip), Google Maps on iPhone (the combo of Google's and Apple's strengths) started offering the "magic blue circle" experience. You could benefit from a compelling user experience like never before, with instant localization without any GPS chipset. Of course, the accuracy may not be good enough if you are looking for a pure turn-by-turn navigation, but honestly this is so simple and useful if as a pedestrian you're looking at the streets nearby.  

 

Location is at the very heart of the mobile value proposition.

This seems quite obvious but despite having being launched by operators for more than a decade, location-based services never really managed to gain huge traction. In the last two years, a lot has happened as highlighted above because of significant changes in the mobile ecosystem.

Location-based services are finally emerging as one of the most promising new mobile services categories in the mobile industry.  

Thirty percent of European online consumers with mobile phones are interested in using mobile GPS/navigation services, while 52% of smartphone owners with unlimited mobile Internet packages already do so!

 

Beyond navigation services and mapping, a range of innovative location-based services (LBS) for mobile phones is emerging. Coupled with consumer interest are significant changes in the value chain, with Nokia’s acquisition of NAVTEQ and Web developers’ interest in the mobile platform being key drivers for LBS.

 

Location identifiers help filter and search for information, facilitating interactions between people. If consumer product strategists manage to build a compelling user experience and reassure consumers about privacy and pricing issues, location as a service will become obsolete — and will instead become a core enabler of mobile activities.

 

 

If you want a synthetic view of this topic, check out our latest European research on this theme: the future of location-based services.

The Mobile Internet Creates New Opportunities For Direct-To-Consumer Strategies

[Posted by Thomas Husson]

The success of Apple's iPhone has acted as a marketing catalyst and showcased the potential of the mobile platform.

Leading brands such as l'Oréal, Audi, Kraft, Bank of America and many others have embraced the trend and launched iPhone applications to engage with a high-profile audience, appear innovative or benefit from richer mobile media capabilities.

However, too many brands are rushing into the mobile Internet by simply offering the hot new thing: an iPhone app. Then they start realizing that plenty of new stores are opening up. Today, the OVI store by Nokia just launched. It is available globally to an estimated 50 million Nokia device owners across more than 50 Nokia devices (these stats come from Nokia's press release issued this morning but include downloadable items not only embedded onces and this makes a difference; see my initial take here). ATT (yes, the US operator offering the iPhone) announced it will launch OVI store later in the year.

Porting applications to different OS and devices has a cost, so brands need to bet on the horses that are relevant to their own audiences. Then brands start wondering about widgets and optimized mobile websites. So what? What should they do next?

Open mobile Internet browsing and the distribution of widgets and applications via new retail stores represent two sides of the same coin: operator portals are being bypassed. They are currently reinventing their distribution models and launching their own apps and can even partner with some device/OS manufacturers.

Apple is only the tip of the iceberg, as drivers are now in place for mass-market uptake of the mobile Internet in Europe. The expansion of Internet brands, smarter phones, and high-speed networks are enabling compelling user experiences that, coupled with all-you-can-eat data plans, are unleashing usage.

The mobile Internet is gaining momentum, with 24% of European online users regularly accessing the Internet from their mobile phones. A year ago, the percentage was only at 20%.

Non-telecom players, such as media companies, retailers, FMCG, CPG or luxury brands as well as financial institutions are beginning to realize the potential of the mobile Internet market but do not know always where to start. They need to define or refine their mobile strategy to engage directly with consumers via the mobile Internet. They must be aware of the mobile market's unique character as they integrate their mobile Internet services into a multichannel and multimedia strategy — and revamp their partnerships with telecom stakeholders.

Forrester just published a new report on this topic where you will find lots of data on the profile of European mobile Internet users (did you know that 52% of mobile Internet daily users are over 35 years old?), their current usage of mobile services and their interest in using new mobile services.

The report is available here.

For Forrester clients willing to define a mobile strategy, I truly invite you to have a detailed look at 2 must-read reports from my US colleagues Julie Ask and Charles Golvin:

- The POST Method: A Systematic Approach To Mobile Strategy

- Mobile Technographics®: Understanding Mobile Phone Usage Is The Foundation Of A Mobile Strategy

POST is the acronym for People Objective Strategy and Technology. The idea is that the first step is to start analyzing the mobile profile of your own customers (not that of the average market). Then you can start defining your objectives by deciding on the goals you want to achive. The strategic part consists of determining your approach to meet these objectives. Finally and only finally, you choose the technologies that will enable you to implement your strategy.

This may seem obvious but few companies have adopted a real framework to build a consistent strategy to anticipate the emergence of mass-market mobile services. Mobile Internet is no exception to the rule.

If you want to know more about what it means to a European audience, feel free to contact me at thusson AT forrester DOT com

Innovation by Orange

[Posted by Thomas Husson]

Many recent innovations in the mobile space are led by new entrants such as Apple or Google. However, let's be fair with telcos. They invest significant amounts of money in R&D and have very creative staff. There has been some skepticism in the industry on selected Orange services such as Pikeo, Djinngo (ex Bubbletop) or Soundtribes where Orange was trying to "reinvent the wheel" without partnering with the right Internet players. However, these services have never been really marketed and does not prevent strategic partnerships to be signed. Orange in particular has many Orange Labs worldwide and is driving innovation.

I saw recently some interesting demos of products and services to be launched by Orange:

• 24/24 Actu is a search engine focused on news and aggregating press articles, TV and radio sources. Available in beta and in French only for now, the service is a mix of Google news and blinkx. More info here
• Remote Media. Simply use your mobile phone as a remote control to connect all you home networks and equipments. You can listen to your music on your connected Hi-Fi, live radio or any other DLNA standard equipment. You can select the pictures or videos you would like to see on your TV from your PC or your external hard drive / media center. To be launched in France in 2010
• Orange TV on iPhone. It is good to see an easy-to-use mobile TV service. Interesting also to see that with Liveradio, operators are using the Apple App Store distribution channel. More info here. Launched on April 7th.
• Orange Application Shop. Orange just launched its own shop last week in France. The aim is not to have the widest catalogue possible but to optimize use for specific devices. The race for the home screen is now launched with other stores even though they are likely to co-exist. Here Orange can offer support from the Orange Partner community. This is early stage though and a new version of the Application Shop will be launched in Q4. To know more about application stores and the difficulty to replicate Apple's success, read Forrester's latest research here.  
• Instant Messenger on your SIM card. A free application directly embedded on your SIM card, working on any device, compatible with MSN / Windows Live. Aimed at targeting youth communities in emerging countries. To be launched in Kenya in May 09 and then in Mauritius and Bostwana in Q3 09
• Secure Health offering for GPs and physicians. A tool to store your patients' details and to exchange with your peers.
• A new conferencing tool offering from Orange Business Services. Virtual meetings, telepresence and "distant face-to-face meetings" make lots of sense in the context of companies reducing travel expenses.

When presenting its 2012 plan, Orange also insisted that it will adjust its organization and processes to make sure 100% of its new offerings are tested in 2 real-life client test centres with a thorough simplicity score methodology. That's a challenge for such a large organization but definitely a step in the right direction.