Archive for the 'Industry News' Category

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) Now Available on AT&T Network

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3Cinteractive
on March 19, 2010
in Industry News
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3Cinteractive is pleased to announce immediate availability of Multimedia Message Service (MMS) on the AT&T network. With our partners at OpenMarket, you can now provide richer, more personalized mobile content such as images, audio, short video, and rich text to AT&T subscribers and accept photos and other content from subscribers to your application.

MMS represents an additional method for delivering downloadable content on the AT&T network of 82 million subscribers. AT&T accepts premium and standard rate programs for MMS traffic, such as ringtone, wallpaper and other content downloads. Both MT and MO based programs are accepted. With MMS, the 160 character restriction of SMS does not apply.

With 3Cinteractive and OpenMarket MMS you can:

 ·   Deliver binary content to over 210 million AT&T, Verizon, Alltel, Sprint (CDMA) and Cricket subscribers
 ·   Deliver longer text messages
 ·   Launch innovative programs like social networking applications and games
 ·   Increase success rates with handset discovery capability
 ·   Sell secure DRM (Digital Rights Management) protected content that prevents piracy of your offerings
 ·   Provide enhanced consumer experience via automatic content downloads
 ·   Get transaction level reporting of messages via the OpenMarket Message Activity Report (MAR)

To launch your MMS campaign, please contact your Account Manager or 3Ci Support to get started today.

The US DOT Issues Ban On Texting by Truck and Bus Drivers

Published
by
Michelle Stone
on January 26, 2010
in Industry News
. 0 Comments

Today the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is scheduled to announce new rules that will prohibit interstate commercial truckers and bus drivers from sending text messages (or SMS) while they are operating moving vehicles.

At an October summit on the subject of distracted driving, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood pledged to crack down on distracted driving by truckers and bus drivers. He also indicated that the DOT would establish rules governing not just the use of phones and other devices by truckers and bus drivers to text and talk, but also the use of computers mounted on dashboards that are used to communicate with dispatchers.

The Department of Transportation said that it is still working on additional regulations that would govern the use of such computers by truckers, as well as when truckers are allowed to use cellphones for conversation. Truckers and bus drivers who violate the new rules on SMS, which are effective immediately, face civil or criminal fines of up to $2,750.

While the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute research study found that those truckers who used on-board computers faced a ten times greater risk of crashing, nearly crashing or wandering from their lane than truckers who did not use those devices, that figure is lower than the 23 times greater risk when truckers texted.

This is could be a lead reason why the DOT began issuing regulations banning texting. “We want the drivers of big rigs and buses and those who share the road with them to be safe,” Secretary LaHood said in a news release. “This is an important safety step and we will be taking more to eliminate the threat of distracted driving.”

Texting While Behind The Wheel
States in dark blue ban texting for all drivers. Light blue indicates states weighing legislation to ban texting for all drivers. Gray indicates states with no active legislation. White indicates states with no legislative session scheduled for 2010. Click to enlarge.

Leading the charge for “taking more” steps to eliminate distracted driving may be the states. Twenty-three states are debating legislation to ban texting while driving, a practice that 19 states currently prohibit. One hundred ninety-four bills concerning various forms of distracted driving, including texting, are being debated in 34 states.

According to the Department of Transportation, 5,870 people — 16% of all highway fatalities — died in distracted-driving crashes and 515,000 were injured in 2008.

Senator Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., has introduced federal legislation to ban texting or emailing while driving. States that don’t go along with the proposed ban would risk losing 25% of their federal highway funds.

Notes from the 2009 Mobile Marketing Forum in Los Angeles

Published
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Michelle Stone
on December 1, 2009
in Industry News and News and Notes
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MMF - Los Angeles 2009

The Mobile Marketing Association’s (MMA) Mobile Marketing Forum (MMF) — Los Angeles brought together agencies, brands, carriers, and other members of the global mobile marketing ecosystem. Jeremy Martin, 3Cinteractive’s Vice President of Business Development, was able to see how brands are beginning to leverage mobile in a very sophisticated way.

What was evident during the MMF is that mobile is being valued as more than just a point advertising / marketing solution. The case studies presented by some of the largest brands in the world shows that mobile has become an integral component to an enterprise or brand’s marketing, sales, service, and customer relationship management (CRM) programs. There were working examples of multi-platform strategies employed with solutions spanning messaging, mobile web, and applications commonly deployed, with each platform type being used to drive traffic across the other.

At the MMF, 3Cinteractive sponsored the Targeting, Creative and Measurement discussion, which was chaired by Jeremy. The panel spoke about the long-term aspects of mobile marketing and the related on-going customer engagement. The view held by the panelists — among them Maria Mandel, Senior Partner, Executive Director - Digital Innovation, Ogilvy; Richard Ting, Vice President, Executive Creative Director, Mobile & Emerging Platforms, R/GA; and John Hadl, CEO, Brand In Hand — is that mobile marketing and mobile technology is extremely valuable when fully integrated across a brand’s and an enterprise’s marketing, sales, service, and CRM programs. The long-term on-going customer communication aspects are shown to be the most effective when defined during the discovery / development phase of mobile marketing. Mobile is becoming a core component of effective CRM communication channels and it’s clear that brands / enterprises and technology providers are working very closely together to integrate mobile marketing solutions.

Two of the main highlights of the show were comments from AT&T® Interactive and Microsoft®. Matt Crowley, COO of AT&T Interactive, stated that across AT&T’s interactive advertising, mobile click through rates (CTR) are two to three times higher and call through is more than three times higher than the online equivalents. Charles Johnson, General Manager of Mobile Advertising at Microsoft, shared they are focusing campaign success measurement on the actual brand revenue results generated, not just click / call through or impressions.

Nokia: Now With Intel Inside

Published
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Michelle Stone
on June 24, 2009
in Industry News
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Intel® is gaining serious momentum in the mobile market, first with their February announcement of a partnership with LG®, and now with their new mobile-computing partnership with Nokia®.

Nokia, reportedly the largest smart phone manufacturer in the world, will immediately begin collaboration with Intel on new devices that run on the company’s Atom™ processor.  This collaboration has great potential — on paper, at least — for the evolution of mobile devices.

Nokia with Intel Atom Inside

Soon you can use a Nokia with Intel Atom Inside

Not only will Nokia benefit by gaining access to new technology, Intel will also be able to license mobile phone technology from it’s new partner to offer to its other customers, perhaps even to LG.  This possibility is staggering; combined, Nokia and LG control almost 50% of the mobile phone market worldwide.  This share makes Intel’s theoretical reach across mobile a powerful one.

The partnership also places Intel in a key position in light of Apple®’s 2008 purchase of PA Semiconductor.  Apple, which uses Intel chips for its Mac® computers, does not use Intel for its iPhone™ or iPod® portable devices.

The Nokia—Intel joint venture goes beyond smart phones, however; both have stated that they are looking to invent a whole new mobile platform, such as Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs).  It will be very interesting to see how the Nokia—Intel partnership develops and especially how it influences the likes of Apple, AMD, Microsoft® (provider of Windows® Mobile) and Google™ (maker of Android) to progress in the development of their mobile technologies.

3Cinteractive Selected to the MMA’s Consumer Best Practices Committee

Published
by
Michelle Stone
on May 27, 2009
in Industry News and News and Notes
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3Cinteractive has been chosen by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) to sit on their Consumer Best Practices Committee. Niki Dunbar, 3Cinteractive’s Director of Service Operations, was nominated for 3Ci’s position on the committee and will represent 3Ci as part of this prestigious mobile industry body. The MMA has developed the Consumer Best Practices Committee — comprised of all four Tier-1 wireless carriers, as well as leading aggregators, and content providers — to formulate a set of guidelines for Cross-Carrier Mobile Content Services.

3Ci is very proud to take such a strong leadership position in an important area of the mobile marketing industry. We believe that our appointment is a compelling testament to 3Cinteractive’s and Niki Dunbar’s extensive reputation as a leader in mobile marketing compliance and consumer best practices. Congratulations, Niki!

TeleCommunications Systems, Inc. (TCS) Infringement Notices

Published
by
Michelle Stone
on March 13, 2009
in Industry News and Inside 3Ci
. 0 Comments

3Cinteractive would like to address the recent development of the TeleCommuncations Systems, Inc. (TCS) patent regarding SMS applications. The process patent, broadly covering MO-to-application via SMS short codes, has been making its way around the mobile industry for the past several weeks. 3Ci would like you to know that we are highly aware of this patent and that we are working closely with the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and other industry organizations to stay up to date on all of the latest news and updates. The facts as 3Ci understands them today are:

  1. The MMA has engaged legal counsel to review the TCS infringement notices;
  2. The MMA has suggested that the infringement notices were prepared “in anticipation of litigation”;
  3. The MMA is exploring the possibility of a joint defense or declaratory judgment action;
  4. Identifying “prior art” may invalidate the patent or showing that MO-to-application via SMS short code was commercially used prior to April 18, 2000. Any knowledge or lead regarding this should be immediately sent to Kristine van Dillen of the MMA;
  5. 3Ci clients should exercise their best business judgment regarding a response to a TCS notice; and
  6. 3Ci clients should consult with legal counsel before responding to any TCS notice.

If you should have any specific questions regarding TCS or their process patent in regards to your relationship with 3Cinteractive, please contact 3Ci General Counsel Mitch Kass at 561-443-5505.

The Future Is Bright and (Literally) Clear

Published
by
Michelle Stone
on February 20, 2009
in Industry News
. 0 Comments

Perhaps one of the most eye-catching products to debut this year (as still early yet) is the transparent design of the LG-GD900 mobile phone from LG Electronics.  The mobile phone had its coming out party in Barcelona during the GSMA Mobile World Congress (an event attended by 3Cinteractive’s Vic Shroff).

While most of its advanced features are unknown, the mobile device itself is 13.4mm-thick with 7.2Mbps HSPDA.  The biggest feature is the world’s first transparent keypad that softly glows when the slider is open.  The body of the device has a polished silver finish, so the keypad gives the mobile phone the appearance of being made from glass or crystal.

LG-DG900 from LG Electronics
The LG-GD900 with transparent keypad (from LG Electronics)

A Bluetooth headset is in the works from LG that will match the clear design of the mobile phone. The LG-GD900 is scheduled for release during the second quarter of 2009 and those advanced features are scheduled to be unveiled at that time.