Mobile Instant Messaging

Mobile Instant Messaging Jag Minhas, London, October 2006

Because conversations matter Talk or text Reply Reply back
Subjects
People, Events, Situations etc.
Pictures, Music, Video etc.
Objects
Spoken words
Typed words

Conversations are valued Source: O2 Interim half-year results June 2006 – www.o2.com 70% 26% 4% Voice Text Other % of ARPU (O2 UK)

Text trends UK Text volumes Source: MDA (www.text.it)

Pressures on text Time Messages per user per month Operator Interworking ?
Seek new accelerators
As current “network effect” maxes
As customers hit usage limits
Price per message declining
Shift from absolute price per message to effective rate (monthly “subscription”)

Traditional response
Introduce more messaging services:
Push to Video Push to Talk MMS Mobile Email Instant Messaging SMS Platform MMS Platform PoC Platform Email Platform IM Platform New user experiences New platforms

Increasing complexity in the user experience Multiple technology choices Modal messaging behaviours Limited support for conversations Presence as prerequisite for sending messages Typically fragmented communities and separate contact lists

Increasing complexity in the network To external MMSCs To Internet To external IM providers IP & SS7 Mobile Network Text Voicemail Email MMS IM WAP Gateway MSC MMSC MMSB MMS Platforms SMSC SMSB MAR SMS Platforms VSDs Voicemail IM Presence IM Platforms MTA Email Email Platforms PTx Server PTx Server PTx Platforms

Increasing complexity in the business
New messaging service:
new pile of boxes
new software licences
new handset clients
Investment case:
separated product
separated product management
separated marketing

Marketing modal messaging behaviours “ Share the moment” “ Picture Messaging” “ Snap into action and have some fun”

Consequence: customer behaviour
Most customers, most of the time, will use what’s:
least hassle
best-connected
simplest out of the box/pocket
already paid for
For most customers, that’s:
Text

Consequence: business case
The business case for new messaging services under-perform.
Management time and focus of resources on weak product.
Weakened business case Harder to justify further investment in service enhancements and marketing Lack of forecasted uptake of new service Customer defaults to using most effective service

Internet approach Concept Metaphor Reach Richness Sometimes connected Always on Era Feature Enhanced with presence - Spontaneous conversations - Personalised expressions Enriched with multimedia - More engaging conversations - Experience sharing Multimedia support - Richer messages - Container for conveyance Social circle reach - Highly personal Universal reach - Service provider interworking Highly conversational - Threaded user interface - Immediate delivery Highly referential - Inbox accessible anywhere - Large & persistent storage Transient dialogues Inbox in network Internet IM Internet email

Internet IM compared with mobile “text” Always on. At your desk. Mostly on. Always with you. Enhanced with presence - Spontaneous conversations - Personalised expressions Enriched with multimedia - More engaging conversations - Experience sharing Social circle reach - Highly personal Highly conversational - Threaded user interface - Immediate delivery Transient dialogues Internet IM Integrated with contacts list Universal reach - Service provider interworking Highly conversational - Short messages - immediate & offline delivery Inbox on the phone - Highly personal & private Mobile Text

Issues to reconcile in “crossing over” IM to mobile Always on. At your desk. Mostly on. Always with you. Everyone can converse with Text Contacts list contains more than just friends Only subscribed and present friends can converse Only friends with IM can converse Enhanced with presence - Spontaneous conversations - Personalised expressions Enriched with multimedia - More engaging conversations - Experience sharing Social circle reach - Highly personal Highly conversational - Threaded user interface - Immediate delivery Transient dialogues Internet IM Integrated with contacts list Universal reach - Service provider interworking Highly conversational - Short messages - immediate & offline delivery Inbox on the phone - Highly personal & private Mobile Text

Mobile IM Implementation strategy for maximum value Only friends with IM can converse Everyone can converse with Text + = Ensure IM interworks fully and bothways with Text Maximum connectedness out of the box. Just like Text. Contacts list contains more than just friends Only subscribed and present friends can converse + = Permit conversations without presence Add presence as a stimulator of conversations, not a prerequisite. Just like Text, only smarter.

Net result A Mobile IM service that interworks fully and bothways with Text A Mobile IM service that permits conversations without presence
A product with the utility and reach of text, but smarter:
a more conversational and natural model than text
a more natural way of adding richness to conversations

Technical illustration SMSC MMSC IP Messaging Platform Anton Benoit Me : Are you there yet? Benoit : Not yet, Im running a few mins late. Where r u? Me : I’m l8 too. I will prob b another half hour! Benoit : OK – I’ll do some shopping Benoit : Scary! Me : See you shortly Benoit : OK Conversation with Benoit Bothway Interworking IP Messaging Phone SMS/MMS Phone Me : Here is my view! Text Inbox Are you there yet? I’m l8 too. I will prob b another half hour! See you shortly MMS Inbox Here is my view!

Simpler for the customer
Simplified customer experience
Conversational
Non-modal
Not complicated by presence
Views of a single contacts list
Fully-connected with everybody
Customer Proposition
“ Text just got better”
SMS +
Text 2.0

Simpler for the operator
Simplified network
Converged IP Messaging Platform – no more stovepipes
New messaging services are just new use cases
Interworking functions ease migration
Operator Proposition
“ lighter weight” investment cases
Product management & marketing aligned to more natural customer behaviours
Clearer, more practical roadmap for wind-down of legacy platforms

Migration towards simplified user modes on device Mobile Messaging Be notified of new messages when they arrive Add/view attachments in messages Send messages as if from existing remote mailbox View contents of an existing remote inbox Email Discover - Browse Internet - Browse channels/feeds Create - Take pictures/video - Update blog Consume - Listen to music - Watch TV/video Content Text with added files - File sharing use case Text with added video - Push to Video use case - IP Video use case Text with added voice - Push to Talk use case - Audio sharing use case (VoIP) Text with added pictures - MMS use case Text Only - SMS use case (classic model) - IM use case (dialogues) Mobile Messaging Video Call - Circuit switched - Packet switched Voice Call - Circuit switched - Packet switched Calls

“Rich call” scenario more likely to start with text
Traditional industry view of starting point was voice call
Text Message Share media Voice/Video Call Collaborate & Play Voice Call Video Call Conference Call Share multi-media Collaborate

Simplified platform migration due to interworking IP Messaging Platform Interworking IP messaging handsets increasing “ legacy” handsets decreasing … the winding down of the “legacy” platforms becomes possible. SMSC MMSC

Presence; of diminishing value in fixed Internet
The larger the list of friends, the more hiding behind “away” occurs.
The probe : Everyone starts an IM conversation with “hi” or “are you there”
Because it’s more valuable to know your ability to chat than what your presence status is telling me.
Expression & emotion seems to be more valuable than presence status:
Individuality. Making a statement. Happy, sad, stressed etc.
More likely to stimulate conversation.

Mine My not-yet-teenage son’s Growing importance of expression

Presence; of lesser relevance in mobile
I know you’re always there, or else you’re sleeping .
I’m already used to not knowing if your phone is switched off.
“Top five” contacts account for the exchange of over half of all calls and messages on a mobile (Nokia research).
Contacts list contains more than friends; e.g. pizza, taxi, short-codes etc.

Presence; catastrophic if not implemented carefully
Voice and data share the same signalling resources in mobile:
Text messaging IM with presence
Rapid battery drain caused by more frequent paging
Voice calling gets blocked by cells overburdened with paging
The “danger” threshold is a function of:
Number of IM phones
Number of presence-enabled friends
Frequency of presence updates
Message Data Signals Message Data Signals

Interworking with SMS, MMS and other operators
Interworking with MMS is straightforward
Interworking with SMS requires a change in network
To handle conversion of SMS headed to an IM phone
IM platform to IM platform interworking across operator boundaries
Interworking with SMS and MMS where interconnect agreements don’t exist

Mobile IM; device perspective
Current approaches:
Device manufacturer or third party client
Embedded, preinstalled or downloadable
Typically Java, Symbian, Windows Mobile etc.
Selected in the phone menu
Login process, not instant on
Strategic approach:
Embedded and usefully integrated
High-level surfacing of messaging interface
Idle screen presentation
No login process, always on
Messaging experience based on device-resident GUI/app framework
E.g Flash/SVG, ECMAscript, Ajax etc .
Updatable over the air
To keep features refreshed

Conclusion: Message to operators & vendors
Avoid fragmentation – ensure mobile community is included
Implement interworking with SMS and MMS
Decouple presence. Prioritise expression
Offer a reason to not just resort to text
Simplify the user experience
By enhancing the texting experience with the best of Internet IM
Use Mobile IM as a basis for future Converged IP Messaging platform
Support OMA “CPM” initiative

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Mobile Instant Messaging

by route79 on Nov 20, 2006

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Mobile Instant Messaging — Presentation Transcript