MEF Executive Questionnaire #8: Caroline Paul, Marketing Manager at SpeedCast

MEF continues to seek new ways to profile its members and promote the thought-leadership of the senior executives within these companies. We are pleased to launch the MEF Executive Questionnaire to reveal the real people behind the industry in an informal and entertaining manner.

This will be a regular feature of the MEF blog, so make sure you subscribe via email or RSS. If you are a senior executive from one of our member companies and would like to be featured then please contact MEF Marketing Director, Stephen Jenkins.

The eighth in the series is from Caroline Paul, Marketing Manager at SpeedCast.

1. Please describe briefly your main company activities and your role within that organisation.
SpeedCast is a leading satellite telecommunications service provider that offers high-quality managed networks services in over 35 countries in Asia, Middle East and Africa. With 10 international points of presence and 7-teleport-operations, it boasts a unique infrastructure to serve corporate and carriers’ requirements. Operating over 10 VSAT platforms SpeedCast has developed a strong operations expertise and an efficient support organization, which are at the root of SpeedCast’s success. Leveraging the latest satellite technologies, SpeedCast has taken leadership positions in Asia in the provision of reliable and efficient network services to key industries like Cellular networks, Maritime, Banking or Oil & Gas. SpeedCast Ltd is also a pioneer in the delivery of digital media content and turnkey video platforms to Service Providers and Media Broadcasters, including 3G TV and DVB-H based Mobile TV platforms. Operating on many different satellites in both C-band and Ku-band, and partnering with Tier 1 carriers for its fiber requirements, SpeedCast Ltd and its 150 partners worldwide provide first-class services and 24/7 technical support.

2. Without necessarily revealing any confidential information, please outline the principal business models your company uses

• Turnkey solution for Internet Services Providers (content licensing, platform, and service operations)
• OPEX model to limit operators investment
• Centralized platform shared between different customers
• Leverage on our satellite experience to deliver content all over Middle East/Asia

3. What has been your company’s greatest achievement to-date?
Launching Mobile TV Services with 15+ mobile operators.

4. What is your company currently working on that is going to move the industry forward?

• DVB-H platform deployed in partnership with Alcatel Lucent
• Development of SpeedCast white label on device portal and rich media mobile TV service
• Content aggregation (today SpeedCast has signed an agreement with 50+ channels (locals, internationals, and ethnics)
• Launch a solution especially designed for smartphone ( iPhone, Android, Blackberry Windows mobile)

5. What is exciting you most in 2010 (either personally or professionally)?

• 15 additional operators in Asia or Middle East
• Allocation of DVB-H licenses
• Integration of our different services together. (ODP, Mobile TV, Mobile Music…)

6. What is the most important piece of technology in your life?
Interface and ease to use as simplicity is key for service catch up and stickiness.

7. What mobile device(s) do you use?
iPhone and Nokia N95

8. What’s your favourite application?
Mobile TV, SMS, Facebook Mobile, mobile email, currency convertors

9. What’s your ringtone?
Built in

10. Which mobile industry blogs do you regularly read and why?
http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/
http://www.mobilephoneblog.org/
http://www.mobilebusinessbriefing.com/
http://www.mobileinnovation.org/

11. What is the biggest mobile content issue that is likely to affect the industry within the next 12 months?
Local regulations

MEF Asia rounds up latest mobile media events

The MEF Asia regional chapter have been busy over the last few months, having a significant presence at the key mobile and media events taking place in the region. General Manager for MEF Asia, Crystal Chua, outlines some of the significant highlights from three of these events below.

1. Mobile Broadband Asia Pacific Summit 2009, 5 May 2009, Malaysia

MEF Asia Marketing Chair, Colin Miles, was there to share his insights on the “Is mobile advertising a viable play in emerging markets?” panel alongside Yahoo!, Ericsson and OmnicomMedia Group. Some MEF members also took advantage of the complimentary passes to join us at the event.

The key takeouts:

• It was an excellent, highly focused event which was well organised, with about 150 attendees including all the mobile operators
• MEF had a strong presence within the program, with the AFME report for Asia being discussed during the Mobile Advertising session
• Most panelists and audience agreed (with the findings) that it would take a while to mature, and metrics were the key to adoption

2. MEF/CASBAA Mobile TV CXO Summit, 7 May 2009, Hong Kong

Some 42 senior industry players were present at this closed door event to address the pertinent issues on Mobile TV. Thanks to the kind sponsorship from i-POP, SpeedCast, Hungama Mobile & Dolby, MEF, jointly with CASBAA, was able to draw out some key issues such as:

• Mobile TV depends upon all-you-can-eat data plans becoming standard, on this there was complete consensus
• The industry was still wrestling with content Licensing models and revenue share challenges
• Mobile advertising is still some way from becoming business model that is taken seriously for Mobile TV
• Some great case studies, such as CSL were given, and it was felt VOD is critical to the user experience
• The KPMG/MEF survey results (issued at CTIA) got an airing to a highly discerning group of industry leaders!

3. Music Matters, 2-4 June 2009, Hong Kong

Now in its fourth year, Music Matters is a forum created with, by and for the Asian music industry and has become a permanent, must-attend fixture on the global music industry calendar.

Social networking, brand awareness, mentoring sessions, digital music downloading and closer relationships between telecommunications and record companies were among the topics that dominated this year’s event. While the ever present issue of piracy was on the minds of many execs, other industry leaders focused on the user experience of consumers during today’s every changing digital age. Many speakers also predict that the US digital music market will be overtaken by Japan in less than 10 years.

An interesting new player in the music scene which was highlighted was none other than Google Music. Google Music was launched in China very recently to develop a potential new revenue stream for labels via a better product experience. Representatives demonstrated the use of an online music search “bubble” which will allow users to find similar tracks in a range of genres.

Supporting Music Matters for the 4^th time, the MEF Panel brought about an interesting discussion on “Music Goes Mobile”. Here are the highlights:

• Optmising the mobile device continues to be key in improving the customer experience for mobile music
• Cellcos must take better advantage of their partnership with the music labels
• Creative bundling and pricing strategies can help cellcos enhance the users’ perception of the value proposition