MMS Failure Is Own Goal
While the World Cup 2006 in June could be the most photographed sporting event in history, only a small number of the 4.5 million photos expected to be taken on spectator phones will be sent by MMS.
The proliferation of camera phones means that this year’s World Cup in Germany is set to be the most photographed sporting event in history says mobile device management company SmartTrust.
Based on the company’s Mobile Trends survey, which showed that 63% of mobile users now own a camera phone, those actively using their handset’s camera during their trip are expected to take an average of six pictures each. This would translate to an estimated 4.5 million images that will be captured on spectators’ phones over the tournament’s four week duration.
SmartTrust says the challenge for operators is converting this opportunity into revenue as the same survey discovered that a photo taken with a camera phone has only a 30% chance of being forwarded by MMS. This figure is likely to be a lot less while roaming abroad. Based on this SmartTrust estimates that less than one million of the 4.5 million photos taken on a mobile phone during the tournament will be used in an MMS during the four week period, a figure that is probably on the high side.
Barriers To Usage
Existing barriers to using the service, such as inaccurate configuration of the handset, and consumer concerns over pricing and interoperability will be exasperated by the fact that users will be ‘roaming’ on a foreign network.
The same research suggests that it is the prepaid segment that suffers that most. Instances of poor handset configuration – which can result in a failed message – were notably higher than those amongst contract customers.
Ninety per cent of consumers are unsure of MMS pricing when roaming and 64% are even unsure if the message would be received back home. This was no doubt based on the 18% who have actually suffered a failed MMS delivery because of poor handset configuration.
“Despite the popularity of the camera phone, we know that there are barriers to MMS usage” said Tim De Luca-Smith, communications manager at SmartTrust. “In fact we have already seen growing instances of mobile users (most notably males under the age of 30) bypassing their operator’s network altogether and transferring camera phone pictures to their PCs before emailing them to friends and family.
Designed To Send MMS Home
“Three million fans are expected to attend games during June. There is enormous opportunity to benefit from spectators keen to make their friends jealous by sending home an MMS of one of the greatest tournaments in the world” said De Luca-Smith. “This is exactly what MMS was designed to do; enable a mobile user to capture a moment and share it with friends. This is an event where a picture paints a thousand words and a simple SMS or voice call just won’t be enough. Mobile operators have made significant investment in MMS – most notably in subsidising camera phones for their customers. Events such as this are a great means of demonstrating the power of multimedia messaging and building a base of future users,” said De Luca-Smith.
Something is blocking the camera phone experience going full-circle and, ideally, culminating in the sending of an MMS. It’s too easy to chalk it down to cost alone; we know consumers are willing to pay for mobile services that they value. Instead, there needs to be a combination of simplicity and transparency, especially for those looking to make the most of their handset when overseas,” adds De Luca-Smith.
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Tags: Germany, MMS, Premium Services, SMS