Mobile operators are constantly asking if they should charge for exposing network level API’s. In a discussion just yesterday there was a strong sentiment for “YES” if they add real value…..I had to go back and remind them of a couple of things.
Does Facebook charge for accessing their API’s? Does Twitter? Does Java on the handset? Does Apple charge to access the Accelorometer api on the hanset? NO.
And by the way what is real value add? Don’t the developers application add real value to the network? Mobile Operators primary focus should be not to be disenfranchised in the value chain. API’s at the telecom operator has the strong potential to increase ARPU’s up to 36%

Currently there are some 15M software developers in the world. Of these there are a number of opportunities for them to developer their applications
1 Embedded
2. Enterprise
3. mobile
4. web (more…)

This morning I received an email newsletter from Chris Brogan. He has a great newsletter, frank and straight to the point yet with a certain subtlety. As I am going to take some of his content i thought it only fair to point you to his newsletter or twitter feeds @chrisbrogan.

What Your Boss Needs Most From You

A boss needs actionable solutions. – Bringing problems to the boss is a mess. It’s important that information flow, and it’s important that the bad parts aren’t washed over, but it’s HOW you deliver the information that matters. Bring the identification of a problem to the boss, but also bring your ideas and your intentions for solving the issue. (more…)

8 min Video from Jeff Bezos about Amazon and Zappos. And some interesting pointers…. but it’s always day 1

Tencent has US$1.2B in annual revenues. It owns QQ, the leading Instant Messenger property in China with 355 million users.  The two primary revenue drivers for TenCent are digital items and upgrades to casual game packages which is a clear indicator of the way to monetize Online Communication Sites (aka Social Networking Sites). This also proves that consumers are paying for digital items.

Below we looked at the different monetization strategies across the popular online communication sites in the US, China and Japan. The TenCent numbers are adjusted by 5x to give it a realistic contrast.  China cell-phone ARPU (average revenue per user) is about 1/4th of that in the U.S. or 1/6 Japan.

(more…)

Singtel just announced their app store, sorry app zone http://asia.cnet.com/crave/2009/07/14/singtel-to-launch-its-own-app-store/

The twist Singtel is offering is is interesting and it’s always great to learn about another distribution for developers. However I miss some of the additional strategic elements for Singtel not to be disenfranchised and left out of the greater revenue pie.

In our experience linking an API story for application developers with a strong App store proposition will provide operators with a strong differentiator. Not only does this give developers access to network resources with a D2C offering but it is also something the device manufacturers can’t offer developers.

Furthermore when reading through the article I can’t help thinking about the commercial model which always come up in the developer communities when associated with the appstore. Developers, particularly in Asia, are very interested in the underlying commercial appeal. Again linking a developer community with to API’s and the appzone further enhances the “commercial appeal”.

Developers are heavily courted these days both across the web and on the mobile. Singtel clearly has a lot to offer developers across it’s Group of companies in addition to just the editorial input and elevating applications for local relevance and content. (more…)