Within this ACTeN Business Roundtable two panellists – one representing the business side and showcasing a mobile multimedia lifestyle services success story, the other representing the research side on mobile lifestyle and behaviour developments and impacts on society- brought out significant statements and results and valuable hints for further directions and developments.

Having deep inside in mobile lifestyle aspects and developments is crucial to produce and understand 3G services, and their marketing and implementation. "Lifestyle" and "Personalization" are integral elements of mobile technologies. Mobile multimedia lifestyles have deep input on mobile network environment solutions and its broad range of (possible) content and application services. Network and multimedia content convergence are key factors for market penetration and acceptance.

In this early stage of 3G penetration, services mainly address consumer segments which are quickly adopting new technological standards and services. These so called “Early adopters” predominantly contain the group of young urbans (e.g. MTV mobile services as showcased in this report) as well as the group of business users. These sets of "early" applications certainly implements future developments for more diversified customer segments.

The evolution of mobile communication businesses:

As a consequence of 3G technology and network launches in European markets Media players and brands increasingly expand their business models to mobile communication. MTV impressively demonstrates the expanding value chains of mobile business. MTV is the pioneer in music TV channel business and created a very strong youth brand. Over 90% of the entertainment focused youth is owning a mobile phone in MTV’s key markets and mobile penetration is higher the multi-channel TV penetration. As a consequence MTV is forging links with all the players in the mobile value-chain to get MTV content to as many consumers as possible. MTV’s success in mobile communication services is based on its strong brand and high grade of acceptance as well as its elaborated and extensive adoption of TV/video contents for mobile devices and special mobile consumer demands and specific ways of mobile reception.

These specific shapes and demands of mobile multimedia contents open new business perspectives and opportunities to European content creators and producers. A valuable Business Model in the cooperation of operators and mobile multimedia content and application providers for both sides is a the model of Shared Revenues.

The value of research activities in mobile communications lifestyle:

Basic research is often understood as “academic” research where results cannot directly be applied in practice and business. In times of “consumer orientated” and “personalized” mobile services it is essential to identify and understand the social dynamics and dimensions of so called “mobile lifestyle” with rapidly changing working, learning and social conceptions.

Already in the near future we will directly move from one wireless network to the other – dealing with daily routine. From WLAN home network to GPS enabled in the car, guiding us safely to business dates, entering there a WLAN or 3G enterprise network, on the way back making a stop over in the city entering public access networks (hot spots) and so on. And all this possibly with one mobile device or several devices connected with wireless technologies. High demands as well perspectives.

Aside infrastructural network standards and architectures it is the services which change and enrich user’s individual life and society in total. Which impacts has the use of mobile multimedia in working, learning and educational as well as community and entertainment environments. These are the central questions several empirical studies at the Advanced Media Center at Tampere University of Technology were addressing.

The essence and central finding of the specific empirical study of "Children and Mobile Media" is that kids are quickly adopting mobile communications services (in general and specifically new ones) and create specific community as well individual "mobile behaviours" which can be assumed as "mobile lifestyles". Since kids are using their mobile devices at social life at and out of school anyway, the use of mobile learning environments in education is a central aspect for further research.

Recommendations:

Successful business models in the cooperation between operators, mobile devices producer, technological research and development and the content producing industry should be demonstrated and further cooperations should be supported and promoted to strengthen the European content industry and to generate high quality products for consumers. Within the IST programme the projects on mobile communication implications should be boosted and cooperation of research in technology and its social impacts, SMEs in the content producing industry and players facilitated. Herewith cooperation models beside EC programmes need to be analysed and taken into consideration.

It is essential to ongoing stimulate the knowledge exchanges in the emerging and strategically important field of Mobile Multimedia Communications, bringing together researchers, practitioners in business and potential users involved in and affected by 3G and other wireless technologies.

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