Mobile Content Russia

Investment company FINAM summed up the results of Mobile Trader system operation as of June 2009. According to FINAM, mobile is getting more popular in jobbing, - at average, on weekdays Mobile Trader is used by almost 1,500 people. The handset most actively used by investors appeared to be Nokia 6300. This mobile phone is used by 31.5% of Mobile Trader system users.

The most popular handsets among investors are:

Kazakhstan cellular carrier KaR-Tel (part of VimpelCom, which operates under the Beeline trademark) has launched RBT-advertisement service named InfoTone for its subscribers. The service provides a sound file containing advertising information with musical background or subscriber's company anthem set instead of the standard tone by company workers for advertising purposes. Control and interface of the offered service is the same as in RBT-service FunTone available to all Beeline subscribers.

KaR-Tel expects that the service will be popular with subscribers working in marketing, advertisement and sales, as they will be able to use the nonstandard communication channel for informing their clients about the company, its new products and services, special offers, discounts, etc.

i-Free, a leading provider of content services in Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, has designed a new mobile social networking utility for New Telephone Company (NTC), a Far East-based cellular provider. It is Russia's first free (WAP traffic is free, in fact) mobile social utility, and the first one offering GP services.

i-Free, which was among the pioneers of mobile social utilities in the former Soviet Union, has amassed considerable expertise in creating and promoting mobile community resources. In 2004, i-Free launched its own social utility, Jamango, which currently lists over 10 million registered steady users worldwide.

Spb Software is proud to announce that Pharos Traveler 137 comes bundled with customized SPB Mobile Shell, SPB Keyboard, and SPB TV. Pharos Traveler 137 GPS Smartphone became the honoree of the CES 2009 Innovations Design and Engineering Award, in the Wireless Handsets category. The SPB Software products bundles with Traveler 137 are called on to compliment the award-winning hardware by providing an even more fluid and seamless user experience and enabling the Pharos customers to do more with their phone and mobile Internet connectivity.

Mobile ad specialist becomes partner of Kyivstar, Ukraine's market leading operator. The deal will see Out There Media powering Kyivstar's SMS and portal ad offer with Mobucks, its multi-channel solution.

It kicked off with a Mobile Advertising campaign for Sony Ericsson that on June 1st. The campaign was a promotion for the launch of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1, and directed users to a custom-developed mobile mini-site through SMS messages and mobile banners.

The campaign, which ran over two weeks, produced 1.55 million page impressions and a click-through rate of 5 per cent.

i-Free, a leading provider of content services in Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, has teamed up with JFC, the largest importer of bananas, in a promotion entitled «Send an SMS; Get a Banana.» From now on, St. Petersburg schoolchildren can order fresh fruit from JFC vending machines right in the school by sending a text message from their mobile phone.

JFC (trading as Bonanza!) has set up vending machines to sell bananas in a few St. Petersburg schools. The project was applauded by City Hall and welcomed by school kids and their parents. As an extra convenience for consumers, each JFC machine comes with an i-Vend GSM module, developed by i-Free to support vending by mobile phone.

MTS, the largest cellular network operator in Russia and CIS, has launched a new location-based service dubbed «Love Compass» for users of its dating WAP-portal wap.mtsdating.ru. «Love Compass» will help MTS subscribers registered on the portal wap.mtsdating.ru search for other users by their location or find out current whereabouts of their friends.

Now users' profiles at the dating service wap.mtsdating.ru contain a link «WHERE?» that lets users search other portal users signed up to the service «Love Compass» by their location and get information on how far from himself or herself this user is at the moment. Also, users can send each other SMS, write emails or invite to the chat.

MTS, the largest cellular network operator in Russia and CIS, and Nokia signed the memorandum of understanding on the direct delivery of Nokia devices to MTS' retail network. The first joint project of the two companies will be the priority sales launch of Nokia N97, Nokia's flagship mobile computer, equipped with exclusive software from MTS.

The agreement signed by MTS and Nokia at the 2009 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum provides for the direct supply of Nokia products to MTS' retail network, joint marketing campaigns to promote Nokia's handsets and a special training program for MTS' retail employees.

As estimated by consulting company AC&M Consulting, gross revenue of Russian mobile value added services market in the first quarter 2009 reached 856.2 million US dollars (29041.7 million roubles). In the fourth quarter 2008 revenue was 994.9 mln dollars (27124.7 mln. roubles). In roubles the revenue grew since 4Q08 by 7.1%, but in dollars it decreased in 1Q09 by 13.9%.

Mobile VAS ARPU in the fourth quarter fell to 1.5 dollars from 1.8 dollars in 4Q08. In roubles ARPU grew by 6.7% from 47.9 roubles in 4Q08 to 51.1 roubles in 1Q09.

Mobile VAS share in the general revenue of operators in 1Q09 increased up to 17.7% from 15.1% in 4Q08.

Armenian mobile operator ArmenTel (Beeline brand) celebrates its 500,000-th video call in Beeline mobile 3G network (UMTS HSPA). The subscriber who made the anniversary video call is a 37 y.o. citizen of Yerevan, Armen Grigoryan.

The first 3G network in Armenia was commercially launched in beta mode by ArmenTel on June 18, 2008. The full commercial launch was conducted in September 2008. Since that time the network handled two million calls, including 500,000 video calls.