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Tutorial T1
Relevant Issues for Success in 3G Business
Tomi T. Ahonen
3G Strategy Consultant and Author
Books m-Profits, Services for UMTS & 3G Marketing

Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2003, 9:00-13:00
Location: Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing
Duration: 4 hours (one coffee-break)
Registration fee: 150 EUR

ABSTRACT

An interactive four hour workshop will activate the participants to join in exploring the relevant issues for success in 3G business. The workshop sets the stage by examining the environment for 3G and the fundamentals of 3G business, looking at competition from other 3G operators and beyond. Technical rivals as well as business model competitors will be discussed including the value web, and the concurrent phenomena of partnering and competing with the same parties.

The needs of early adopters are identified and their role and significance discussed in relation to both business and residential customers. Customer understanding will be developed and insights into changes in behaviour and methods of turning that insight into profitable business opportunities through methods of segmentation.

Partnerships as a new business process together with revenue sharing will be explored. Partnership management will be introduced as a new skill set to be developed. Statistics and research findings will be covered across various industries involved in the 3G arena.

Service creation, management, optimisation, bundling and termination will be discussed from the focal point of mobile operators and their customers. Tools to explore building added value to digital services, as well as identifying compelling content are introduced. Focusing service offerings to customer needs by segments are covered and real service examples used to illustrate the various issues.

Marketing activities related to 3G launch are discussed with lessons learned from early 3G launches around the world and from related service launches on older technologies where parallels can be drawn. Major marketing elements are applied including brand, price, promotion, distribution chain, and handset subsidies. Launch strategy options by 3G operator strengths are contrasted.

Finally the workshop concludes with an analysis of competitiveness and the ultimate commercial success in 3G over the long term. Strategic options are introduced and their primary focus areas are discussed. The importance of customer understanding, service innovation, cost control and partnership management are explained. The dangers of a lack of strategic focus are exposed.

TUTORIAL OUTLINE

1. Fundamentals of 3G business
2. The needs of early adopters - business and residential
3. Partnerships and revenue sharing
4. Compelling services - creating addiction
5. Launch marketing - brand, price, promotion
6. Competitiveness and success in 3G

INTENDED AUDIENCE: General

SPEAKER'S BIOGRAPHY

Tomi T Ahonen is a 3G consultant and bestselling author at TomiAhonen.com, covering telecoms competition, service launch marketing, and profitability. Quoted in the press over 100 times on 3G topics in a dozen languages, Tomi has presented over 50 papers on 3G topics at conferences on six continents. His first book, Services for UMTS, was the world's first services book on 3G and became the bestselling book on 3G topics in six months from release. His latest book, m-Profits: Making Money from 3G is the world's first business book on 3G. His next is 3G Marketing: New Strategic Partnerships.
Earlier Tomi Ahonen set up and headed Nokia's Global 3G Business Consultancy department providing business modelling and market research to most of the world's leading mobile operators. At Nokia he also headed segmentation. Previously Tomi worked for three operators in USA and Finland under full competition, setting the world record for taking market share from the incumbent, creating the world's first fixed-mobile service bundle, and participating in standardization. He started on Wall Street. Tomi holds an MBA in international finance (with hons) from St John's University NY and a bachelors in international marketing (with hons) with a degrees in computer science.

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