Blyk

Why Belgian media groups should consider buying 4th UMTS licence

By Fabian Tilmant on 1 April 2009 in New (ways of using) Media | Comments Off

screen_flair_mobile Belgian government has decided, more to refill State’s accounts in these downturn times than to stimulate competition, to propose a fourth licence for setting up and commercially exploiting an additional UMTS network in Belgium. VOO and Telenet seem logically interested as 4th major Telecom actors in Belgium (Telenet mostly in North and VOO in South of the kingdom), but I believe that, UMTS being aimed at diffusing multimedia content through wireless network, other actors have a role to play in this game.
First of all because MNO (Mobile Network Operators) have failed until now stimulating mobile data usage in Belgium. Many people blame the lack of device subzidiation in the country, but I believe it is also the failure of enabler’s roll out (such as simple and standard configuration settings, activation plan and marketing propositions for mobile internet/WAP/wireless services) and expensive data plans by mobile operators, as well as bad quality of their 3G/3G+ network that are the real reasons.
I think that media groups, which are mostly private companies in opposition to mobile operators that mostly emerge from historical telecom operators, would be more efficient at providing an optimal experience to the users and efficient and profitable business models to advertisers. Look at Blyk being managed by a media expert in Belgium: Eric Samson. → Click to continue reading…

Future is a four letter word

By Fabian Tilmant on 20 March 2009 in New (ways of using) Media | Comments Off

blyk BLYK or EXQI. Strange words that symbolize innovation in Belgian New Media landscape. What’s interesting in these initiatives is that, unlike most of the pure online players, they’re operated by media people who are looking for new models, based on advertising revenues. Indeed, profitability, and thus possibilities of getting sufficient budget from advertisers, is the start point of these initiatives. Eric Samson (CEO Blyk Belgium) and Gabriel Fehervari (CEO Alfacam) don’t hesitate to take their pilgrim’s staff to spread the word to the market and evangelize advertisers to their new models, forecasting better ROI than traditional models. → Click to continue reading…

Now, son, Mobile can be a media !

By Fabian Tilmant on 14 February 2009 in Mobile Marketing | 1 Comment

It is always interesting for a Son of a Phone like me to see how other worlds are looking at Mobile. It can be other cultures like Asia or USA, it can be through women eyes like I did while working at Sanoma for Flair Mobile and it is certainly while witnessing people from traditional advertising or media discussing about it. And I learned a lot of things during GRP’s Media Session over Mobile Marketing. → Click to continue reading…