Motorola is forecasting strong consumer demand for Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA)-enabled services across Europe. UMA is seamless, fixed-mobile network convergence that leverages the Internet to make mobile calls cheaper, while ensuring that there is always good signal coverage in the home. UMA services aim to deliver standard mobile phone features (voicemail, SMS, picture messages, IM, WAP, etc.) but with the advantage of reduced call charges for any calls made when you are in your home. The service will require the use of a new “dual-network” handset.
A survey commissioned by Motorola and conducted by BrainJuicer, which targeted 1,000 consumers in each of six leading European markets — Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom – concludes that a UMA-enabled service would be positively received.
The results showed that the cost of any potential UMA converged service has a major impact on a consumer’s possible adoption of the service. If mobile calls in the home were priced the same as fixed line calls then over 50% of respondents said they would be likely to sign up to a UMA service within 12 months.
Of the respondents who would probably buy the service, a third would make most or all of their calls at home on their mobile.
A significant number of respondents also stated that the need to install broadband or switch suppliers would not be a barrier to adopting UMA services. Overall, only 17% would definitely or probably not switch mobile supplier, just 22% would be unwilling to switch fixed line operator while only a quarter would want to avoid changing their broadband provider.
The research shows there are no major barriers to the adoption of UMA in these six key territories and that respondents across all countries show a good comprehension of the technology and fundamentally find it credible.
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- In May 2005, Motorola announced trials of its UMA solution with seven major European operators, including TeliaSonera Denmark. The trials are designed to demonstrate smooth deployment for operators planning to introduce seamless mobility across cellular and broadband IP networks, which can benefit operators by growing their share of subscriber spend, minimising subscriber churn and enhancing the overall subscriber experience.
- In June 2005, Motorola brought style to its vision of seamless mobility by announcing the launch of the RAZR for Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA). Joining the Motorola V560, the RAZR for UMA is the second handset for BT Fusion, Europe’s first fully-converged fixed-mobile solution.
- In July 2005, Motorola added to its growing portfolio of fixed-mobile convergence devices announcing the A910, a UMA device designed to deliver a seamless mobile office experience for today’s on-the-go professional.
