Shane Williamson is a Partner Manager at Hutchison 3G Australia (“3”), running the “Developers on 3″ & “Solutions on 3″ partner programmes that he founded in 2003.

mo:life
In terms of mobile content and mobile applications, what kind of ’stuff’ is 3 really interested in? From your research, what’s currently successful and what does 3’s crystal ball suggest will be successful?

SW
I’ll break the anSWer into two parts:

First, mobile content. I guess 3 is interested in content that will appeal to the majority of it’s subscribers. At this stage it is important to have content that can be utilised by the various age groups that make up our customers.

This takes the form of:

1. Entertainment (single & multiplayer games , ringtones, music video & audio, comedy),

2. Information (news, sports, weather, horoscope, finance, livesurfcams)

3. Interaction (Power chat, RSVP, Kodak photo share)

Then there’s the mobile applications. Of course this is something I could write on till I fall off my soapbox, so I’ll focus on the major categories they fall into. Currently in the Australian market we are seeing movement toward these types of mobile applications:

1. Field Force - service technicians, field workers

2. Sales Force - sales people

3. Mobile Office - traditional office applications that workers need
access to whilst out of the office.

The big opportunity in mobile applications are the niche markets. Whether the developer/ISV focus on a particular vertical industry like financial advisiors or a horizontal solution such as delivery.

Overall, getting content like “Big Brother” makes a huge impact on usage because of its voyeuristic appeal and it’s great use of the 3G technology like using live video streaming. Smaller brand products like the comedy product “Petey & Jadey” from Momentum are also very popular.

mo:life
Where does personal media publishing stand. Are you seeing mobile phone users engaging in uploading video and sending images around, or are people using the devices more for pulling down stuff. Do you envisage growth in a mobile-blogging culture soon, or is that kind of activity a few years away?

SW
Yes, the mobile is a personal content distribution system. All of 3’s devices have an e-mail address so users can share photos, videos and audio content they have created on their device. The Kodak product we recently launched now gives users the ability to upload images to their mobile site via the device and share that with their friends & family.

Mobile blogging is here & in the form of using the device to send blog updates directly from the device. I use this frequently as you can take a photo with the device and then e-mail your blog comment live to your site.

The true power behind blogging are the following technologies though:

1. Permanant status of entries (permalinks), which makes it very easy to search,

2. Ability to subscribe to a site to be alerted to updates (Real Simple Syndication - RSS)

3. Having a conversation by readers being able to post comments and interacting with you. (ClueTrain Manifesto 101)

So, Blogging should be seen as a service that surrounds products not a product in it’s own right. All mobile services should use these features to foster the building blocks of Digital Social Networks. It’s this use of the technology that is 1 or 2 years out.

mo:life
Can you give an outline of 3’s experiences in is the mobile phone culture evolving there?

SW
3 is currently only represented in HK within the Asian market, which is a highly competitive market. 3HK is doing some ground breaking services such as programmable live traffic cams & live sport viewing. I am very impressed with how 3HK has taken the customer on the whole 3G expereince, not just selling the technology. A good example of this is how they create video training for the various services on their website. 3 is also represented in many European countries, the largest being the UK & Italy.

mo:life
Here’s your chance to do the sell! If a developer had a project, why should he or she approach 3 over the other telcos? Can you briefly outline what 3 offers developers.

SW
This is where you see what a bad sales person I am as I don’t think it should be about us versus them. A developer needs to research their markets well. The Australian market is big enough for developers to choose the carrier(s) to work with. Factors such as customer types, number of subscribers, types of devices, coverage areas, cost of data & compatible mobile services will greatly influence the developers decision. Of course the carrier that assists the developer with development tools & then marketing their product to their customers will be highly beneficial. 3 has a developer programme developers.three.com.au which supplies tools & guidelines as well as a go-to-market programme for the best of breed products and services called “Solutions on 3″ solutions.three.com.au that markets through 3’s various sales channels including the ability to be introduced into other international 3 countries.

mo:life
Do you see the mobile content space going in the direction of the WWW (millions of people creating mobile content), or will bandwidth fees and other requirements mean it operates more like the Pay TV environment?

SW
Yes. We are not reinventing any new wheels here. The Internet & it’s technologies are pervasive & mature. 3G brings speed and an always on connectivity to the Internet. The make or break for mobile content will be how much the carriers want to share that revenue with 3rd parties. Even in Australia we have seen a repetitive cycle with mobile content where carriers are opening their walled gardens & more importantly sharing the revenue with 3rd party content. Competition will drive down data costs, especially in the shadow of higher mobile data speeds.

mo:life
What are your top three tips for mobile content developers?

SW
1) Research - know & live your market! Understand your competition, the Intellectual Property that differentiaties your company, the carrier’s customers & market segmentation. Understand the development environment, client or server based, devices etc.

2) Usability - Before implementing, articulate very clearly what it is exactly that you are making mobile. Then get real world users to test your product, not just getting it tested it with your staff. Use trials were possible. If it’s a mobile product, then get mobile to test it.

3) Partner - The hardest thing for a lot of companies is not having the expertise or financial backing to launch their product or service. As part of your research, look for complimenting technologies or companies that can assist in getting your product to market. Document your agreements well and include clear and concise exit strategies.

mo:life
More crystal ball time! What is the mobile media world going to look like in 3 years time? And are there any barriers that need dismantling to get us there?

SW
Now this really is the billion dollar question. 3 years should see the following changes in the market:

* Every carrier will be selling 3G services.

* The early 3G carriers will be depolying their upgraded higher speed networks (High Speed Downlink Packet Access)

* 3G devices will be approaching 60% penetration of the population

* The majority of developers/ISVs/content aggragators with have mobile content & applications in their products & services portfolios

* People will perceive & be using 3G services the way mobile voice is used today.

* Data revenue will out number voice for 3G carriers.

Of course, how the question is anSWered relies very heavily on how well the carriers play their part. Will mobile data have revenue sharing with 3rd parties? Will 3G coverage be extended quickly?

The real test of time for 3G will be when an older person says to a younger person “I remember when mobile phones could only do voice calls” and the younger person responds “Whats a mobile phone?”