After a successful launch of the iPhone in the US, which has seen AT&T sell a million units in the first four months, Apple is working on readying the device for the European market “before year’s end.” For now, the only thing set is the operator to have exclusivity in the UK (it will arrive November 9 from Telefónica subsidiary O2) and France (it will arrive at the end of November from Orange).
Meanwhile, Financial Times reports that in Germany, T-Mobile will have exclusivity. In Spain, according to the daily El Periódico de Catalunya, the operator with the best chances is Telefónica, which could launch the phone—with UMTS technology incorporated—in the first half of 2008.

Source: Online Publishers Association (OPA)
Date: August 13, 2007
Abstract: The habits of Internet users in the US have changed considerably over the past four years. The Online Publishers Association has done a comparative study of the period between 2003 and 2007, which concludes that whereas in 2003, Internet users spent 46% of their time online communicating with others, in 2007 they spend about the same amount of time visiting content. This evolution is due to various causes, such as the fact that activities that just a few years back were offline are now done through the Internet; as well as the current popularity of online videos, virtual communities and social networks; and improved connections and the increased amount of content available. The study shows the relative decline in time spent on information searches and e-commerce, which now represent 4.6 and 13.8%, respectively, of the time American users spend online.

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Europe’s telephone operators are rushing to get offers out there in hopes of luring in consumers for Internet protocol television (IPTV), as was recently seen at IFA, Europe’s largest consumer electronics show. Deutsche Telekom, for instance, has poured €3 billion into the service and in Germany, four of every ten families already have Internet TV at home. In Italy, Telecom Italia and Vodafone each have IPTV projects, although the most active market is France, which accounts for half of all Internet television consumers in Western Europe.
Internet TV presents an excellent opportunity not only for content providers with a greater amount of distribution channels, but for advertisers as well. Despite being in its initial phase, this type of advertising is showing great potential for the future. Consulting firm Understanding & Solutions estimates that in four years, investment in this area will represent 18% of the total investment in interactive advertising.

Articles in New York Times, Baquia and Marketing Directo

Wi-Fi networks are growing at a fast pace. According to IDC, by the end of 2007, 17 million European households will have this technology, and 37 million in 2010. Wireless networks using Wi-Fi technology will also put service in airports, libraries and a host of other public venues. McDonald’s and Starbucks are just two of the chains offering Wi-Fi to customers at their establishments. Some Spanish cities are trying to set up municipal Wi-Fi networks with free access, something that concerns telephone companies, as it would mean an important loss of power in the residential market. To stay in the game, Telefónica in the next five years will begin to give users the option to go online at over 90 train stations, by installing paid Wi-Fi services.

Articles in El País and PC Magazine

Helping executives understand the strategic value of ICT and effectively manage it is one of the main objectives of the focused program entitled “Las tecnologías de la información como arma estratégica y competitiva” (“Information Technologies as a Strategic and Competitive Weapon”), which will be given at the IESE campuses in Barcelona and Madrid during the 2007-2008 course. Participating in the program will be, among others, IESE professor Josep Valor, and Brian Subirana, IESE professor and director of the PwC&IESE e-Business Center.

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