Following a chain of successful events in the U.S., the Mobile Breakfast Series touches down in London for the first time Friday (June 29). The event — aptly titled Operators and OTT, (over the top) and organized by mobile analyst and authority Chetan Sharma— explores how mobile operators can remain relevant in an industry where the spread of affordable bundles, the increased popularity of group messaging apps like WhatsApp and the advance of over-the-top players (Google Apple & Co.) have transformed services – and the value chain that enables them.
Opportunity or threat? It’s a tough one to call but you can rest assured that Chetan’s lineup of speakers and industry insiders (such as Frank Meehan, part of the Horizons Ventures VC team) will not shy away from asking (and answering) the tough questions.
By the way, I had the pleasure of conducting an interview with Frank for MobileGroove that you can read and listen to here. in it Frank gives us a preview of his talk this Friday and outlines the options open to operators serious about maintaining a central spot in the value chain. In a nutshell, operators can/should move innovation activities outside of the company (like Telefónica Digital). They can also claim a lucrative niche such as the Connected Home or focus (following the lead of AT&T and its Digital Home connected home and security offer, for example).
LONDON: Speaker lineup
If you are in London — and much of the U.K. telecoms industry is concentrated in the City — then be sure to check out this worthwhile day-long event. Chetan’s events — as a rule — offer a great opportunity to network and discuss the big picture trends that matter most.
June 29th – London
Operators and OTT
Frank Meehan
Horizons Ventures
James Finn
Director, Product Design
Telefonica Digital
Andreas Bernström
CEO
Rebtel
Patrice Slupowski
VP, Digital Innovation
Orange FT Group
Mobile Future Forward is coming
The timing is also right to start making plans to attend the annual mobile executive summit known as Mobile Future Forward (September 10). I am proud to be a media partner for this (and all) of Chetan’s high caliber events. Chetan likes to call MFF a “mobile boot camp with the brightest brains in mobile” — and a scan of the preliminary program shows this tagline is no exaggeration.
Steve Elfman, President, Sprint, will provide an update on the state of the wireless industry.
Glenn Lurie, President, Emerging Enterprises and Partnerships at AT&T Mobility, will deep dive into the world of emerging devices and the opportunities this new connectedness offers.
Mung Ki Woo, Head of Mobile at Mastercard Worldwide, and Antonio Benjamin, Global CTO at Citi, will discuss the mobile commerce ecosystem evolution.
Stephen David, former CIO of Procter & Gamble, will talk about how wireless is going to disrupt retail.
Check out the complete program to date here.
I’ll have more about the speakers and the topics in the next weeks — as well as exclusive audio interviews with the speakers.
Registration is open now. Early bird will expire July 10th. The last two events were sold out, so be sure to grab your seat at one of the most anticipated mobile gatherings of the year.
Frank Meehan, Horizons Ventures VC: Why Operators Should Follow Telefónica & AT&T Innovation Blueprint
M-Pulse: Chetan Sharma Talks Mobile Commerce, Payments & 2012 Mobile Predictions Survey Results
5 Mobile Data Points You Need To Know From Chetan Sharma, Flurry & ABI Research
5 Data Points You Need To Know From xAD, Nielsen, IAB Chetan Sharma & Mogreet