Telstra, an operator from down under, created a new user interface in house called the “TelstraOne Experience” and have discovered that by making mobile fones easier to use, they can successfully increase usage of their data services. While many of you are rolling your eyes right now, saying “no fucking shit”, this new evidence may make handset makers rethink their feature fone OS user experience instead of pumping resources into yet another failed project that attempts to compete with the iPhone. Most devices in the sub 200 EUR price range are currently optimized for calls and SMS, or what used to be the bread and butter of operators. With the mobile web becoming ridiculously popular, little Johny does want to tell all his Facebook friends about how shit faced he was last night after all, it is the devices that make getting on the internet easier that more and more operators will want to offer their customers.
We all focus on the crazy high end, 500+ EUR smartphone market, but what about innovation in mid and low end devices? Ross Fielding, Executive Director Telstra Product Management, had this to say about TelstraOne: “We looked at figures aggregated by handset type over the three months to September 30. We found that customers with the TelstraOne UI were 60 per cent more likely to use their phone on a weekly basis to access the mobile web compared to Telstra’s regular 3G mobile customers” and later added “data and content revenue on TelstraOne Experience handsets is more than 11 per cent higher than on the identical handset model we compared”.
How fast is data usage increasing on Telstra’s network? It’s doubling every 8 months. Pay attention handset makers. Time to start making devices that are easy to use not because you want to create some sort of unique value proposition in an attempt to increase brand recognition, but because your largest customers, the operators of the world, will love you if you can increase their revenues.
[Via: Cellular News]