Mobile IP Services

You are cordially welcome to the next Mobile Monday Milan that will take place at Le Biciclette on on the 20th of April 2009 at 18:30. Topic: Mobile IP Services.

The convergence of three technology paradigms, viz. light-weight smart phones, the spread of wireless broadband networks and services, and the ubiquitous Internet, aimed at allowing users the freedom to connect to the Internet at any time and in any place, to read email, to stay in touch with instant messaging, browse the web, call through voip or to entertain themselves with video streaming, makes mobile services based on the IP protocol a very promising prospect as well as a very formidable challenge.

The traditional IP Protocol assumes that end hosts are always in a fixed physical location.

What if a user wants to move within a Wide Area Network or wants to roam between networks using at the same time and without interruption services based on IP?

The solution is Mobile IP, a protocol that has been developed as a means for transparently dealing with the problems of a mobile user.

Mobile IP enables computers or smart-phones to maintain Internet connectivity while moving from one Internet attachment point to another.

Mobile IP it's a complete revolution.

Let's make an example with Mobile Voice over IP. On 31/3/2009 Skype for the iPhone has been launched in the App Store. In less than two days it hit 1 million downloads.

Skype on iPhone endows the iPhone with the ability to make completely free Skyle-to-Skype calls and cheap Skype-to-number calls without chewing up valuable wireless minutes. By using a carrier’s wireless data network, Skype essentially allows mobile customers to bypass the carrier.

According to the analyst TeleGeography, Skype has become in 2008 the largest international long distance carrier with the 8% of the global voice traffic.

But, that’s bad news to wireless carriers looking to turn a buck whenever possible. So, is it any surprise that wireless network operators around the world are clamping down and restricting the use of Skype!

In the US, AT&T has reportedly restricted the use of the Skype iPhone application from being used on the carrier’s 3G network. The move would keep Skype for iPhone relegated to WiFi hotspots. The UK’s O2 has likewise restricted the use of Skype’s mobile application to WiFi hotspots. T-Mobile Germany, on the other hand has taken things a bit further and banned Skype from their network altogether.

In response to the ban, The Free Press, a Net Neutrality group in the US, has filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), asking the regulatory body to investigate whether AT&T is violating the Internet Policy Statement. European Net Neutrality advocate group Voice On the Net (VON) has asked that European lawmakers enact policies that ensure wireless customers can access whatever services they choose. They argue that consumers’ choice is being limited by carriers.

The issue at hand is the wireless carrier’s resistance to becoming little more than “data pipes.” Like an Internet Service Provider (ISP), wireless carriers are fast becoming nothing more than the wireless conduits used to ferry communications. Rather than trying to push themselves as content providers, through whom customers can access information and services that the provider deems worthy, wireless carriers would do well to realize that consumers want freedom of choice and accept their eventual fate as data-providers.

Join us at the next Mobile Monday and talk about Mobile IP services with industry experts.

Featured speaker:

Michel Van Veen, Group Manager, Product Marketing, Sybase 365.

As Group Manager of Sybase 365, Michel Van Veen is responsible for managing the GPRS Roaming Exchange (GRX)/ IP eXchange (IPX) product line. Sybase entered into a partnership agreement in July 2008 with Cable&Wireless giving Sybase exclusive worldwide rights to market and sell mobile data roaming services. The agreement enabled Sybase to become the world’s largest GRX provider with 75 direct operator customers, and reach to 500 mobile operators via global peering.

Mr.Van Veen is instrumental in bringing Cable&Wireless’ GRX services under the banner of Sybase 365; defining Sybase 365’s own GRX offerings; as well as developing the product roadmap to next-generation services based on the IPX concept.

Mr. Van Veen was most recently Business Development Manager at Cable&Wireless,where he was a key contributor to the company’s GRX/ IPX/ Multi-media Messaging Exchange (MMX) offerings.

Prior to joining Cable&Wireless in September 2001, Mr. Van Veen was with AT&T-Unisource, currently known as BI-Infonet, as Regional Sales Manager.

Mr. Van Veenbegan his career at KPN Telecom where he worked on major projects including international standardization of ISDN and Fiber-to-the-Home systems, and establishment of an operational management center for the first GSM network in The Netherlands.

Mr. Van Veen holds a Master of Science, majoring in Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications from the Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands. Mr. Van Veen is currently based in Milan, Italy.

Next MoMo: WHEN & WHERE

Topic: Mobile IP Services

Date: Monday, 2oth of April 2009

Time: 18:30-21:00

Place: Restaurant & Art Bar Le Biciclette, Via Torti / Corso Genova, Milan

Admission: FREE, but online confirmation is required (Sign in and confirm). Free drinks to the first 50 registered.

Location and directions

View MoMo Milan at Le Biciclette in a larger map

Cocktail Party

As usual, a networking party, sponsored by Fromdistance, Sybase 365 and SMS.it, will follow the conference. During the networking party participants will enjoy the fabulous aperitivo buffet and a glass of wine while sharing experiences about life and work.

MoMo Agenda

18h30 Registration and Pre-Networking

19h00 First Speaker starts

19h30 Cocktail and Networking Party