[August 22, 2011] Etisalat, ACTEL and Apex deliver range of practical 3G video services to Egyptian wireless subscribers Tweet (Connected Planet Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Pursuit of true “killer apps” may persist, just as some deep sea explorers continue to seek the fabled lost city of Atlantis. But long tail economics are demonstrating that more practical value resides in technology platforms that enable a range of services based on a few core capabilities. In Egypt, Etisalat, ACTEL Communications, and Apex Voice Communications have rolled out a menu of new services based on video. Apex’s service delivery platform (CP: SDP news continues, but is it all hype?) incorporates an application server that can utilize the video calling capabilities inherent in Etisalat’s 3G network. According to ameinfo.com, Etisalat is now offering video content from local television stations; video recording and uploading to social networking sites; video dedications that can be shared with friends; and video-based customer care for more than 340,000 hearing impaired and mute subscribers. This set of services Etisalat now can offer to its subscribers is actually provided by Actel, which is a value-added mobile service provider based in Beirut. Actel owns and operates the Apex SDP platform and was responsible for creating and delivering the new video capabilities in a way that feels like an over-the-top play, but is in fact a partnership reflecting a value-added supply chain where revenue is ultimately shared. This is remarkable in light of the many arguments over the fairness – or lack thereof – of over the top models and whether they threaten the economics of the traditional communications industry, particularly in the United States. The Etisalat example demonstrates how a telco rooted technology – the service delivery platform – is being used to offer over-the-top services (CP: SDPs: In between what’s over the top) that leverage the full extent of the 3G network’s capabilities, feed off of social networking phenomena, and provide valuable public services, all in highly innovative ways. The relationship among the three parties involved is equally innovative and may stand to benefit customers across many nations. Actel connects with 26 network operators across the Middle East and North Africa through which it could deliver the same sets of services from its centralized SDP. © 2011 Penton Media [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]