MWC: Innovators

MWC: Innovators

GSMA announced the winners of the Global Mobile Awards. Congrats to all. While each of the awards were well deserved, two stand out for me

Best Mobile Advertising Service – Turkcell – Tonla Kazan

When I was in Vienna late last year, the presentation that Evrim from Turkcell gave, convinced me that this is something special and should be considered as a good case study by operators worldwide.

Best Mobile Handset or Device: INQ – INQ1

Last year, at GigaOM conference, I moderated the carrier panel in which Frank Meehan, the current CEO of INQMobile participated. He was at the time with 3 UK, being the person behind the Skype phone and his enthusiasm for mobile Internet was obvious. Soon after that panel, he launched INQ focused on mobile web, social mobile, and the like. Essentially, they tapped into the hottest trend in mobile web today. While traditional handset makers were focused on copying iPhone, INQ came into the market very focused. You will see many more social mobile phone and INQ will have to keep innovating but kudos to Frank and team for the award.

Others

Best Mobile Game
Winner: Gameloft – Real Football 2009
– Highly Commended: Digital Chocolate – AvaPeeps: FlirtNation

Best Mobile Music or Video Service
Winner: BBC iPlayer on Mobile

Best Mobile TV Service
Winner: MobiTV – MobiTV

Best Mobile Enterprise Product or Service
Winner: Vodafone – Vodafone Global Enterprise Limited

Best Mobile Internet Service
Winner: Nokia – Nokia Sports Tracker

Best Mobile Money Service
Winner: Safaricom and Vodafone – M-PESA

Best Broadcast Commercial
Winner: KT Freetel – ‘Show is…’

Best Mobile Brand Campaign
Winner: R/GA London – Nokia Urbanista Diaries

Best Use of Mobile for Social and Economic Development
Winner: Nuance Communications – Airtel-T9 India Consumer Vernacular Messaging Campaigns

Best Network Technology Advance
Winner: Nokia Siemens Networks – Flexi Multimode BTS Software defined HSPA/LTE

Best Service Delivery Platform
Winner: NewBay Software – LifeCache Social Networking Solution 2.0

Best Billing & Customer Care Solution
Winner: Expert System – COGITO Answers

Best Mobile Technology Breakthrough
Winner: RIM – BlackBerry Storm 9500 SurePress Screen

The Green Mobile Award
Winner: Smart Communications – Alternative Power for Cell Sites program

GSMA’s CEO Award for Outstanding Environmental Contribution
Winner: Nokia

Government Leadership Award
Winner: The Government of France

GSMA Chairman’s Award
Winner: Research in Motion (RIM)

Mobile Innovation Global Award Champion Named
The EMEA leg and final stage of the 2009 Mobile Innovation Global Award Competition also took place this week at the Mobile World Congress, where 15 nominees competed in five categories for the chance to pitch their innovative products and services against finalists from the Asia, Americas and Virtual legs of the competition for the title of 2009 Mobile Innovation Global Award Champion.

THE 2009 MOBILE INNOVATION GLOBAL AWARD CHAMPION

Winner: Cootek, China (Most Innovative Wireless Device-centric Technology)

THE 2009 MOBILE INNOVATION GLOBAL AWARD COMPETITION – EMEA TOURNAMENT

Global Finalist: Advanced Receiver Technologies, USA
Global Finalist: Intivation, Netherlands

And the five category winners are:
Most Innovative Wireless Device-centric Technology

  • Intivation, Netherlands

Most Innovative Carrier Infrastructure or Platform

  • Sunbay, Switzerland

Most Innovative Mobile Application in a Vertical Market

  • WorldMate, USA

Most Innovative Consumer Application or Service

  • Mobile Nordic AS, Norway

Most Innovative True Mobile Start-Up

  • Advanced Receiver Technologies, USA