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A large group of French innovation players creates the Mobile Services Initiative to stimulate growth in the French ecosystem of mobile phone applications and services
© Inria / Photo Kaksonen
Inria, the Institut Télécom, the competitiveness clusters Cap Digital, SCS and Systematic, the Mobile Alley association, Telecom Valley, OSEO, Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs, Bouygues Telecom and a large group of SMEs (including start-ups such as Senda, Appsfactory and Intuitivlab) have announced the creation of the Mobile Services Initiative, which aims to bring together all national players in this field.
The objectives of this initiative are to stimulate the innovation ecosystem and the French mobile market, to make France visible in terms of technology and products, and to increase France's share of the global mobile services market.
The initiative is structured around 10 concrete actions. These actions include:
- The deployment and provision of a marketplace of public and private data for application developers. This marketplace will allow data vendors to publish their APIs and metadata and the licences under which they are prepared to make them available. This action is already under way as part of the Data Publica project.
- The mapping of the market and the ecosystem: creation of a Web 2.0 site covering all of the players (major groups, SMEs, originators, research laboratories, clusters, etc.), technologies, expertise, products, applications, etc. This action has already been implemented via the site www.mobile-jungle.org.
- An OSEO targeted programme in support of SMEs. Inria and OSEO will implement a programme providing assistance in technology transfer to SMEs that are looking to enter this market or increase their presence on it.
The initiative is open to organisations including innovative SMEs, mid-sized companies and large groups. It will also bring together originators and public research players. It will draw on the support of a coordinated national technology transfer action capable of creating a stimulus for innovative ecosystems (notably competitiveness clusters), and driving and coordinating existing initiatives.
The implementation of cooperative projects between large groups, SMEs and research laboratories, an integral part of the MSI, will be carried out within the natural framework of competitiveness clusters. In addition to the three aforementioned ICT clusters, collaborations will be gradually put in place with other clusters that want to join the initiative (ICT clusters or more vertical clusters). Generally speaking, the launch of the initiative is only a first step and other players are invited to join this drive.
he MSI is also taking a resolutely European stance and will form part of the Knowledge and Innovation Community called EIT ICT Labs. This is a project by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology that is represented in France by Inria and counts among its members the Institut Télécom and Alcatel-Lucent, in partnership with several competitiveness clusters.
This initiative is backed by the authorities, notably the Secretariat of State for Digital Economy Foresight and Development, and the Internet Usages Commission.
« The Mobile Services Initiative is a major step in the creation of an ecosystem that fosters innovation in the strategic sector of mobile services. Following on from the Proxima Mobile portal, this initiative is also expected to forge new ties between French and European players to enable them to create the new generations of services that will support all mobile phone users » said Bernard Benhamou, Chief Representative of Internet Usages.
« The challenges relating to mobility and smartphone applications are therefore central to the growth of the digital economy and what we have here is very much a trendsetting market steered by innovation: new technologies, new usages and new business models. This market is also experiencing rapid growth thanks to a network of dynamic and innovative SMEs positioned throughout the value chain. It therefore makes complete sense for OSEO, in partnership with Inria, to join forces with the MSI initiative to facilitate the emergence and maturation of projects to transfer technologies created by public research to innovative SMEs » said Laure Reinhart, Deputy Managing Director of OSEO.
« Mobile services are a strategic issue in the growth of the digital society. It's crucial to act quickly, as there is a window of opportunity for France and Europe to have a strong position in this field. This involves actions to structure the ecosystem around a roadmap, which is the purpose of the Mobile Services Initiative. There is real potential for technology transfer from Inria in these fields, particularly to innovative SMEs » says Michel Cosnard, Chairman and CEO of Inria.
« Entrepreneurs, industrial groups, academic and research groups, and financiers form a fantastic melting pot of skills and innovation for the mobile industry. The overlapping of this initiative with the efforts of Mobile Alley will be a source of fruitful collaborations that benefit the entire ecosystem. We are pleased to be a part of it and, by contributing to this initiative, we hope to see the French mobile industry and its wide variety of players take another step forward and become a leader on the global scene » said Mobile Alley Chief Executive Guillaume Girard in reference to the MSI.
« Bouygues Telecom supports the MSI because its goal is to support French application developers and as a result offer more interesting applications to operators' customers. We see this as an opportunity to encourage the emergence of established standards for interfaces showcasing services and data » said Yves Caseau, Executive Vice-President in charge of Technologies, Services and Innovation.
« As the research centre of the Alcatel-Lucent group, Bell Labs contributes to the Mobile Services Initiative and gives the ecosystem the benefit of its researchers and cutting-edge technological advances in the field of applications » notes Bruno Aidan, head of application research at the group. « Alcatel-Lucent considers open innovation as central to its strategy », he adds.
Francis Jutand, Scientific Director of the Institut Télécom, says « smartphones are today the most dynamic platform in the development of services for the digital society. The Institut Télécom and its ecosystem of research laboratories, SMEs and start-ups are delighted to join forces with the MSI's partners to provide their skills in telecoms, content and usages. »
About
Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) is a privileged partner in the transformation of service providers, businesses, strategic sectors (defence, energy, health, transport) and administrations the world over, offering them voice, data and video services for their own users and customers. As a leader in fixed broadband, mobile and convergent networks, IP and optical technologies, applications and services, Alcatel-Lucent draws on the unique technical and scientific expertise of Bell Labs, one of the largest research organisations in the communications industry. With a footprint in 130 countries and the industry's most experienced service team, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with an international dimension. Alcatel Lucent, which generated revenues of €15.2 billion in 2009, is a French-registered company with its head office in Paris.
Website: Alcatel-Lucent http://www.alcatel-lucent.com. Blog: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/blog - Twitter: http://twitter.com/AlcatelLucent.
Bouygues Telecom
Created in 1994, Bouygues Telecom has 10,394,000 mobile customers, 500,000 fixed customers and a workforce of 9,000. Its ambition is to "become the preferred brand for fixed and mobile communication, TV and Internet services" and to propel usages into new territory by focusing on customer handling, advice, service and support. After pioneering the flat-rate mobile plan in 1996, Bouygues Telecom launched the first unlimited plans called Millennium in 1999 and neo in 2006. In 2008, the company acquired its own fixed network and became an internet service provider (ISP) with its Bbox offering. 2009 saw the introduction of an all-in-one plan called ideo, the market's first quadruple play plan (mobile and fixed voice, TV and internet). With ideo 24/24, Bouygues Telecom has in 2010 become the first operator to offer a quadruple play plan featuring round-the-clock unlimited mobile calls. This year will also see the launch of a fixed superfast broadband plan. Its mobile network covers over 98% of the population. Mobile internet access is provided through the 3G+ network, which covers 81% of the population. As the only operator with "NF Service Customer Relationship Centre" certification for all of its consumer activities (mobile and fixed), issued by AFAQ AFNOR Certification, the company has also been voted number one in mobile phone customer relations for the fourth year running. Bouygues Telecom delivers high-quality attentiveness to its customers through its customer advisors, its retail network of 610 "Club Bouygues Telecom" outlets and its website available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Website: www.bouyguestelecom.fr
Cap Digital
Cap Digital is the competitiveness cluster for the digital content and services industry. It has more than 600 members, including 530 SMEs, 20 large groups and 50 universities and higher education institutes comprising 170 research laboratories. The cluster covers nine domain communities: Mobile Services and Usages; Culture, Press, Media; Digital Design; Digital Education and Training; Image, Sound and Interactivity; Knowledge Engineering; Video Games; Free Software, Cooperation and New Models (CoLLibri); and Robotics and Communicating Objects (Cap Robotique). To support the creativity and competitiveness of this industrial sector, which alone represents a global market of €300 billion, Cap Digital conducts the following actions: support for growth in R&D and innovation; the development of shared platforms; assistance in the growth of businesses at all levels; the forward-looking management of skills and assistance in recruitment, training and collaborative project management; the organisation of workshops and training; intelligence gathering and foresight, notably through its Think Digital programme; and international influence and competitiveness. Cap Digital's Mobile Services and Usages community brings together over 24 members within the cluster. 41 collaborative R&D projects are carried out in this topic area. Total investment in these projects is €37 million, including public financing of €17 million.
Website: www.capdigital.com
Inria
the French national institute for research in computer science and control, is a publicly-owned establishment dedicated to science and technology, operating under the dual authority of the Ministry of Research and the Ministry of Industry. It had an annual budget in 2010 of €217 million, of which 21% represented its own resources. Inria operates eight research centers, in Paris, Sophia Antipolis, Grenoble, Nancy, Rennes, Bordeaux, Lille and Saclay. Its 3,150 researchers are working in over 170 project teams, mostly in collaboration with other bodies, Grandes Ecoles and universities. Altogether, it employs 4,100 people throughout France and has links with 80 teams worldwide. It has been involved in forming over a hundred companies since 1984.Website: http://en.Inria.fr/
Institut Télécom
The Institut Télécom is an institute for higher education and research in information and communication sciences and technologies. It brings together the higher education institutes Télécom ParisTech, Télécom Bretagne, Télécom SudParis and Télécom Ecole de Management, as well as the two subsidiaries Télécom Lille1 and EURECOM. It houses a total of 5,550 students, 650 research-lecturers and 950 doctoral students, post-doctoral researchers and researchers on sabbatical. A leading European player in its field, the Institut Télécom has, since 2008, acted as a network of associate education institutes: Télécom Saint-Etienne, ENSPS (Strasbourg), ENSEIRB-MATMECA (Bordeaux), Sup’Com Tunis (Tunisia) and the INP-ENSEEIHT (Toulouse). Focusing on innovation, the Institut Télécom received Institut Carnot certification together with its subsidiary Eurecom in 2006 for the quality of its partnership research and creates over 50 start-ups per year in its incubators. Website: www.institut-telecom.fr
Mobile Alley
Mobile Alley is a non-profit association promoting innovation and the emergence of new entrepreneurs in the mobile industry in Europe. Created in February 2009 by European players in the mobile industry, its head office is in Cergy, France.
The founding members include:Yves Maitre, Senior Vice President of Devices – Orange - Thierry Buffenoir, CEO - Sagem Wireless - Thomas Serval, Director of the Platform and Ecosystem Division - Microsoft France
Jean Schmitt, Managing Partner - Sofinnova Partners
Mobile Alley is the mobile cluster that will give birth to the next generation of entrepreneurs marrying growth and innovation. Website: www.mobile-alley.org
OSEO
A public company, OSEO gives entrepreneurs the resources to achieve their expansion by financing their innovation, investment and international projects. OSEO carries out three complementary activities: support for innovation, the financing of companies' investments and operating cycles alongside banks, and underwriting bank loans and venture capital organisations. OSEO's teams are on hand to meet the needs of company directors. Website: www.oseo.fr
Telecom Valley
Telecom Valley is an innovative community that acts as a driving force behind information technologies in the field of health, eco-technologies, tourism, etc. A non-profit association representing the leading IT players in Sophia Antipolis and the surrounding area, it forms a network of large groups, SMEs, research and training organisations, facilitators, institutional partners and standardisation bodies. Functioning as projects run by volunteers and grouped into Committees and Theme Sets (innovation, open source, SMEs, employment, etc.), the Telecom Valley association stimulates technology innovation nationwide and speeds up the adoption of IT practices and usages. Website: www.telecom-valley.fr
Pôle SCS
The global competitiveness cluster SCS (Secure Communicating Solutions) brings together players in microelectronics, software, telecommunications, multimedia, and ICT services and usages in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It coordinates nearly 200 industrial players, public laboratories, universities and institutional players working on collaborative R&D projects spread over strong-growth markets, including health, tourism, security, multimedia and traceability. The ambition of the SCS cluster is to become a key and recognised player in the field of secure communicating solutions by covering the entire value chain in ICT activities (microelectronics, telecommunications, software and multimedia), from applications to usages. The SCS cluster has over 200 members, two thirds of which are SMEs, has certified over 200 projects and has a total R&D expenditure of over €320 million. Website: www.pole-scs.org
Pôle de Compétitivité Systematic
Acting at the heart of the digital revolution, the global competitiveness cluster Systematic brings together in the Paris region over 500 industrial players, SMEs and scientists spanning three application markets with major implications for society (Automotive & Transport, Telecoms, Security & Defence) and two technology domains (Free Software, and System Design and Development Tools). Since 2009, Systematic has been deploying its technologies and solutions in new market domains, including "ICT and Sustainable Cities" and "ICT & Health" in 2010, the growth of which increasingly relies on the expertise and know-how of Systematic and its members. Website: www.systematic-paris-region.org
Keywords: Press release Partnerships ISM PME Mobile Services Initiative Competitiveness cluster
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