A STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF MOBILE DATA SERVICE OFFERINGS FOR THE VANCOUVER 2010 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES By Benjamin Kwan B.BA, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, 2004 PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Management of Technology Program In the Faculty of Business Administration © Benjamin Kwan, 2008 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Summer 2008 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL Name: Benjamin Kwan Degree: Management of Technology MBA Title of Project: A Strategic Analysis of Mobile Data Service Offerings For The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic games Supervisory Committee: ___________________________________________ Name Dr. Sudheer Gupta Faculty of Business Administration ___________________________________________ Name Dr. Colleen Collins Academic Director, Management of Technology MBA and GDBA Programs Faculty of Business Administration Date Approved: ___________________________________________ ii ABSTRACT This paper is a strategic analysis of the roles mobile services may play in the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia. The paper has two objectives. First, the paper outlines the projected, infrastructure landscape that vancouver2010.com may operate in during the Games. The paper identifies trends in a mobile-communication technology mix and mobile-user demographics that drive consumer demand. This research identifies the driving forces that will shape the competition for projected market share in the 2010 mobile phone market. The paper can thus help the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games(VANOC) identify the target segments for delivering value-added services in mobile communications. The second objective of this paper is to suggest a list of potential services, which will meet the goal of improving tourist ease of use in accessing mobile services while attending Olympic events. The paper utilizes extensive secondary market research to develop this list. Keywords: VANOC, Vancouver 2010, Winter Olympics, Mobile Services, Mobile Internet, Cellular Services iii DEDICATION To my family and friends, for their steadfast support made my pursuit of the MBA a reality. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to David Marshall for giving me the opportunity to work on this project. I would like to extend my thanks to Dr. Sudheer Gupta for his guidance and patience with me. I would also like to thank Dr. Colleen Collins for helping me through a challenging but excellent postgraduate experience here at Simon Fraser University. Her guidance and dedication to students’ overall well being is well appreciated. I would also like to acknowledge the supporting staff and faculty of the Management of Technology MBA program. Your dedication to our success in this program is what makes this program special. Lastly, I would like to thank my classmates, who make this challenging educational experience dynamic, fun, and exciting. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Approval ............................................................................................................................ ii Abstract............................................................................................................................. iii Dedication ......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. vi List of Figures................................................................................................................. viii List of Tables .................................................................................................................... ix Glossary ..............................................................................................................................x 1: Introduction ...................................................................................................................1 1.1 Growth of the Internet.............................................................................................1 1.2 Culture of Cellular Communication........................................................................2 1.3 VANOC: Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games ................3 1.4 VANOC mobile strategy project.............................................................................4 2: Use-case Scenarios - A day in the life of the user........................................................6 2.1 Segmenting the user pool ........................................................................................7 2.1.1 National – Local ...............................................................................................9 2.1.2 National – Travellers ......................................................................................11 2.1.3 International – Locals.....................................................................................13 2.1.4 International – Travellers ...............................................................................15 2.2 Use case implications............................................................................................18 2.2.1 Use case implications – Accessibility ............................................................18 2.2.2 Use case implication – Usability ....................................................................20 2.2.3 Use case implications - Pricing of services ....................................................21 2.3 Critical success elements.......................................................................................22 3: Wireless Market trends...............................................................................................23 3.1 Fast Paced, Dynamic Trends.................................................................................24 3.2 Wireless Devices Forecasts...................................................................................24 3.3 Wireless Devices Adoption Trend ........................................................................26 3.3.1 Faster, Smaller, Cheaper.................................................................................26 3.3.2 The Growth of Feature phones and Smartphones ..........................................28 3.4 Network Operators ................................................................................................32 3.4.1 Wireless spectrum auction and market dynamics ..........................................33 4: Technology Adoption - issues and implications........................................................34 4.1 Issues facing mobile communications – The business model...............................34 vi 4.2 Issues facing mobile communications – Data Services Adoption ........................36 4.3 Issues facing mobile communications - Roaming.................................................37 4.4 Global mobile Internet adoption pattern ...............................................................38 4.5 Japan and South Korea..........................................................................................41 4.6 Adoption Barriers – Accessibilities, Usability and Pricing...................................43 4.6.1 Barrier to Adoption – Accessibility................................................................43 4.6.2 Barrier to Adoption – Usability......................................................................44 4.6.3 Barrier to Adoption – Pricing.........................................................................45 5: Discussions and Recommendations............................................................................48 5.1 Discussions of Findings ........................................................................................48 5.2 Mobile Content – The data for distribution...........................................................52 5.2.1 “National and International traveller” – Downloadable content scenario......................................................................................................53 5.3 Data Distribution Model - Complete Package Experience ...................................54 5.3.1 “International – Traveller” – Complete Packaged Access Scenario ..............55 5.4 Data Distribution Model – Wi-Fi..........................................................................56 5.4.1 “International – Traveller” Wi-Fi access Scenario.........................................58 5.5 Data Distribution Model – Bluedirectory, Bluetooth Technology........................58 5.5.1 “National-Local” Bluetooth access Scenario .................................................59 5.6 Data Distribution Model - Email, SMS Text messages ........................................60 5.6.1 “National – Traveler” Email Access Scenario ...............................................61 5.7 Data Distribution Model - Mobile Web Portal......................................................61 5.7.1 Helsinki, Finland - mobile portal....................................................................64 5.7.2 Vancouver.mobi - mobile portal.....................................................................64