Opal Network Solutions ca study
铅笔盒的英语单词The early years
Opal Network Solutions was established in1971as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Post Office,then a public corporation.The company was originally called UK CarTel, and control pasd from the Post Office to the then state owned British Telecom.At this time the head office for UK CarTel were relocated to Edinburgh.In1984the UK government sold a majority stake in British Telecom,and sold a controlling share in UK CarTel to a consortium of London bad venture capitalists,with the remaining shares being placed with the main banks and small investors.The new owners had en the opportunities that were opening up as a result of the deregulation of telecommunication markets.Deregulation involved the removal of many government rules and regulations and the encouragement of competition in the market,a process that was to be enthusiastically adopted by many countries.Under British Telecom, UK CarTel had specialid in developing car phone technology,and prior to the sale had started to rearch and develop mobile phone and network technologies.The company with its new owners was well placed to take advantage of the rapidly changing and developing telecommunications markets.
British Telecom had allowed UK CarTel to operate under a number of names in different European cou
爬山的英文
ntries, where they worked in partnership on small projects with the then mainly state owned telecommunications firms.In1985the new owners decided to end this fragmented brand approach and at the same time decided that the name UK CarTel was no longer appropriate.They adopted a single name that could be ud on the international stage,and rebranded the firm Opal Network Solutions.
The dawn of the mobile era
Throughout the remainder of the1980s Opal strengthened its links with state telecommunications firms across Europe.A major breakthrough came in1985with a contract to help maintain and expand the world first cellular telephone network operated by the Nordic Mobile Telephone(NMT) rvice.The network operated across veral Nordic countries and was the first to allow customers the u of their mobile phones in any location(international roaming) regardless of which country they were in.The NMT network proved a catalyst and cellular networks rapidly began to develop across Europe and the developed world.
Opal first commercially launched their hand-held mobile phones in1986and although they were heavy,bulky and difficult to u,their launch and subquent success reprented a significant step f
or the company.Their first hand-held phones were priced at about£4,000becau of the high rearch and development costs and the need for highly specialid production facilities.Whilst the prices were high they were comparable with tho of Motorola,and their early entry into the market gave them an advantage over later entrants.
The Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) was adopted in1987as the European standard.This allowed for high-quality voice calls,the ability for customers to u their phones across international boundaries,and text messaging,thus laying the foundations for a worldwide boom in mobile phone u.
In the late1980s and throughout the90s further deregulation of the telecommunications markets enabled Opal to capitali on a number of opportunities. The company continued to work cloly with veral of the former state telecoms firms in developing and operating mobile networks, further cementing its position as an influential player in the telecommunications market.Opal s main focus has remained in Europe,but they have ventured into the North and South American,and Asian marketplaces. The recent opening-up of the Chine market is currently providing Opal with opportunities for further expansion both in the provision of networks and in sales of mobile devices.This expansion has,and will continue to require substantial investment.In1998the owners so
ught fresh capital from existing shareholders to allow them to take advantage of the expansion opportunities.
The internet era
In2000Opal was a medium sized producer of handts,which could connect to the Internet(3G technology).This significant development ensured that consumers had the products that met and continue to meet their growing telecommunications needs, ranging from downloading music, watching TV,web browsing to multiplayer online gaming.Opal has invested heavily in market rearch and has been very successful in identifying market trends and then using the latest technological developments to satisfy customer needs.
Inten competition and rapid changes in mobile technologies have resulted in very large rearch and development costs.New products are continually being developed,and market expectations demand a steady stream of innovative products. As a conquence Opal has entered into partnership agreements with Siemens and Nokia to allow for the joint development of new products and the sharing of technology.At the same time they have entered into veral partnership agreements with other Network operators to jointly develop networks in emerging markets.Opal is working with its partners to continue to develop and market cutting-edge products
and to rai its standards of rvice as a major Network operator. In addition,a number of working agreements have been made with industry bodies (e Appendix 1) involved in establishing common specifications and protocols within the industry. The company views partnership agreements as a crucial part of its strategy in entering new markets and in particular the Chine market which has enormous potential.
Reorganisation
Opal underwent a reorganisation in2004rearranging it into a number of core business areas(e Appendix2). Prior to this,the production of mobile devices and operating mobile networks had been run as a single division.Increasing competition led Opal to parate the two core parts of the business,creating a division for each.Opal networks had until 2004exclusively ud Opal phones.Sales of Opal phones to other networks had been restricted to small networks in emerging markets to keep the phones largely exclusive to Opal network customers.This was verely restricting growth,and this combined with inten competition between networks and between mobile phone manufacturers meant that change was esntial.
After the reorganisation the Opal networks were allowed to ll phones produced by other manufact
urers,providing greater choice for their network customers.At the same time the mobile devices division was allowed to ll their phones to competing networks allowing access to a much larger market.Sales of Opal phones have gradually grown since the change in strategy,and new customers have been attracted to the Opal networks becau of the greater handt choice.
bundlequarter的音标Growth has also been vigorously pursued through the u of imaginative promotional campaigns,which whilst successful have led to a relatively slow growth in revenue and profit. The main problem has been the need to cut prices for mobile devices as a result of highly competitive offerings from other firms.Similar competitive pressure has led to a reduction in the tariffs Opal can charge their network customers.Whilst the number of handts sold has rin,and more network urs have been signed up,the downward pressure on prices has led to lower profit margins and a reduced rate of growth in revenue.(See Appendix4)
nowornever
As part of its overall marketing strategy Opal has adopted a strong stance in relation to the environment,and actively eks to promote social responsibility and environmental sustainability.They were one of the first phone manufacturers in the world to offer a comprehensive mobile phone recycling scheme.They offer a mobile application that provides information and offers discounts on environmentally friendly products and rvices.Prototype products made from plant-bas
ed plastics, and recycled metals and alloys are nearing readiness for launch.The development of a nsory wrist strap made from solar cells that provides information about the local environment and health information and which can interact with Opal mobiles is also nearing completion.Opal continues to invest money in other innovative products but will only do so if the products will have a positive impact upon peop quality of life and a minimal impact upon the environment.(See Appendix3)
Expansion into the Chine market
China is potentially the largest global telecommunications market.It leads both the US and India in size and provides Opal with an unrivalled opportunity to generate growth.There are currently upwards of750,000,000mobile subscribers in China with an additional 8,000,000being added each month.Room remains for massive expansion,and projections from market analysts suggest that a further 600,000,000 subscribers in China will be enlisted within the next five years.Competition is likely to be vere with43foreign national manufacturers and network providers already having a prence in China and a further25medium to large firms t to enter the market over the coming3years.
Opal has joined forces with Siemens and they are working in partnership in China with Huawei Technologies.The regulatory complexities of operating within the Chine market make the u of a local partner practically esntial and Hauwei is a long established and well-respected player in the Chine telecoms market.
Significant cultural differences exist,and a Chine partnership not only gives access to local knowledge but also provides an air of acceptability that is important when conducting business in China.Huawei s wealth of experience will also help to ensure that product development and customer rvice is specifically targeted at meeting the local needs and demands of the Chine market.
Through its partnership working agreement with Huawei, Opal and Siemens have established manufacturing facilities within China and have invested almost
£200million to provide a state of the art production facility.The new plant has a capacity not only capable of meeting the demands of the Chine market,but one which can produce handts for the global market at significantly lower unit costs than the manufacturing facilities currently ud in Europe.
Once agreement is reached with the Chine Ministry of Telecommunications,Opal and Siemens aim to exerci an option to purcha a share in Huawei s existing network operations,currently the fifth largest in China.They will then look to expand the network and rapidly attract new customers through offering a range of attractive tariffs and the most up-to-date mobile devices.The strategy will involve offering a first class rvice but at a lower price than existing networks and other foreign entrants that are in the process of entering the markets.Both Siemens and Opal will need to rai fresh finance if they are to pursue this growth strategy,which is not without its risks.
Appendix1
四级考试查询Partnership working
In addition to working with a number of electronics companies and network operators, Opal currently works in partnership with the following industry bodies: 3GPP: The Third Generation Partnership Project(3GPP) is a worldwide body, which is developing and promoting a common t of standards for the creation, delivery and playback of multimedia over high-speed wireless networks
Bluetooth SIG:The Bluetooth Special Interest Group drives the development of
a wireless specification for connecting digital devices including mobile phones.
dst
Bluetooth is a widely ud technology that allows for the exchange of data
幼儿园六一儿童节主持词between wireless devices.
WiMAX Forum:A non-profit association that works for the deployment of
胳臂
broadband wireless networks bad upon a common standard.
copdW3C:The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)is tasked with developing
common protocols and data formats that promote the evolution of the World Wide Web.Organisations join in order to work and exchange ideas with other
members including premier Internet and technology companies.
