27 posts and columns on O2
Voices
Why Credit Card Companies Need Some Madison Avenue Style
Facing major competitors in the mobile wallet and offers business, credit card companies need to figure out how to leverage their relationships with consumers.News Byte
Boku Signs Direct Billing Relationship for Physical Goods with Telefonica
Boku, a mobile payments provider, said it has signed a direct carrier billing relationship with Telefónica’s O2 in Germany. That means that O2 customers can charge virtual, digital and physical goods ranging from .09 Euros to 30 Euros to their carrier bill by entering their phone number into an app or other form. In general, the trend has been for carriers to increasingly lower the fees they charge for physical goods to make charging lower margin goods to the carrier bill more feasible. Boku says it’s connected to 230 operators in 65 countries, although not all carriers support physical payments.IPhone Exclusivity Added to Endangered Species List
The iPhone exclusivity deals are fast becoming an anomaly, with Apple inking more multi-carrier distribution agreements in markets it first entered with a lone partner. The latest to undergo the transformation: Germany.IPhone Exclusivity Ending in Germany
Germany is the last major European market with a single iPhone carrier. But not for much longer. Deutsche Telekom-owned carrier T-Mobile’s iPhone exclusivity deal with Apple is nearing expiration and has not been extended.News Byte
Apple Opts Out of O2's Green Rankings for Phones
Apple may be proud of its environmental credentials, but it wants no part of U.K. carrier O2’s new ranking system that gives handsets a rating of one to five based on sustainability–the ecological impact of their raw materials, the manufacturing process, packaging, useful life, energy efficiency and ease of recycling. Other major manufacturers–including Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung–completed O2’s voluntary 63-question survey, but Apple declined, preferring to let its Web site speak for itself.iPhone 4: Stock-Outs at Apple Stores, New Orders Now Shipping in Three Weeks
Apple is selling the iPhone 4 as fast as it can make it–actually faster. With demand for the device off the charts after first-weekend sales, the company’s online storefront is now showing a ship time of three weeks for new orders. And Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore says that his survey of brick-and-mortar stores shows frequent stock-outs. “Demand is outstripping supply in multiple regions despite frequent replenishment,” he wrote in a research note issued this morning.Voices