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The Digital World challenges

12/05/2009
IDATE releases the 9th edition of its DigiWorld Yearbook
DigiWorld Yearbook 2009

A round-up of the state and challenges of the digital world IDATE is releasing the 9th edition of its DigiWorld Yearbook which provides readers with a single volume round-up of outstanding analysis of the globe’s telecom, Internet and media markets from IDATE specialists from the past year, along with supporting data and a look at innovations to watch in the months ahead…

The DigiWorld Yearbook is published in English, French and Spanish (in collaboration with the Enter foundation). Launch ceremonies with special guests will be held in Paris (on 12 May, with a talk from Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet), in London (on 11 June, with Michel Combes, CEO Vodafone Europe), in Brussels (on 23 June with Fabio Colasanti, Director-General InfoSoc EC) and in Madrid…

The 2009 edition reveals that the combined growth rate for DigiWorld sectors last year dropped to 4.8%, while generating 2,740 billion EUR and representing 6.5% of global GDP in 2008. According to the Yearbook’s coordinator, Didier Pouillot, this decline is only partially due to the economic downturn, and can be attributed chiefly to the maturity of certain markets.

The report nevertheless illustrates the intensity of the changes at work in the different sectors, underscoring the growing weight in the equation of Asia and emerging economies, and by exploring the main issues and trends that emerged in 2008. It provides the latest IDATE data on mobile markets, broadband market growth, optical fibre network rollouts and video game markets. Also included are analyses from the Institute’s experts on topics such as the challenges being faced by TV networks as online video continues to gain momentum…

In his introduction, IDATE CEO, Yves Gassot, comments on Apple’s ongoing influence, having followed the successful launch of the iPhone in 2007 with its app store model which has taken hold as the point of reference for all of the mobile Internet’s existing and potential players. He points to social networking and the extraordinary user base acquired by players such as Facebook and Twitter which, despite their ongoing struggle to monetise their audience, are steadily becoming the decisive drivers of service innovations and shapers of new communication habits. He introduces the notions of open innovation and open platform as embodiments of the paradigm shift: no digital industry leader can afford to ignore the potential for innovation and value creation that the other players in the digital ecosystem represent, including the customers themselves. The key now is to know at what point to open their platforms up, and in what way…

In his foreword, IDATE President, Francis Lorentz sees in this crisis, which this time did not start inside the DigiWorld, as a real threat if public authorities do not take account of the central influence of these sectors in their recovery plans, but also as an opportunity to take advantage of a new innovation cycle that is opening up with the mobile Internet and cloud computing.

• Order the 2009 Edition