Mobile applications designers get chance to show off

Mobile voice and data is already a huge and highly profitable business in New Zealand. Vodafone is set to hit the billion-dollar revenue mark in the next year and Telecom is close behind.

Now it's the mobile applications developers' turn to cash in. Vodafone Live! and Xtra Mobile are just the first steps in the mobile vendors' plans to provide attractive email, entertainment, games, multimedia and m-commerce services to users.

The arrival of third-generation (3G) network capabilities, interactive pay-TV and wireless broadband will turn the application game on its head.

For Kiwi application developers working on everything from text-message-based news updates to video streaming on handsets, now is the time to step up and grab some interest from the network operators and equipment vendors.

The search is on to find the best business and consumer mobile applications from across New Zealand and Australia. Today the New Zealand Herald, in conjunction with Ericsson, launches Frontier 2003, a competition to find the most innovative mobile applications.

Frontier is open to any New Zealand or Australian developer with a market-ready and demonstrable mobile application.

The applications can use one or more of these technologies: SMS, MMS, CDMA-1x, GPRS, WAP, 3G and broadband. Independent teams and in-house developers can apply.

The three top applications will be awarded prizes and get the chance to showcase their ideas at a transtasman event to be held in Auckland and Sydney on September 16.

One overall prize-winner will receive business-class travel to a global mobile industry event.

That winner and the runners-up will receive prizes, including Sony Ericsson mobile phones, free membership and consulting from Ericsson's Mobility World developer programme and the chance to pitch their application to top industry executives.

The judges will look for applications with good prospects for commercialisation. Applications must be received by August 31.

Competition details