Nokia and radio

By the end of 2008, Nokia says they had sold 425 million devices with digital music players. In addition to that, thay say they have sold 700 million devices with built in (FM) radio capability. Phones like the N85 even have a built in FM transmitter so you can play the music in the car on the existing car radio (its super low power, but handy to have).

Mark Selby has been giving a talk at several conferences about the importance of radio to the mobile industry. Given his background (including World Radio Geneva) it is perhaps not surprising that he's interested in forging partnerships between Nokia and broadcasters.


Nokia on radio's importance from Jonathan Marks on Vimeo.


Part of my current series of projects involves working with community stations in West Africa to build sustainable business models that bridge both the radio and mobile industries. They have a lot in common, but currently the gulf in terminology is keeping great ideas from happening. I think that as handset sales level off - and broadcasters evaluate the effectiveness of their broadcast platforms, that the two will start working out what they have in common. Believe me, it's already happening in West Africa. Contact me if you want to know more.