A news concept from Esendex, SMS service provider, offers training packages for runners that work by text message. Esendex is offering this service in collaboration with event organizer Nova International. This is the first service of its kind in the UK that safely prepares people for running events by giving them access to personalized training plans via SMS, email and the web.

SMS service, experts have compiled a minimum-recommended 16-week training program, which can work purely on communication directly to and from a mobile phone.

The program works like this. Budding runners register for the service in the training room on the Great Run website and, after completing a training session, the runner texts ‘felt’, along with ‘great’, ‘bad’ or ‘ok’ to the short code number 60066. On receiving the runner’s feedback, Nova then sends a confirmation text detailing the next stage of their program. Each week the computer system analyzes every plan and session to offer a new training schedule for the week ahead depending on the feedback received.

Great Run worked with Olympic coaches to gain professional advice for the program, which is available for 5k, 10k, 10 miles, half marathon, marathon distances and general fitness. Each program is targeted at beginners and can train someone from a non-runner into a race finisher.

Esendex offers a simple, intuitive solution to a recurring business problem: how to rapidly and reliably communicate to customers or employees, wherever they are. Their internet based services are used by thousands of organizations around the world to deliver SMS and voice messages quickly and effectively. Around the clock monitoring by our own in-house technology team ensures that your message is a priority, every time you press ‘send’.

Chris Kewin of Nova International says:

“Esendex provides us with the easiest and simplest way to communicate to our audience. The service works across all mobiles, which is great as it means people are more inclined to sign up and also keep it up. We’ve had a fantastic response to the service so far due to people signing up to train for our extensive year round event schedule including the Bupa Great North Run in October. We’ve targeted this training site at people who are experimenting with fitness and need entry-level tools for competing in running events. For those who feel they would like more of a challenge, there are tougher plans available. It’s all about showing people how easy fitness can be and showing them how to enter a competition safely.”

Of late, mobile operators in Eastern Europe are noticing a steady depreciation of average revenue per user (ARPU). This has resulted in providers scrambing for state-of-the-art services and applications for mobile devices. Headed by Italy, Europe found success with this “infotainment” solution. It is not out of place to mention that by late 2007, 2.6 million Europeans were already using mobile TV. Now the future of the mobile market in Eastern Europe rests in the growing popularity in mobile TV.

Frost and Sullivan Research Analyst, Saverio Romeo reports, “Mobile TV refers to the transmission of audiovisual content to mobile devices. It means viewing any content on the move, anywhere and anytime. This concept completely changes the usage of audiovisual services, and consequently, the consumer’s experience. In fact, the mobility not only allows users to view content on the move, but also to share content on the point of inspiration with other users introducing new forms of interactivity.”

Eastern European countries are already tapping into Europe’s success. New technologies such as MediaFLO, T-DMB, DVB-H and TDtv are being reviewed in various countries. For example in Poland, the Office for Electronic Communications (UKE) has launched the tender for 38 channels to major cities within the country. While in Russia, MTS, the market leader, is ready to launch a mobile TV service offering 20 channels. In Hungary, the four companies of Vodafone Hungary, Nokia-Siemens Networks, T-Mobile Hungary, and Antenna Hungaria together launched a trial of a DVB-H network in Budapest in January 2008. The Czech Republic and Romania will not be left behind. Since the end of 2006, T-Mobile Czech Republic is running DVB-H trials in Prague with the help of the media company, Radiokomunikace. Orange Romania is currently orchestrating trials in Bucharest.

The inspiring success story of the Italian mobile operator, 3 Italia, commanded the attention of western and eastern European countries alike.

Says Saverio, “In 2006, 3 Italia launched its mobile TV (DVB-H) service. 3 Italia started the service in time for the football world cup and so had an astonishing take-up rate. The reason for this success was quite simple. “Football supporters do not really care about technologies. They want to view their teams when they are not at home at a good quality and at a package, which meets the needs of their wallets. 3 Italia managed to do all of this. The Italian mobile operator gained 400,000 subscriptions in 10 months. At the end of 2007, almost 900,000 Italians used 3 Italia’s mobile TV platform. At the beginning of June 2008, 3 Italia launched a mobile TV service out of charge and ad-based.”

The evident success of this new mobile service offers an exciting opportunity for mobile operators and providers in Eastern European countries, as they jump on the mobile TV bandwagon.