European ICT market on the way to recovery, says Ovum

The European ICT market has finally turned the corner with a modest 4% growth expected for the period from 2004 to 2006, according to Ovum, the analyst and consulting company. However, the days of double-digit growth are well and truly over.

These findings are drawn from Ovum's EuroView Market Trends report, a new quarterly update on European ICT trends with a focus on the UK, Germany and France. France, Germany and the UK account for more than 50% of the ICT market, with the UK clearly in the lead in terms of growth.

'The UK is the most robust market, because it has already taken the medicine,' says Ovum Director, Richard Holway,. 'Measured by revenues, the majority of IT in the UK is now outsourced. But the greatest opportunities lie in Germany. The UK has also put out the welcome mat to off-shoring in contrast to France which has put up the barriers.'

'Strong competition in the telecoms sector is the other reason behind the UK's dynamism,' says Julian Hewett, who leads the EuroView team. 'The UK took the plunge first, France and Germany are now catching up.'

Across the region, the mobile sector has been the lifebuoy of the overall ICT sector, says Hewett. Germany and the UK had a fantastic year in 2003, with 14-15% growth rates. We think these will fall to 6-7% in the coming years.

Future growth will be due to the emergence of new data services. Consolidation is the theme that transcends all markets and all countries in Europe right now. Mature/low growth markets always consolidate. It is eventually the only way to boost market share and provide economies of scale so that earnings can grow too. Evidence of this trend can be found among others in:
* Software, where portfolio management will favour the strongest;
* IT Services, where you have to be big and financially secure even to afford to bid for many of the all-important outsourcing contracts;
* Mobile, where 3rd, 4th and 5th operators in some countries lack scale;
* Fixed telecoms, where small alternative networks look vulnerable.

Six Metrics for Managing UI Design
Source: Russell Wilson, 28 August 2008
 
A proposal of six metrics to be used for managing a user interface design department.

Don't Judge a Form by its Cover
Source: Formulate Information Design, 27 August 2008
 
The saying "don't judge a book by its cover" reminds us that looks are deceptive. It turns out that this idiom applies to forms too.

Beijing Olympics - special State of the eNation report
Source: www.abilitynet.org.uk, 26 August 2008
 
In this special report AbilityNet asked disabled users to try out the Beijing Olympics website in our interaction lab.

It's Who You Know (Or Don't)
Source: Stanford Magazine, 23 August 2008
 
Online social networks are powerful and ineffectual all at once.

Winning Considerations for Interactive Content
Source: UXMatters, 22 August 2008
 
Rich options for interactively presenting content also come with a challenge.

Microsoft sees end of Windows era
Source: BBC, 20 August 2008
 
Microsoft has kicked off a research project to create software that will take over when it retires Windows.

News you can Use
Source: Gerry McGovern, 18 August 2008
 
When the homepage is dominated by news you are not necessarily communicating more.

Feeling Through your Computer
Source: Discoveries and Breakthroughs Inside Science, 16 August 2008
 
A newly designed device lets computer users feel the texture and movement of what they are seeing in front of them.

User interviews - A basic Introduction
Source: Webcredible, 15 August 2008
 
It's surprising how few people have a real understanding of who's using their site.

Helping Visitors find Information
Source: UN, 13 August 2008
 
A new report outlines the key findings from surveys that explored factors which influence the quality of online experience.