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12/03/2008 :: Australian company launches interactive weather service for 3G video phones This week Melbourne company Vivatel launched the world's first video-call weather service. By making a video call to 1902 250 841 from a 3G handset, callers can access real-time weather information sourced directly from the Bureau of Meteorology. As well as providing callers with weather forecasts and observations, the service displays live rainfall radar maps, showing where it is raining and how heavily. Callers can zoom in to areas of interest using the digits on their keypad. Calls are charged at 77c/min plus regular video call costs. "Traditionally, weather has been one of the most popular 1900 information services", said Matthew Kwan, Vivatel's Managing Director. "And given the popularity of the radar maps on the Bureau's web site, it seemed logical to make them available as well. When the weather looks threatening you aren't always in front of a computer, but your mobile is usually at hand. We've just been waiting for the 1900 infrastructure to be upgraded to handle video calls." According to the Bureau of Meteorology's 2006-07 annual report, the radar maps receive around 10 billion hits a year, making them one of Australia's most popular internet destinations. "There are roughly five million video-capable 3G handsets in Australia", said Mr Kwan, "but until recently the video call feature could only be used for person-to-person calls, and hardly anyone used it". "But the nice thing about video calls is that they're easy to make, and there are no handset compatibility issues. The same can't always be said for accessing the internet with a mobile phone, which often leads to people giving up in frustration." The weather service runs on Vivatel's new video-call server, an open platform designed in Australia to host interactive video applications. A number of additional third-party services are currently under development and will be launched over the coming months. |
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