The future for professional mobile apps What app developers need to know about the professional user market
Contents: 1 A growing market for professional user apps 3 2 Survey results in detail 4 A variety of user organisations 4 Apps are already being used, but which ones? 6 The most popular apps and devices 7 Identifying the potential for professional mobile apps 8 Selecting the right app and the right app vendor 9 What do professional users look for in an app? 10 Planning for the future 12 3 Survey methodology 13 2 The future for professional mobile apps
1 A growing market for professional user apps The rise of the smartphone over the last five years has been phenomenal. According to GSMA, the smartphone penetration rate in North America today is 70%, followed by Europe with 51% (of the SIM connections)*. People are accustomed to using a wide variety of smartphone apps for many different purposes. So it s little surprise that many professional mobile radio users own smartphones and are using them, or would like to use them, to help improve their daily working lives. But how are professional mobile apps actually being used today? And what is the potential for developers to bring new and exciting apps to the professional mobile radio market? To explore such questions, Airbus Defence and Space conducted a survey of professional mobile users which revealed that: Professional users are ready for mobile apps. Not only are many professional organisations already using apps in their daily routines, but most (75%) are planning to introduce them in the future. The market for professional user apps looks rosy. Messaging and multimedia content sharing are the most common uses today, while positioning applications show good potential for the future. Professional users are pragmatic and open to adopting new capabilities. Unlike many in the consumer market, professionals are not especially biased towards a particular operating system and are not too concerned about the need for apps to support existing operational models. They are willing to change. App developers must be able to demonstrate proven experience of end-to-end solutions in order to win over professional purchasers. * Source: http://www.gsma.com/newsroom/press-release/one-billion-new-unique-mobile-subscribers-by-2020-gsma/ The future for professional mobile apps 3
2 Survey results in detail A variety of user organisations Survey respondents belong to a range of organisations, including police; rescue and fire brigades; ambulance and paramedics; defence and border guards; other governmental organisations; energy companies; transportation companies; and general industry The police was largest group with around 30% of respondents, followed by industry with 19% of respondents. Which organization are you from? 29.2% Police 32.3% Other 7.7% Rescue & fi re brigade 18.5% Industry 3.1% Defence or border guard 4.6% Energy sector 4.6% Other governmental organization Key finding: It is perhaps not surprising that the police sector was the most active in the survey given that it is typically the largest user group on TETRA networks and that police fo rces are most often the early adopters of new communications technology. The police sector would therefore be a good initial target for app developers. 4 The future for professional mobile apps
What professional people say about their current app use The survey asked respondents to explain in which situations they use apps. A variety of uses cases was submitted, almost as many as the number of survey respondents. Some examples of the replies give an idea of the potential for apps and include: Missing person investigation Dispatching patrols to incidents, collecting IDs from persons, cars involved, reporting on the incidents Geolocation and first aid. Save lives and get out of difficult situations Incident emergency management Field command Better location determining Faster information sharing Better and effective use of troops The future for professional mobile apps 5
Apps are already being used, but which ones? The survey asked if user organisations are already using apps regularly. The answer came back overwhelmingly yes, with only 22% of respondents not using apps at all. Messaging was the most common type of application being used daily (43% of respondents), with multimedia sharing of content, such as videos and images, being used by 34% of respondents. Meanwhile, 31% were daily accessing services on the public Internet. Does your organization already use mobile apps (on smart phones/tablets/laptops) in daily operations? Using messaging (e.g. communication in a group) Using multimedia sharing (e.g. video, pictures) Using public internet services (e.g. searching or social media) Using reporting Using positioning (e.g. location of group members on a map) Not using Using fi eld command (e.g. computer aided dispatching) Using records management (e.g. documents or evidence) Don t know If using, please specify, which apps: 18% 12% 23% 22% 19% 17% 28% 31% 34% 43% Key finding: With most survey respondents already using apps on a day-to-day basis, there is strong demand for such capabilities. This is encouraging and reveals a market ready for development by providing great apps for professional users. 6 The future for professional mobile apps
The most popular apps and devices The survey investigated which operating systems (OS) and which types of device people use. Android comes out top with 61% of respondents using it, followed by Apple ios at 44%, reflecting the global picture of OS popularity in which Android dominates. Perhaps surprisingly, the Windows OS performed well, being used by 42% of respondents, just behind ios. One reason for this could be that public safety users prefer rugged tablets that run the Windows OS. In terms of the types of device in use, consumer smartphones topped the list at 73%, with laptops the next most used at 44%. However, rugged devices also seem to be used widely, despite their relatively limited availability. In the Other category, respondents also mentioned that they use mobile apps on their TETRA radios. Which operating systems do you use with mobile apps? Which devices do you use with mobile apps? 73% 61% 42% 44% 44% 10% 17% 22% 24% 29% 15% 2% Windows Android Apple ios Don t know Other, please specify: Rugged handheld computers Rugged smart phones Consumer smart phones Rugged tablets Consumer tablets Laptops Other, please specify: Key finding: While the sheer numbers of smartphones in people s pockets mean they are being employed by professional users, there is significant demand for rugged devices that can withstand the harsh conditions of daily field use. This indicates that there may be a burgeoning market for rugged smartphones and apps geared towards these, with professional users being less concerned about the underlying OS on the device than is the case in the rather polarised consumer market. The future for professional mobile apps 7
Identifying the potential for professional mobile apps Which uses have the highest potential for apps? The survey provides some insight with respondents saying that messaging is both the most widely used capability and also the type of app with the greatest potential. Positioning is identified by respondents (44%) as the use with the next highest potential. The results also show that there is significant interest in apps for all kinds of uses no capability scored zero or near-zero for its potential. In your opinion, what are the most potential use cases for mobile apps in your organization? Please choose max three options. Messaging (e.g. communication in a group) Positioning (e.g. location of group members on a map) 44% 67% Multimedia sharing (e.g. video, pictures) Reporting Access to public internet services (e.g. searches or social media) Field command (e.g. computer aided dispatching) 38% 33% 31% 31% Records management (e.g. documents or evidence) 15% Other, please specify: 6% Key finding: There is unfulfilled demand for positioning apps for professional users and still good market potential to develop messaging apps. 8 The future for professional mobile apps
Selecting the right app and the right app vendor Professional users need to consider the pros and cons of the app itself, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the vendor selling it. The survey results show that proven experience and long lifecycle of the solution are considered to be important to selecting the app most fit for purpose from the vendor best suited to a project. Integration expertise was another requirement, with users expecting partners to show capabilities in both technical and operational integration. In your opinion, what are the most important criteria to choose the vendor of mobile broadband solutions? Please choose max three options. Vendor can deliver apps which work end to end Proven experience in critical communications solutions 50.0% 50.0% Long life-cycle of solutions Apps can be used on the latest smart devices/platforms (Android, ios, Windows) Demonstrated long-term partnership Experience in working with governmental organizations Experience in mobile apps 22.9% 22.9% 20.8% 39.6% 37.5% Large offering of different apps Other, please specify: 2.1% 6.3% International responses Responses on the German version of the survey Key finding: App developers need to be prepared to demonstrate proven experience of end-to-end solutions. The future for professional mobile apps 9
What do professional users look for in an app? The survey has found that there are four stand-out characteristics of mobile apps that professional users value the most. These are: Security and ownership of data control in own hands (56%) High reliability and availability of the service (54%) Easy to use (50%) Solutions integrated with command and control rooms (46%) Service from a trusted provider is also a priority, chosen by 38% of respondents. On the other hand, respondents are ready to change, with support for current operative models not high on the list of important app characteristics. In your opinion, what are the most important characteristics of mobile apps? Please choose max three options. Security and ownership of data - control in own hands High reliability and availability of the service Easy to use Solutions are integrated with command and control rooms 56% 54% 50% 46% Service is provided by a trusted partner 38% Solutions support existing operational models 25% Other, please specify: 2% International responses Responses on the German version of the survey 10 The future for professional mobile apps
Key finding: Professional users most value security and ownership of data, which is a requirement often not fulfilled by apps. Current apps are typically used ad hoc without being integrated in operative models. These are good pointers for developers interested in addressing the professional user app market. The future for professional mobile apps 11
Planning for the future Finally, the survey asked respondents about their organisations plans to introduce apps in the future. Notably, just one out of four respondents has no plans to implement the use of new mobile apps. Furthermore, some 17% of respondents have recently taken a new mobile app into use, with many respondents being very positive about the potential. With the majority of organisations planning for mobile apps, the potential for growth in the mission critical app market looks optimistic. Does your organization have plans to introduce new mobile apps? 27.1% No plans 2.1% Other, please specify: 6.3% Don t know 25.0% We are considering using mobile apps, no concrete plans yet 2.1% We have decided to start a small-scale trial project 6.3% We have made a decision to introduce new mobile apps in next 24 months 16.7% We have just brought a new app into use 14.6% We have made a decision to introduce new mobile apps in next 12 months Key finding: Professional users are ready for new mobile apps. 12 The future for professional mobile apps
3 Survey methodology Airbus Defence and Space conducted its survey over a three-month period from November 2015 to January 2016. 65 people responded to the survey from across the world with the biggest representation being Germany with 12 respondents. The survey was made available online and no incentives were offered to respondents to complete the survey. The survey was promoted through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and email. About the team Executive Sponsor: Tapio Savunen Survey Creation: Tapio Savunen, Mika Myllymäki, Päivi Laakso- Kuivalainen, Minna Kuronen, Tiina Saaristo Survey Implementation: Minna Kuronen Data Analysis: Tapio Savunen, Mika Myllymäki, Päivi Laakso-Kuivalainen, Tiina Saaristo Report Design: Päivi Laakso- Kuivalainen, Tiina Saaristo, Petri Bergman (Palko Design) The future for professional mobile apps 13
03/2016 Copyright 2016 Airbus Defence and Space. All rights reserved. This document is not contractual. Subject to change without notice. www.securelandcommunications.com e-mail: marketing@securelandcommunications.com For more information please contact Airbus Defence and Space Hiomotie 32 00380 Helsinki Finland T: +358 10 4080 000 e-mail: airbus-ds-marketing@airbus.com Airbus Defence and Space Wörthstraße 85 89077 Ulm Germany T: +49 (0) 731.392-0 Airbus Defence and Space MetaPole 1, bld Jean Moulin CS 40001 78996 Elancourt Cedex France T: +33 (0)1 61 38 50 00