In contemporary business telecommunications, we want our information fast and delivered via a reliable and respected medium. Subsequently, the rise of social media and ease of access to email has, to some extent, signalled the decline of Multi-Media Messaging.

Many business mobile users found that MMS was too expensive, time consuming and failed to create a consistent user experience, and then came the snow . . .

Everyone was doing it; whether it was uploading images to FaceBook and TwitPic or via email, the snow prompted everyone, everywhere, to want to share just how snowy it was at their house, with their nearest and dearest.

Yet lots of mobile users bypassed their favoured social media channel to communicate images and instead chose to send a picture message. Indeed, mobile retailer Orange, recorded that there were 984,000 picture message sent on the 7th of January – that is double what it would normally have been.

Who said MMS was dead?

This month sees the launch of Orange’s very own Application shop.

Since the launch of the i-Phone, Apple has had an almost hegemonic dominance of the business telecommunications market, but does this launch signify that Apple’s hungry competitors are beginning to threaten its reign?

Orange’s new application shop gives all its users – from business mobile customers to retail customers – ‘one-click’ access to a range of new services, including Orange TV, Orange Games and Orange Maps. Orange has also worked closely with the device manufacturers of BlackBerry, Symbian and Java, among others, to ensure a consistent user experience.

Whether this new Application Shop is a case of ‘too little, too late’, only time will tell.

The face of UK mobile telecoms has been undoubtedly changed by the evolving role of new media. Behind the headlines and statistics, traditional ways of making money in the wireless world have changed and new media is responsible.

Wireless operators now find themselves in unchartered territory: an ‘IP Jungle’ teeming with internet and new media predators that are poised to capture the value in growth areas which operators see as rightfully their own, such as advertising and music.

The threat is escalated by the advancing commoditisation of the mobile voice and text market, further illustrated by the launch of ‘Google Mobile’. It is vital that mobile operators continue to be consumer centric and embrace innovation if they are to maintain their position at the head of the business telecommunications market, especially against the backdrop of the compelling offers other non-traditional communication players, such as Skype, are offering.

Apple, Google, Yahoo!, Amazon and Skype may have the muscle to take on the business telecommunication industry, but they don’t have the reputation and customer insight that most business telecoms providers have established in the sector.

Nokia has announced that its smartphone portfolio is to be cut by half in preparation for 2010. Major competitors within the industry such as Apple and RIM are increasingly dominating the market, causing the share held by Nokia to diminish.

Is this collection cull a step forward for Nokia? Or does it spell the beginning of the end for the telecoms giant?

In terms of handset sales, Nokia remains a leader of the pack, selling more devices annually than the all mighty Apple. Yet, when it comes to smartphones, Nokia finds its Achilles heel. The largest profit margins are generated by smartphones due to their high quality applications which attract a high selling price. Every manufacturer worth their salt is guaranteed success if their smartphone box is ticked.

Since the introduction of the iconic iPhone, the smartphone world has shifted dramatically. The simple, ingenious design offered welcome relief from the bulky and complicated N95, placing the iPhone in the same realm as the well respected BlackBerry, leaving Nokia somewhat behind.

The Nokia/Apple power struggle has long been a continuous battle. Recent reports have noted that Nokia’s flagship store in Regent Street is due to close. Its prime location is flawed; it is situated directly opposite the Apple store which is said to welcome a huge amount of visitors through its doors each day. Whilst this closure must be a sad moment for Nokia, it could also be a time of opportunity. With their history of success, they can only draw on their expertise and slowly work towards re-gaining their hold within the smartphone market.

In some respects, a more concentrated smartphone range could be good for Nokia. The ‘less is more’ approach will allow them to specialise within a few key models ensuring up-to-the-minute technology and state-of-the-art design. This focused collection could also attract customers who were previously left dazed and confused by the variety on offer.

In reflection, one can’t help but offer cautionary words of advice. Nokia has built its reputation around the simple fact that they provide a vast array of different handsets; in 2009 they released 20 smartphones. Once upon a time their large selection gave them the upper hand when compared to their adversaries but as Apple proved, one all encompassing smartphone can easily knock the socks off twenty not-so-simple models.

We now live in a world where everything has to be accessible, simple and fast in order to be a success. Nokia must tread carefully.