Can O2 turn itself into a jack of all trades? Not only does O2 face a number of rivals at each level of the value chain, but its breadth of activity also raises questions of focus. (Opinion).

New Media Age, July, 2002 by Parmir Gelenbe

O2's decision to break into the mobile marketing space was met with scepticism. Now the dust has settled, it's interesting to reflect on this new direction and arguments as to why it might succeed or not. It's worth looking at the areas O2 operates in, given the degree of confusion as to who does what in the mobile marketing value chain. O2 plans to act as a:

* Media owner. It owns the exGenie (now O2) database, with 1m subscribers from all UK networks.

* Mobile marketing application service provider. With a platform to run mobile marketing pushes;

* SMS gateway. With direct connections to most UK networks, O2 is looking to resell capacity;

* Mobile marketing agency. Advising clients on the conception and delivery of campaigns;

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