Client Case Study

Swisscom Mobile Labs: 

User Participation Accelerates Product Development

The Assembly
The result was the creation of Swisscom Mobile Labs
(http://labs.swisscom-mobile.ch/), an innovative web
platform and testing environment that allows Swiss-
com Mobile users to influence the way products are
designed. Assembled by Optaros in only six weeks, the
site enables Swisscom Mobile to engage its custom-
ers to help improve new products and bring them to
market quickly.
“The ability to post a beta prod- Swisscom Mobile
uct and have hundreds of power Labs is an example
users respond with feedback of an Innovation
in the next 72 hours is a huge Community—an en-
advantage. It means we can vironment aimed at
bring better products to market accelerating product
faster—with a fresh perspective, development while
and ideas we never would have identifying features
come up with on our own.” that customers
prefer and are
“Now we’re able to drive out the willing to pay for.
The Company uncertainly so when a new prod-
With 4.6 million customers, Swisscom Mobile is the uct is ready for launch, we know “The ability to post
market leader for mobile phone services in Switzerland. we have a winner.” a beta product and
The company is constantly developing new products have hundreds of
– Felix Köppl,
and services in order to continue to exceed customer Product Manager, power users re-
expectations and outshine the competition. Swisscom Mobile spond with feed-
back in the next
The Challenge 72 hours is a huge advantage. It means we can bring
In a dynamic, rapidly evolving market such as mobile better products to market faster—with a fresh perspec-
communications, companies are finding that traditional tive, and ideas we never would have come up with on
development cycles take too long and cost too much. our own,” explains Felix Köppl, Product Manager at
Swisscom Mobile decided to take a different approach: Swisscom Mobile.
to use customer feedback to change the way prod-
ucts are developed, tested, and brought to market. By Swisscom Mobile subscribers are notified by RSS feed
making beta products available for downloading and when a new beta product is available for downloading
evaluation, Swisscom Mobile would be able to tap into and evaluation. Users can rate the new product, view
the expertise of users and receive valuable feedback aggregate ratings from other users, submit comments,
quickly to impact new product decisions. suggest improvements, and discuss the offerings with

© Copyright Optaros, Inc. 2007. All Rights Reserved. | www.optaros.com

their peers. The Ajax interface allows users to see the
latest results immediately, without having to refresh the
page.

The project began with an Optaros workshop to share developing, testing, and proliferating products and ser-
ideas about how Swisscom Mobile could take advan- vices while leveraging customer feedback. Optaros can
tage of Web 2.0 technology. Optaros assembled the deliver comprehensive Web 2.0 services for building a
Swisscom Mobile lively innovation community, from initial workshops to
Key Components (all Open Source): Labs web platform identify opportunities and business benefits, to rec-
• Java Framework using Spring using its OptAM ommending the right open source components, fast
and JavaServer Faces (JSF) methodology that design and deployment, hosting, and ongoing support.
• Ajax Frameworks for Java allows rapid assem-
• Alfresco Java Content bly of web 2.0 solu- “Developing a new product has always carried an
Repository (JSR-170 tions by integrating element of risk,” concludes Swisscom Mobile’s Felix
implementation) proven open source Köppl. “Will subscribers embrace it? Does it have the
• Apache Tomcat application components. “We features they want? Will they recommend it to their
server and webserver are very excited friends? Now we’re able to drive out the uncertainly so
• Webservices for integration about the quality of when a new product is ready for launch, we know we
with messaging back end the application and have a winner.”
• Nagios, RT, and Track for the speed in which
support the solution has About Optaros
been developed and Optaros, an international consulting and systems
put into production,” observers Stefan Mauron, Head of integration firm, assembles fully supported, Next Gen-
Strategic Initiatives at Swisscom Mobile. eration Internet (NGI) solutions that deliver superior
business performance. The unique Optaros Assembly
The assembly is based entirely on open source soft- Methodology (OptAM) leverages Open Source, Service
ware, incorporating Web 2.0 technologies such as Oriented Architectures, rich interface design and a
Ajax for interactive applications, Alfresco’s repository global collaborative delivery model to assemble solu-
content, and other frameworks and components. In tions faster and more flexibly than traditional build, buy
addition to building the assembly, Optaros hosts the or rent options. Optaros serves over 70 clients includ-
platform and provides support. As with the assembly ing ABB, Biogen, Gtech, Merck/Serono, Movielink,
components, all support tools are open source, includ- Swisscom, Swiss Supreme Court, The New York Times,
ing Nagios, RT, and Track. and many others. For more about Optaros, go to www.
optaros.com.
The Results
Since going live in September 2006, visits and feed-
back have far exceeded expectations. More than 6,000
subscribers visited the site in the first month, and Contact Optaros:
more than 500 users per day on average have visited United States: Brian Otis, email: botis@optaros.com
since the site was launched. As anticipated, user feed- phone: (617) 227-1855 x8110
back has made an impact. “Today we can launch new 
products much faster than previously possible,” Köppl Switzerland: Kay Flieger, email: kflieger@optaros.com
phone: +41 22 731 84 20
notes. 
Germany: Lutz Seeger, email: lseeger@optaros.com
One of the first known Web 2.0 offerings in Switzerland, phone: +49 (0)89 59 08- 21 23
Swisscom Mobile Labs illustrates a new approach for

© Copyright Optaros, Inc. 2007. All Rights Reserved. | www.optaros.com