Elisa R&D

Elisa R&D acts as a forerunner and trendsetter, securing the group?s future. Elisa R&D develops know-how and competence that lead to new business activities. Competence and expertise support the business? product development and the group?s long-term options.

Operating environment

Important trends in 2005 were IP technologies, development of terminals, the customer-oriented approach and the serviceoriented architecture. Customer-focused research, which takes the user?s perspective into account, had a key role in creating new services. New services were developed and piloted in collaboration with Elisa?s customers.

Research cooperation

Elisa R&D actively took part in Finnish and international research projects. Domestic partners included universities, higher education institutions, the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and innovative companies.

The greatest investment target in long-term research was MobiLife, the EU?s large-scale sixth generation framework project. MobiLife investigates everyday applications and services enabled by technological development from a usercentric point of view. The key areas of study included personalisation and adaptable interfaces, as well as privacy, security and trust.

Elisa was one of the initiators of Forum Virium Helsinki, a cluster project concerned with digital content and services, which gathered together the various producers of service packages to jointly carry out research and development in a real environment. The aim of the first Forum Virium project, called Finnish MobileTV Forum, was to establish a cluster of enterprises developing mobile TV services and to introduce commercial services to the market.

Another important new form of cooperation was Dimes Association, which promotes the development of technology and service innovations related to the ICT field in Finland. One of the founders of Dimes, Elisa is responsible for the Service Oriented Systems program and the project related to infra services for e-business and electronic customer service.

Major events in 2005

During 2005 Elisa actively participated in the Finnish Government?s Information Society programme and its various development projects. Veli-Matti Mattila, President and CEO, is a member of the Finnish Information Society Council led by the Prime Minister.

Elisa?s Navitas service gives professionals in the social and healthcare sector access to the customer and treatment data stored in electronic format in their respective information systems. Sufficiently complete and up-to-date data may significantly improve the quality of healthcare, its correct timing and economic efficiency, and improve the safety of the customers and their geographic equality.

In association with Finnish television, and content and mobile communication companies, Elisa participated in a pilot project that collected end-users? experiences with mobile phone TV. The project involved 500 test users. This service, known as IP-datacast, is based on the DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcast -Handheld) standard. Together with its partners, Elisa also developed novel services built on the DVB-H network, such as communal services allowing people to share self-made content with others, and visual radio broadcasts together with SBS Finland Oy.

As a measure of enhancing customer-centeredness, the R&D unit was relocated into the business units at the end of 2005.