All ideas are great - except the bad ones.
The problem lies in knowing which is which...
Now it’s easy to find out. With Testbed Botnia you can decide which ideas are likely to fail and which have a good chance of working. We make it possible for good ideas both to reach the market and to become a success. Our own approach is to offer you the chance to test ideas, services and products together with real users in real environments. Primarily we are talking about mobile services of all kinds.
Technology that suits the end-user
We focus primarily on mobile services and we are convinced that these need greater adaptation to the real needs of end-users, and as end-users are the same as customers, it is up to them to decide how successful your idea can be. Before you launch your concept or product onto the entire market on a large scale, we recommend first of all testing your technology and its applications on a small scale with a representative group drawn from your customers. This is good for everybody - especially your idea.
Our idea is tried and tested
Our idea is not new; it has been around since 1999, when two projects, Arena and e-Street, were launched at CDT, the Centre for Distance-spanning Technology; these have now developed into Testbed Botnia. Some 10 different service tests have been conducted, among them the mobile queue at the bank, road traffic information over SMS, location-based commercials and live sport over the Internet.
Unique for Testbed Botnia is the end-users
These are the “test-pilots” and today number over 5900, and we aim to have at least 10 000 shortly. Test-pilots are private persons that have registered voluntarily as they are curious technology friends of all ages.
They meet at www.testplats.com. It is their virtual meeting place where they take part in new tests and new test-pilot register. The web page is actively promoted to attract more test-pilots continuously.
Let the test-pilots evaluate in one or several steps
From idea to prototype to products – all under our supervision and with real users in every step. We conduct conceptual tests and user tests of prototypes and pre-commercial services and products. The tests can be a continuous activity in the process of bringing the idea to a ready-to-launch service. It can also be conducted in the form of questionnaires, focus groups etc. Whatever you would like to investigate or test, the answer is found at Testbed Botnia.
Our idea for technology and evalutation
Testbed Botnia is one of Sweden’s first and largest open testbeds for mobile services. It is geographically located in the northern Swedish towns of Luleå, Skellefteå and Umeå, but tests are conducted all over Sweden. Our most important assets are, apart from the end-users, the technical platform and the unique evaluation method – developed in co-operation with scientific researchers.
The technical platform is designed as a service network with service nodes and with a consistent interface and easy access. The service nodes are accessed from the applications over an interface. Application suppliers can easily connect their application servers to the local network or be granted access over the Internet.
The network also supports various functions such as test administration, logging and evaluation. Qualified technical support is available to install and configure technical components in the network, as well as trouble-shooting during the execution of tests.
Through the partners of Testbed Botnia a large scale of different technology is available, such as: Digital-TV, different cellular systems, broadband access etc.
Within the geographical area of Testbed Botnia there is a wide network of different suppliers of technology and content.
A research network is available in the city centres and campus areas in Luleå, Skellefteå and Umeå, intended for advanced technology tests of the latest technology. In this network really broadband services or new technical components can be tested. Technological solutions such as Mobile IPv6, PKI and W-LAN are important building blocks.
Consulting and evaluation are part of the knowledge that all persons involved in the operation possess – and are willing to share with the companies interested in using the test environment. This is about know-how in project management, user behaviour and evaluations.
Behavioural scientists and researchers at the universities in Luleå and Umeå take part and contribute their knowledge and experience – thereby ensuring seriousness and high quality.
The Department of Technical Psychology at LTU and UCIT (Umeå Center for Interaction Technology) at Umeå University are responsible for technical evaluation. Examples of tests that can be conducted are: service usability, end-user behaviour, willingness to pay, user patterns and user satisfaction.
A good idea is to progress by testing
It is easy to get better information. Independent of the phase you are in, there is a suitable test which answers the important questions. It is as suitable to start with a concept test and follow the process all the way to launch as to do single evaluations and tests.
During the entire time you have access to our technology, our test pilots and our behavioural scientists and researchers.
Unique idea with strong partners
Behind Testbed Botnia are some of the strongest Swedish and international actors in telecom. The main responsible partner is CDT, Centre for Distance-Spanning Technology, a project organisation within Luleå University of Technology. All partners are financiers and thereby owners at the same time as they contribute with their competence. From previous projects there are networks with some hundred different content suppliers, ranging from restaurants, retailers, banks, hotels to sport clubs, theatres and authorities.
Is it an idea to contact us?
Maybe you are already working with future commercial applications in MMS, 3G, broadband or terrestrial digital-TV. Maybe you are just curious and want to know more. Or you want to know more about how new technology can create new business opportunities and make your communication more effective. If so, then it is a good idea to contact us!
