Nokia Money due to launch soon

On 11.12.09, In Mobile, By Editor
Nokia is attempting to create a multi-bank, multi-operator and multi-device collaboration on mobile banking.
Nokia’s mobile banking and payment service is expected to be commercially available in its first market in Q1 2010, though no location details have been revealed yet.
According to Teppo Paavola, vice president, GM mobile financial services, Nokia cannot reveal any details until a banking partner is confirmed. It is learnt that the service requires a banking license before it can be launched.
Nokia said its target is to have 300 million active users of its services by the end of 2011; the number is expected to be 80 million by the end of 2009.
Paavola said the service will enable un-banked people in emerging markets to transfer money, top up prepaid mobile services, pay bills, carry out online transactions, and pay merchants.
Global mobile payments market is expected to be worth €18 billion by 2014 – €12 billion from emerging markets and €6 billion from developed markets.
Approaches to mobile banking so far have lacked scale and have not worked across operators and across banks.
Nokia therefore plans to drive the collaboration on an open financial ecosystem, with Nokia Money at its core. Paavola added that it has taken a long time to get all the players together, from banks through to mobile operators.
The Nokia Money application will not only be pre-loaded but could be sideloaded, or downloaded later.
Nokia will also be able to provide the physical distribution channel that is critical for the service to work. For example, Nokia handset sellers can be turned into Nokia Money agents, providing the devices, the application, and the ability to handle cash.

Nokia is attempting to create a multi-bank, multi-operator and multi-device collaboration on mobile banking, a service dubbed Nokia Money.

Nokia’s mobile banking and payment service is expected to be commercially available in its first market in Q1 2010, though no location details have been revealed yet.

According to Teppo Paavola, vice president, GM mobile financial services, Nokia cannot reveal any details until a banking partner is confirmed. It is learnt that the service requires a banking license before it can be launched.

Nokia said its target is to have 300 million active users of its services by the end of 2011.

Paavola said the service will enable un-banked people in emerging markets to transfer money, top up prepaid mobile services, pay bills, carry out online transactions, and pay merchants.

Global mobile payments market is expected to be worth €18 billion by 2014 – €12 billion from emerging markets and €6 billion from developed markets.

Approaches to mobile banking so far have lacked scale and have not worked across operators and across banks.  Nokia therefore plans to drive the collaboration on an open financial ecosystem, with Nokia Money at its core.

The Nokia Money application will not only be pre-loaded but could be sideloaded, or downloaded later.

Nokia will also be able to provide the physical distribution channel that is critical for the service to work. For example, Nokia handset sellers can be turned into Nokia Money agents, providing the devices, the application, and the ability to handle cash.

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Orange & T-mobile get approvals to merge. UK’s largest Mobile Operator is now in the making.

On 11.12.09, In Mobile, By Editor

The proposed merger between Orange and T-Mobile gets all the nods from competition authorities and government bodies in UK and Europe. This signals the creation of UKs largest mobile operator with 30 million users and a market share of around 37 percent.

Timotheus Höttges, the CFO of Deutsche Telekom said- “The negotiations were conducted in a fair way and I am certain that this spirit of professionalism and partnership will shape the future of our joint venture. It will set new standards as number one in UK mobile market.”

Of late, T-mobile has faired well but Orange has been fairing below expectations with its fixed broadband customer base dwindling to below the 1 million mark.

Most analysts believe that the merger will allow the companies to better leverage their synergies and develop competitive synergies in high growth sectors such as mobile broadband and roll out innovative services.

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Samsung launches Bada mobile platform

On 11.12.09, In Mobile, By Editor
Samsung hopes to extend its app store offering to a wider range of handsets, including less sophisticated feature phones and entry level smartphones.
The Korean technology giant said Bada — which means “ocean” — was a new addition to the company’s mobile ecosystem and would give users a “fun and diverse mobile experience”.
Samsung said it chose the name to “convey the limitless variety of potential applications” that can be created using the new platform, and to demonstrate the company’s commitment to “a variety of open platforms in the mobile industry”.
It also offers mobile operators an easy-to-integrate platform that can be used to provide “unique and differentiated services to their customers”, said Samsung.
“By opening Samsung’s mobile platforms we will be able to provide rich mobile experiences on an increasing number of accessible smartphones,” said Dr Hosoo Lee, an executive vice president at Samsung. “Bada will be Samsung’s landmark, iconic new platform that brings an unprecedented opportunity for operators, developers and Samsung mobile phone users around the world.”
Samsung’s current smartphone range runs the open-source Symbian operating system and the Google-backed Android platform. Carolina Milanesi, a research director at Gartner, said Samsung’s decision to develop and use its own platform for entry-level smartphones was its attempt to “differentiate its products from the competition.”
But Geoff Blaber, an analyst with CCS Insight, questioned Samsung’s thinking: “The big question is, does the mobile phone world need yet another operating system?,” he said.

Samsung hopes to give users a ”fun and diverse mobile experience” on a wider range of handsets, including less sophisticated feature phones and entry level smartphones via its newly created mobile platform dubbed “Bada”. Bada means Ocean in Korean.

Samsung said it chose the name to “convey the limitless variety of potential applications” that can be created using the new platform, and to demonstrate the company’s commitment to “a variety of open platforms in the mobile industry”.

It also offers mobile operators an easy-to-integrate platform that can be used to provide “unique and differentiated services to their customers”, said Samsung.

“By opening Samsung’s mobile platforms we will be able to provide rich mobile experiences on an increasing number of accessible smartphones,” said Dr Hosoo Lee,  executive vice president at Samsung. ”Bada will be Samsung’s landmark, iconic new platform that brings an unprecedented opportunity for operators, developers and Samsung mobile phone users around the world.”

One can’t help but ask – Does the world need another mobile operating system?

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Wataniya finally launches in West Bank.

On 11.12.09, In Mobile, By Editor
Wataniya Mobile finally began operations after months of disputes with Israel. This will break Paltels monopoly and is likely to drive down prices.
Qtel owns 57% of Wataniya Palestine and the remainder is owned by  the public Palestine Investment Fund. Wataniya has invested USD 100 Million already and a further $700m is planned over the next decade.
Current penetration in the west bank is only 35% which Wireless Federation expects to go up rapidly following the launch of Wataniya. Paltel currently has 1.5 million Palestinian subscribers.
Wataniya said it has received only 3.8MHz of bandwidth from Israel, instead of the 4.8MHz that had been promised. Without this Wataniya will not be able to launch 3G services.

Wataniya Mobile finally began operations after months of disputes with Israel. This will break Paltels monopoly and is likely to drive down prices.

Qtel owns 57% of Wataniya Palestine and the remainder is owned by  the public Palestine Investment Fund. Wataniya has invested USD 100 Million already and a further $700m is planned over the next decade.

Current penetration in the west bank is only 35% which Wireless Federation expects to go up rapidly following the launch of Wataniya. Paltel currently has 1.5 million Palestinian subscribers.

Wataniya said it has received only 3.8MHz of bandwidth from Israel, instead of the 4.8MHz that had been promised. Without this Wataniya will not be able to launch 3G services.

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Apple: World’s most profitable Handset Vendor

On 11.12.09, In Mobile, By Editor
According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, Apple became the world’s most profitable handset vendor in Q3 2009. Nokia slipped into second position, as margins have been hit hard by both the economic downturn and a stagnant presence in the United States.
Alex Spektor, Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “We estimate Apple’s operating profit for its iPhone handset division stood at $1.6 billion in the third quarter of 2009. Apple overtook Nokia for the first time, which recorded a lower $1.1 billion of operating profit. With strong volumes, high wholesale prices and tight cost controls, the PC vendor has successfully broken into the mobile phone market in just two years.”
Neil Mawston, Director of the Wireless Device Strategies service (WDS) at Strategy Analytics, added, “Nokia’s profit margin for its handset division has been shrinking during the 2009 global economic downturn. Strategy Analytics believes that the United States, where Nokia now trails Apple in marketshare, is the key to Nokia’s recovery in 2010. A successful fight on Apple’s high-profit home turf can simultaneously help to revitalize Nokia’s margins and to put a check on Apple’s surging growth.”

Apple became the world’s most profitable handset vendor in Q3 2009, according to industry estimates. Nokia slipped into second position.

Apple’s operating profit for its iPhone handset division stood at $1.6 billion in the third quarter of 2009.

Apple overtook Nokia for the first time. Nokia recorded a lower $1.1 billion of operating profit.

Apple has successfully gate crashed the Mobile party and made its mark in just 2 years.

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Vodafone Czech Republic ARPU at USD 30

On 11.12.09, In Mobile, By Editor

Vodafone Czech Republic achieved 49,000 net customers additions between July – September 2009, the largest quarterly growth in 2009. Net customer growth for January-September was 92,000 users.

The operator has over 2.984 million mobile subscribers as on 30 September, up 5.5 percent year-on-year.

Postpay subscribers stood at 1.54 million approx.

Mobile ARPU reported is CZK 522 or USD 30 approx.

Aside from key Stats:  Vodafone CZ is promoting a free MMS offer where it will offer 77 free MMS messages per month for the next four months for its subscribers. Customers need to apply for the bundle, which will continue after the free period with a monthly fee.

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Globul Bulgaria launches discounted bundle offers

On 11.12.09, In Mobile, By Editor

Bulgaria’s Globul announced that it will offer a 5% reduction to mobile subscribers who also take out the Globul Landline service. also a 10% reduction will be offered to those who take the Mobile Internet Package as well.

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Vodafone fined for spamming in Australia

On 11.12.09, In Mobile, By Editor
VODAFONE Hutchison Australia and Coke have become been caught by an anti-spam law, prompting the Australian government to re-iterate that it will strongly impose the six-year-old law.
Vodafone agreed to pay $110,000 after it sent 100,000 text messages to Vodafone customers last October as part of a marketing campaign for Coca-Cola. Where the law is breached, the regulator has several options, including a formal warning, an enforceable undertaking, fines of up to $110,000 a day, and Federal Court action in the most extreme cases.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority investigated whether the messages breached the 2003 Spam Act because they did not give recipients a means to unsubscribe or contact the sender.
The messages was: ”Take a hint from your PC and reboot. You’ll work faster. Reclaim your lunch hour with a friend. Escape with a Coca-Cola lunch break.”
The payment was part of an enforceable undertaking by Vodafone Hutchison, which owns Vodafone, and the marketing companies New Dialogue and Big Mobile.
Vodafone Hutchison agreed to pay but it stated that it would continue marketing campaigns via mobile phones.
Interestingly, last month the Federal Court fined companies and individuals $15.75 million for spam text messages targeted at users of a dating website.

VODAFONE Hutchison Australia and Coke have become been caught by an anti-spam law, prompting the Australian government to re-iterate that it will strongly impose the six-year-old law.

Vodafone agreed to pay $110,000 after it sent 100,000 text messages to Vodafone customers last October as part of a marketing campaign for Coca-Cola. Where the law is breached, the regulator has several options, including a formal warning, an enforceable undertaking, fines of up to $110,000 a day, and Federal Court action in the most extreme cases.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority investigated whether the messages breached the 2003 Spam Act because they did not give recipients a means to unsubscribe or contact the sender.

The messages was: ”Take a hint from your PC and reboot. You’ll work faster. Reclaim your lunch hour with a friend. Escape with a Coca-Cola lunch break.”

The payment was part of an enforceable undertaking by Vodafone Hutchison, which owns Vodafone, and the marketing companies New Dialogue and Big Mobile.

Vodafone Hutchison agreed to pay but it stated that it would continue marketing campaigns via mobile phones.

Interestingly, last month the Federal Court fined companies and individuals $15.75 million for spam text messages targeted at users of a dating website.

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