America Movil Partners with Appia for the launch of ‘iApps’ (Latin America)
Wireless service provider America Movil, has announced the launch of its iApps Application Stores powered by Appia, bringing a vast catalog of apps and games to all America Movil subscribers across Latin America. According to company reports, the iApps Application Stores are now available through America Movil’s operating partners Claro, Comcel, and Telcel reaching over 240 million mobile subscribers in 18 countries across Latin America including Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
Marco Quatorze, Director of Value Added Services, America Movil, has said that with the launch of the Application Stores powered by Appia to all America Movil subscribers, Apps are now available to the majority of Latin American Mobile subscribers. Further, Appia’s carrier-grade solution enabled them to quickly roll out the largest Application Store across Latin America.
Appia’s Application Catalog includes thousands of applications and games for Android, BlackBerry, Symbian, and Java phones. The iApps Application Stores include both paid and free applications such as social media, news, weather and sports apps in Spanish, English and Portuguese. Leading application developers including Rovio and Gameloft are distributing their app through the iApps Application store, along with internationally recognized application developers including Facebook, Electronic Arts, and MocoSpace.
Lukasz Deszczulka, Executive VP Marketing, Tequila Mobile, has said that America Movil’s iApps Application Stores have been a great source of traffic for them. Also, the Latin American apps market is growing rapidly, and Appia and America Movil have made it incredibly easy to reach users and generate downloads.
Jud Bowman, CEO, Appia, has said that Appia is excited to partner with America Movil to bring apps to the hundreds of millions of mobile subscribers in North, Central and South America. As app use continues to grow globally, Latin American is a phenomenal opportunity for application distribution and we expect tremendous growth in app consumption.
Globe Telecom launches new apps portal under ‘MyAppsMall’ (Philippines)
Philippines telecom operator Globe has partnered with parent company Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel), in bringing to the country ‘MyAppsMall’, a new apps store enabling customers to search, purchase and download mobile applications and games in a single portal.
According to company reports, Globe prepaid and postpaid subscribers will be able to avail this service for free. MyAppsMall offers a combination of over 20,000 free and paid apps ranging from games, entertainment, social networking, productivity, lifestyle, sports, news, finance, and weather and is accessible via mobile browser (m.apps.globe.com.ph) or via PC web browser (apps.globe.com.ph).
Once registered, users can personalize their homepage with social networking sites, emails, news updates and RSS feeds. Users will also be provided with a free MyApps email account for an easier and more secure access.
In order to make the user experience more enjoyable, MyAppsMall can be accessed via a single portal, eliminating the need for users to go to multiple sites just to search for various applications that suit their interests. Its cross-platform support lets users find content suited specific to their mobile device, whether Android, Symbian, Java or BlackBerry.
Further, in an attempt to offer convenience to users, purchasing apps on the MyAppsMall do not necessitate a credit card. The amount purchased will be automatically charged to the users Globe prepaid or postpaid bill.
MyAppsMall also provides an exclusive platform for application developers to create, distribute and monetize their apps to an international market, making content available not only to the Philippines but also to the rest of the region covered by SingTel via its multiple market base.
Through the operator billing capability, subscribers from other SingTel affiliates can also purchase content from MyAppsMall, while subscribers from networks outside the SingTel Group can still buy apps using their credit cards. This further widens potential market for local developers, exposing their creations to a vast audience from around the world.
Glenn Estrella, Head, Globe Digital Media, has said that they are very excited with this new offering for their subscribers, leveraging on their strong affiliation with SingTel. Through MyAppsMall, their subscribers get the best mobile browsing experience by getting exclusive access to their apps of choice. Purchase for paid apps is so convenient and worry-free with the secure billing platform, with costs directly charged to user’s prepaid load or postpaid account.
Further, with this innovation, Globe and SingTel are also helping expose Filipino talent and creativity to the global market by tapping local developers and allowing them to sell their apps and services. With the MyAppsMall portal, there is indeed everything for everyone, and with Globe, everyone can enjoy it their way.
MTN starts off Just4U reward campaign (Ghana)
MTN Ghana has introduced ‘MTN Just4U’ campaign for rewarding its existing subscribers. The launch of MTN Just4U is stated as a gift from MTN to its customers for their continued loyalty towards the brand. As per the company, they want their customers to facilitate all the subscription benefits with innovative offers. The company said that customers can look forward to more exciting offers and rewards on the network in the future.
The telecom company stated that while drafting MTN Just4U, the requirements of the existing users were kept in mind. MTN Just4U has focused on several criteria varying from tenure, average revenue generated by per user, and lifestyle. The company informed that MTN Just4U comprises of several lucrative offers including benefits on recharge, free airtime, etc.
The company is pitching for another milestone with the launch of MTN Just4U. It has a positive outlook regarding the success of the reward campaign just like its other successful launches, including the offers on Blackberry platform and the launch of the MTN Directory service for hassle free access to names and address of organizations, institutions, among others.
Mobile data bill to never cross US$ 23.5 per month with Globe (Philippines)
Globe telecom, a leading mobile network provider in Philippines, has launched the new Globe Postpaid PowerSurf, enabling its subscribers to stay connected to the internet via their mobile while saving on data charges.
According to company reports, PowerSurf 99 offers users 50MB of data for US$ 2.3 allowing them to do 1,200 Google searches, tweet 1,600 times, or tag 250 Facebook photos. Further, users can also subscribe to PowerSurf 299 which has 300MB of data for US$ 7 or PowerSurf 499 which gives users 1GB of data for US$ 11.7.
In the event that a user exceeds the usage of their PowerSurf Plan’s MB allocation, they will never be charged more than US$ 23.5 a month, thus offering users unrestricted access to mobile data without worrying about bill shock.
Hence, users can log on and off as much as they want so as to update Facebook, post a tweet, receive push e-mail, search Google or even watch Youtube videos, as they will never be charged ahead of US$ 23.5 for the month, irrespective of the plan opted for.
Joanna Africa, Head for Portfolio Management, Globe has said that bill shock has always been a concern for most of their postpaid subscribers who surf the internet using their mobile phones. Their new worry-free plans, headlined by the US$ 23.5 bill cap, show that Globe truly values superior customer experience by proactively addressing bill shock and helping subscribers cope with their data usage. Further, with the bill cap on PowerSurf in place, they give their postpaid subscribers peace of mind when they surf on their handsets – may it be an iPhone, Android or BlackBerry. For as long as they are registered to any of the PowerSurf plans, they can enjoy mobile browsing without racking up an expensive bill.
Apple and Samsung lead smartphone shipments in 2011
The demand for smartphones around the world continues to witness a rise as users across segments have been increasingly replacing traditional handsets with smartphones by Samsung and Apple. According to a report by IDC, the worldwide smartphone market went up by 55 per cent in Q4 2011, largely driven by the demand for the Apple iPhone 4S.
As per the report, around 492 million smartphones were shipped in 2011, a 61 per cent rise from 305 million units in 2010. Apart from the introduction of high and medium-end devices by telecom giants Samsung and Apple, affordable handsets by these firms have gone a long way in increasing their presence in the market.
South Korea’s Samsung emerged as the leading smartphone maker for 2011, with the launch of its successful range of the Galaxy series, primarily the Galaxy SII and Galaxy Nexus. The Apple iPhone 4S helped the US manufacturer maintain its market position as well as set a new shipment volume record for a quarter.
Smartphone vendor Nokia attempted to gain back some its market share with the launch of its Windows Phones, the Lumia 710 and Lumia 800, while BlackBerry maker, Research in Motion (RIM), is still working towards recovering from the losses caused due its network outage and hopes to release its updated handset by the end of the year. Taiwanese handset maker, HTC also saw a decline in the volumes shipped in the fourth quarter as compared to the previous quarter.
SingTel launches global cloud-based service (Singapore)
Mobile operator SingTel has launched a global cloud-based service that enables companies to secure, control and manage corporate data and mobile devices of their employees, regardless of their location. The SingTel Mobility Device Manager (MDM) service, enables companies to manage devices of different mobile OS and ensure information security for mobile devices used by their workforce. This includes company-issued devices, as well as those belonging to employees.
According to company reports, Bill Chang, Executive Vice President (Business Group), SingTel has said that they are seeing a surge in the number of companies that allow their employees to bring their own mobile devices for work. In fact, the use of smartphones for business activities worldwide is projected to grow by 116 per cent by 2014. This opens up new security issues, particularly for companies with regional operations. With SingTel MDM, companies can secure data through security policy settings and governance, control on devices, manage apps deployment and control cost through usage policy management. These can all be done via the simple-to-use web-based portal.
Further, in the event of the loss or theft of an employee’s mobile device, an administrator can remotely lock the device or selectively erase corporate data to prevent market sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands. Administrators can determine the location of the missing devices and remotely deploy and track apps downloads within the enterprise. They are also able to configure and provision the devices over-the-air.
The report alsoreveals that SingTel MDM is compatible with all mobile OS platforms including iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, Symbian and Windows Mobile. In addition, it is independent of the location and mobile network, thus facilitating the seamless control of mobile devices globally.
Chang added that as SingTel MDM is offered on a monthly subscription basis, companies do not need to make upfront investments in equipment and can avoid the ongoing costs of managing and maintaining complex systems and hardware. This allows them to improve their productivity, increase business agility and reduce their operating costs significantly.
RIM writes off tablet inventory of US$ 485 million (Canada)
BlackBerry maker, Research In Motion (RIM), is reportedly writing off the pre-tax charge of US$ 485 million for the declining value of its Playbook tablets. According to company reports, the tablet that was previously priced at US$ 500 is now selling for US$ 200.
The Canadian company reportedly said that it shipped 150,000 Playbooks in the third quarter with the actual number of sales being slightly higher due to previous shipments. The company also added that it shipped 500,000 tablets in the first quarter followed by 200,000 in the second.
Further, according to reports, RIM has also said that it sold 14.1 million BlackBerrys in the third quarter, beating analysts’ expectations. The company also said that it expects earnings at the low to mid point of the previously forecasted $1.20 to $1.40 per share.
RIM plans new business solution supporting multiple devices (Canada)
BlackBerry maker, Research In Motion (RIM) has reportedly come out with a new software solution for its business customers which will enable them to manage different devices running on Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android along with BlackBerry devices.
According to reports, Alan Panezic, vice president (platform product management), RIM, has said that the BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, as the device-management software is known, will be available in the first quarter and can run alongside or replace the BlackBerry Enterprise Server networks, RIM now operates for companies and government agencies. He added that this is a really, really important strategic move and that RIM is conducting trials with financial- services, manufacturing and pharmaceutical companies.
However, as per sources, industry analysts believe that while this is a very good solution for the corporate houses, where the BlackBerry is rapidly being replaced by iPhones and Android powered smartphones, to manage their services from a single web console; the solution may still not address RIM’s primary concern of declining sale volumes.
Orange and BNP Paribas launch m-banking services (France)
Leading telecommunications operator Orange France has reportedly launched the first mobile banking service in the country in collaboration with BNP Paribus. According to reports, the service enables users to manage their accounts as well as make payments through a number of applications using their mobile phones. As per sources the smartphones offer with the service include the Acer Liquid Express, BlackBerry Curve 9360 and Samsung Galaxy Cityzi phones, among others.
Reports reveal that Francois Villeroy de Galhau, head of retail banking, BNP Paribas had said at the time of the agreement that through this partnership they would create a new way of managing bank transactions. Further, Orange’s expertise will enable them to offer all their customers mobile banking making BNP Paribas the first mobile bank in France.
