Qtel launches mhealth service (Qatar)

On 01.06.12, In Mobile, By Editor

Telecommunications provider Qtel has reportedly launched a mobile health service enabling users in Iraq, Palestine and Kuwait to receive personalized health tips on their mobile phones. According to reports, the telecom operator will organize mhealth workshops in partnership with GSMA in an attempt to raise awareness and reach out to more customers.

As per sources, the operator believes that mobile health helps provide people living in remote areas access to necessary medical information. Reports reveal that Dr. Craig Fridericks, Director (Health), GSMA, said that they are working with mobile network operators (MNO) worldwide to highlight how they can implement mHealth initiatives into the market that will offer significant health and lifestyle benefits to end users.

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Digicel rolls out mobile money service in Samoa

On 03.24.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Digicel has launched the Digicel Mobile Money service in Samoa. The service enables customers to use their mobile phones as electronic wallets, conduct money transfers, deposit or withdraw cash from their e-wallets, to buy and send top-ups, and to pay utility bills.

The Digicel Mobile Money service has been developed with the support of the Central Bank of Samoa, the United Nations Pacific Financial Inclusion Fund (PFIP) and the GSM Association (GSMA).

 

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World’s leading mobile operators announce commitment to NFC technology

On 02.22.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Many of the world’s leading operators, including America Movil, Axiata Group Berhad, Bharti, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, KT Corporation, MTS, Orange, Qtel Group, SK Telecom, SOFTBANK MOBILE, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, Telekom Austria Group, Telenor and Vodafone, have voiced their commitment to implementing Near Field Communications (NFC) technology, and intend to launch commercial NFC services in select markets by 2012.

“NFC is perhaps best known for its role in enabling mobile payments, but its applications go far beyond that,” said Franco Bernabe, Chairman, GSMA and CEO, Telecom Italia.  ”NFC represents an important innovation opportunity, and will facilitate a wide range of interesting services and applications for consumers, such as mobile ticketing, mobile couponing, the exchange of information and content, control access to cars, homes, hotels, offices car parks and much more.”

The market potential for NFC is significant  the total payment value for NFC globally will reach more than euro 110 billion in 2015 and momentum behind the technology is growing rapidly.  To address this opportunity and to provide valuable new services to mobile users worldwide, the operator community is focused on driving the standardised deployment of mobile NFC, using the SIM as the secure element to provide authentication, security and portability.

To achieve this, the GSMA will develop the necessary certification and testing standards to ensure global interoperability of NFC services. This interoperability is critical to the widespread adoption of NFC, enabling users to benefit from NFC services around the world, regardless of operator network or device type.

“As we have seen, the adoption of different approaches to NFC will only serve to fragment the market,” continued Bernabe.  ”By uniting around a single standardised approach to mobile NFC and by collaborating across the entire ecosystem, our industry will continue to develop the compelling services that customers demand.”

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications industry. Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA is focused on innovating, incubating and creating new opportunities for its membership, all with the end goal of driving the growth of the mobile communications industry.

For more information, please visit Mobile World Live, the new online portal for the mobile communications industry, at www.mobileworldlive.com or the GSMA corporate website at www.gsmworld.com.

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Airtel Africa, Standard Chartered Bank and MasterCard honored for mobile payments innovation at Mobile World Congress

On 02.22.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Airtel Africa, Standard Chartered Bank and MasterCard Worldwide were honored for mobile payments innovation at the 16th Annual Global Mobile Awards held during Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2011. The recently launched virtual card product, developed in collaboration between Airtel Africa, Standard Chartered and MasterCard, received top honors as the Best Mobile Money Product or Solution.

Honored by a panel of mobile industry experts, the virtual card product was recognized as an innovative mobile payments solution that will offer consumers in Kenya, and eventually across Africa, greater participation in the financial system through mobile commerce. In collaboration between Airtel Africa and Standard Chartered, the virtual card product is powered by MasterCard inControl technology and enables more people to connect to the global marketplace through their mobile phones.

Andre Beyers, Airtel Africas chief marketing officer, and Daniel Monehin, area head, East & West Africa and Indian Ocean Islands, MasterCard Worldwide, received the award on behalf of the three companies at the Global Mobile Awards 2011 ceremony held at the Fira De Barcelona in Montjuc, Barcelona, Spain.

The virtual card product enables Airtel Africa customers in Kenya to use their mobile phone to make online purchases from MasterCard merchants around the world. The simplified online transaction works in the following way: each time an Airtel customer is shopping online he or she will be able to request a single use shopping card number. Airtel money services will then generate a special 16-digit number that enables the completion of the transaction. On completion of the transaction, a confirmation message will be sent to the consumers mobile phone. The single use feature of the virtual card product provides the consumer with a convenient and secure online shopping experience.

We partnered with Standard Chartered and MasterCard in a joint effort to create affordable and innovative mobile services for consumers across Africa, said Beyers. It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by our peers in the mobile industry for the virtual card product, which we hope will set a new industry standard for mobile payments.

We are extremely pleased that this concept has been selected for the GSMA 2011 Best Mobile Money Product or Solution Award. This global award is fitting testimony to telecom & banking companies in Africa, who are the agents-of-change in the development of mobile finance and commerce, said Jaydeep Gupta, Standard Chartered Banks regional head, Distribution & Alternate Channels for Africa, NGL, MESA & India. We are proud of our unique partnership with Airtel Africa and MasterCard. Together we will continue to deliver innovative payment solutions across our geographies.

Said MasterCards Monehin, Consumers are increasingly reliant on mobile technology at each step of their lives from staying connected with their personal networks to making payments on-the-go. We joined hands with Airtel Africa and Standard Chartered to create the virtual card product that not only enhances peoples purchasing experiences, but also creates a financially inclusive mobile platform for people in Africa. We believe that innovations like the virtual card product will help ensure the long-term growth and sustainability of mobile commerce in Africa. We are committed to improving industry collaboration and fostering innovation as well as building interoperability across closed loop systems in Africa and abroad.

About Airtel in Africa
Airtel is the new brand name for the 16 Zain operations across Africa which were acquired by Airtel International in June 2010. Airtel is driven by the vision of providing affordable and innovative mobile services to all. Airtel has African operations in: Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Airtel International is a Bharti Airtel company.

About Standard Chartered Bank

Standard Chartered PLC is a leading international bank, listed on the London, Hong Kong and Mumbai stock exchanges. It has operated for over 150 years in some of the world’s most dynamic markets and earns more than 90 per cent of its income and profits in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. This geographic focus and commitment to developing deep relationships with clients and customers has driven the Bank’s growth in recent years.

With 1,700 offices in 70 markets, Standard Chartered offers exciting and challenging international career opportunities for more than 80,000 staff. It is committed to building a sustainable business over the long term and is trusted worldwide for upholding high standards of corporate governance, social responsibility, environmental protection and employee diversity. The Bank’s heritage and values are expressed in its brand promise, ‘Here for good.’

About MasterCard Worldwide

As a leading global payments company, MasterCard Worldwide prides itself on being at the heart of commerce, helping to make life easier and more efficient for everyone, everywhere. MasterCard serves as a franchisor, processor and advisor to the payments industry, and makes commerce happen by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, governments, businesses, merchants, and cardholders worldwide. In 2010, $2.7 trillion in gross dollar volume was generated on its products by consumers around the world. Powered by the MasterCard Worldwide Network the fastest payment processing network in the world MasterCard processes over 23 billion transactions each year and has the capacity to handle 140 million transactions per hour, with an average network response time of 140 milliseconds and with 99.99 percent reliability. MasterCard advances global commerce through its family of brands, including MasterCard, Maestro, and Cirrus; its suite of core products such as credit, debit, and prepaid; and its innovative platforms and functionalities, such as MasterCard PayPass and MasterCard inControl. MasterCard serves consumers, governments, and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories.

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Mobile Operators plan to make Instant Messaging, Live Video Sharing, and File Transfer as Easy on the Mobile as Calling and Text

On 02.16.11, In Mobile, By Editor

The GSMA is welcoming a new version of Rich Communication Suite (RCS) that will enable mobile phone customers to use instant messaging (IM), live video sharing and file transfer across any device on any network operator.  Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telecom Italia, Telefonica and Vodafone intend to commercially launch RCS across several European markets from late 2011, and additional operators are expected to launch later in 2012.

Once adopted, Rich Communication Suite – e* (RCS-e) will enable customers to use these enhanced communication services across mobile networks in a simpler and more intuitive way. It is based on a specification put forward by Bharti, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Orascom Telecom, SK Telecom, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, Telenor and Vodafone which aims to lower the hurdle and speed up the market introduction and adoption of these services.

With RCS-e, customers will be able to use IM, share live video and share files such as photos simultaneously during calls, regardless of the network or device used. RCS-e will enable users to communicate in a very natural way, much like with GSM voice and text today, and will also offer the simplicity and security customers expect from mobile operator services.

As customers open their address book, they will be able to see which communication services are available to them. They can then choose their preferred communications option.  For example, a customer would see if their contact is in an area with 3G coverage and is able to receive video.

The participating operators will work with handset suppliers to ensure the service is integrated into the address books of devices, so that customers will not have to download any additional software or technically configure their handsets in order to benefit from the enhanced experience.

“Mobile operators are committed to giving their customers greater choice in the way they communicate with one and other,” said Rob Conway, CEO and Member of the Board of the GSMA. “We welcome the pragmatic approach taken by these operators to accelerate the commercialisation of RCS and simplify the experience for mobile customers and we will work to adopt this specification within the RCS initiative.”

The RCS specification is designed to be interoperable between all operators and devices, giving customers greater choice in how they communicate. The new RCS-e is the result of extensive trials and is a subset of the current RCS 2.0 standard with enhancements. It is focused on extending the principles of voice and SMS calls to deliver an advanced set of interoperable data-centric communications services.

Available to all operators through the means of the GSMA, the RCS-e specification is available at www.gsmworld.com/rcs. In addition, visitors to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona from February 14 to 17 will be able to see live demonstrations of the specification implemented on devices at the RCS exhibit in the App Garage, Stand 7APG, Hall 7.

* RCS-e is a new enhanced version of the RCS specification which is based on the use across networks of IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) technology, an architectural framework for delivering Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia services.

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications industry. Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organizations. The GSMA is focused on innovating, incubating and creating new opportunities for its membership, all with the end goal of driving the growth of the mobile communications industry.

For more information, please visit Mobile World Live, the new online portal for the mobile communications industry, atwww.mobileworldlive.com or the GSMA corporate website at www.gsmworld.com.

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Qualcomm to Demonstrate New Peer-to-Peer Technology at Mobile World Congress

On 02.09.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Reflecting its continuing research and development into new connectivity models, Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM) will demonstrate its newest advancement in peer-to-peer wireless technology at the GSMA Mobile World Congress, Feb. 14-17 in Barcelona.  The Company’s technology innovation, called FlashLinqâ„¢, enables devices to discover each other automatically and continuously, and to communicate, peer-to-peer, at broadband speeds without the need for intermediary infrastructure.

FlashLinq advances a concept known as proximal communications, whereby users can continuously connect, disconnect and communicate directly with other mobile users at broadband speeds based on their physical proximity.  The technology is designed to complement traditional cellular-based services and serve as a scalable platform for new types of applications.

“By expanding the operator model of managed services to the frontier of proximal communications, Qualcomm continues to demonstrate its leadership in wireless technology and innovation,” said Ed Knapp, senior vice president of business development and engineering for Qualcomm.  ”FlashLinq’s direct discovery and distributed communications allows operators to naturally extend their cellular networks.  The technology can efficiently support new and enhanced services in areas such as direct local advertising, geo-social networking and machine-to-machine communications.”

FlashLinq is a synchronous TDD OFDMA technology operating on dedicated licensed spectrum and is distinguished by its high discovery range (up to a kilometer), discovery capacity (thousands of nearby devices) and distributed interference management.  By enabling the simultaneous discovery and communication of thousands of proximal devices, FlashLinq can effectively create a “neighborhood-area network,” where fixed and mobile peer applications can interact directly.

Qualcomm plans to collaborate with SK Telecom to trial FlashLinq in South Korea and explore potential commercial uses.

“Throughout its 27-year history, SK Telecom has always embraced cutting-edge technologies because we are committed to giving our customers the most advanced capabilities and user experiences,” said Dr. Jong Tae Ihm, SK Telecom’s senior vice president and head of the Institute of Network Technology.  “We see Qualcomm’s FlashLinq technology as a key enabler to a range of new and innovative services based on proximal networking.”

Qualcomm’s FlashLinq P2P technology will be demonstrated at Barcelona’s Fira Convention Center in the Company’s exhibit, located in Exhibit Hall 8, #8B53.

About SK Telecom

SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM, KSE: 017670) is Korea’s leading telecommunications provider with more than 25 million subscribers, which accounts for more than 50% of the total market.  The company, established in 1984, reached KRW 12.46 trillion in revenue in 2010.  SK Telecom was the first to launch and commercialize CDMA, CDMA2000 1x, CDMA EV-DO and HSDPA networks, and it currently provides cellular, wireless Internet, mobile media, global roaming service and more.  For more information, please visit www.sktelecom.com or email press@sktelecom.com.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) is a world leader in 3G and next-generation mobile technologies.  For 25 years, Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of wireless communications, connecting people more closely to information, entertainment and each other.  Today, Qualcomm technologies are powering the convergence of mobile communications and consumer electronics, making wireless devices and services more personal, affordable and accessible to people everywhere.  For more information, visit Qualcomm around the Web: www.qualcomm.com

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Toshiba to deliver NFC-enabled SIM Cards to KDDI (Japan)

On 02.08.11, In Mobile, By Editor

­Toshiba has stated that it will start the delivery of commercial User Identity Module (UIM) cards supporting Near Field Communication (NFC) to Japan’s KDDI Corp.

The newly developed UIM card consists of  CDMA2000 and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and supports NFC, which is expected to go into the  commercial service soon.

According to the company, the card was developed based on the latest specifications of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute-Smart Card Platform (ETSI SCP), GSMA and GlobalPlatform (GP). In addition to this, the card is compatible with GSMA’s Pay-Buy-Mobile programme and meets the security level required for international payment applications.

The card will allow the users to access services in such areas as electronic payment, transportation, personal identification, coupon redemption and more.

KDDI initiated verification testing on contactless IC technology subject to the ISO/IEC14443 Type A/B international standards in May 2010.

KDDI used handsets supporting NFC in order to verify the technical reliability and user-friendliness of the application systems including electronic payment. Toshiba, which started to develop a UIM card in 2009, participated in the testing in order to verify the reliability of the UIM card and to establish the technology.

Toshiba stated that it is ready to mass produce UIM cards for the global market and will promote UIM cards to MNO worldwide, including operators in Europe, the US and Asia.

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Zain supports GSMA mobile privacy principles

On 01.31.11, In Mobile, By Editor

Zain has declared that its support for the Mobile Privacy Principles laid down by London-headquartered Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA).

According to GSMA, the principles describe the way in which mobile consumers privacy should be protected when customers use mobile applications and services that access, use or collect personal information.

According to Zain, the principles are the result of close collaboration by leading mobile operators, including the Zain Group, and other interest groups and stakeholders within the mobile industry.

Commenting on the new principles, Zain Group CEO Nabeel Bin Salamah highlighted the need for the whole industry to throw its weight behind and support the new code of conduct, stressing Zain’s commitment to its implementation.

Bin Salamah remarked that the age of mobile technology has made it imperative that network operators create and support a framework to further protect customer privacy. This creates a bond of trust and ensures that we operate according to the highest ethical and moral standards.

He added that at Zain, they take their responsibilities in this field very seriously and they are committed to operating by the standards demanded by the global mobile industry and cooperating with the various stakeholders in this very important initiative.

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GSMA calls off South Africa to release LTE radio spectrum

On 12.07.10, In Mobile, By Editor

The recent reports published by Analysys Mason reveals that responsible spectrum management and reduction of administrative barriers to network expansion will be key enablers of mobile broadband in South Africa.

The GSMA commissioned Analysys Mason to look at the impact of mobile broadband on the South African economy. The report forecasts that mobile broadband and related industries will generate 1.8% of South Africa’s GDP and as many as 28,000 jobs by 2015, highlighting the vital contribution of this sector to the country’s growth.

According to Robert Schumann, Manager at Analysys Mason, who led the study, their report describes some of the innovative services that are already available using wireless data services. The challenge for policymakers, regulators and operators is to ensure that data access becomes faster and cheaper, and a critical part of this is responsible spectrum management.

HSPA technology is leading the way in the South African broadband market, currently connecting 62% of broadband subscribers. It also provides operators with a natural upgrade path to LTE if the appropriate spectrum is made available. LTE deployments in internationally harmonized spectrum bands benefit from economies of scale which drive down equipment and handset costs, a phenomenon which has already been demonstrated with the worldwide success of GSM and UMTS technology over the last 20 years.

The global mobile industry favors international coordination of the 2.6 GHz spectrum band for the deployment of LTE. However in South Africa a legacy allocation of spectrum in this band to Sentech, which has remained dormant and unused for years, currently blocks ICASA from allocating this spectrum for mobile. In order to give South African consumers and businesses the most cost-effective access to broadband, and to help the South African government achieve its national broadband coverage targets, spectrum in the 2.6 GHz band should be re-allocated for the deployment of LTE as soon as possible.

As a result of the findings, at Africacom last month, the GSMA called on South African communications regulator ICASA, along with the country’s government, to act now and make key decisions on mobile spectrum allocation, taxation, planning permissions and access to microwave spectrum for backhaul.

According to Ross Bateson, government and public policy adviser, GSMA, it is imperative that ICASA provides clarity over future spectrum release plans and offers assurances that spectrum awards will follow international best practice. Harmonized spectrum allocations must be made to bring South Africa in line with the rest of the world, and to maintain the momentum of HSPA and hasten the arrival of LTE. The South African government has set national coverage targets of universal broadband access by 2019, with at least 15 percent household penetration. With South Africa’s relatively poor fixed line infrastructure, the role played by mobile broadband in meeting these targets, and driving social and economic advancement, will be significant.

Twenty years ago, no one could have foreseen the magnitude of the rise of wireless communications. Today, they know that decisions about broadband – and particularly spectrum management – can have billions of Rands of impact, both for investors and for the economy as a whole, concludes Schumann.

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3G Embedded Mobile Devices Have Lower Total Cost of Ownership than 2G, States Analysys Mason Report

On 11.18.10, In Mobile, By Editor

3G embedded mobile devices typically have a lower total cost of ownership than their 2G equivalents, according to the Analysys Mason report entitled The total cost of ownership for embedded mobile devices which was made publically available today at the Mobile Asia Congress in Hong Kong.

The report, conducted for the GSMA, is based on input from a wide range of players across the embedded mobile ecosystem.

Analysys Mason’s investigations found that around 90% of embedded devices being deployed in some of parts of the market use 2G technologies rather than more advanced technologies such as 3G. This is largely because of the higher upfront costs of 3G modules. However, these upfront costs do not reflect the total cost of ownership associated with embedded mobile devices.

Presenting the report at the GSMA’s Mobile Asia Congress in Hong Kong, Ian Streule, Senior Manager at Analysys Mason said, “The cost of the communications module is only between 1% and 14% of the total cost of ownership. For devices that generate significant traffic, like in-car entertainment systems, the higher cost of a 3G module is more than offset by the lower costs of 3G traffic over the lifetime of the device.” This means that established and emerging embedded mobile solutions may be better served by 3G technologies, with a lower total cost over the long term.

The report also looks at the constraints that encouraging the deployment of 2G modules could impose on the way that mobile operators use their spectrum. “Future network strategies for mobile operators are not likely to be driven by the embedded mobile market, but rather by traffic-intensive mobile broadband services,” explains Streule. “If an operator chooses to decommission its 2G network and re-farm the spectrum, it could find that its options are restricted because of today’s tendency to deploy 2G embedded modules in devices with long service lives, like smart meters.”

For instance, the report suggests that decommissioning 2G networks could trigger additional costs to replace legacy 2G embedded mobile equipment. Analysys Mason estimates that such a cost could be over USD150 million for a representative Western European operator with 10 million subscribers.

The report therefore concludes that once enforced replacement costs are taken into account, for almost all applications the total cost of ownership for 3G modules is lower than for 2G. “The good news is that as 3G multi-mode modules reach economies of scale, they are closing the cost gap with 2G modules and will help further reduce the total cost of ownership,” said Glenn Lurie, president of emerging devices , resale and partnerships at AT&T, reacting to the report.

The report represents one element of the GSMA’s Embedded Mobile initiative, which aims to encourage the expansion of the global embedded mobile market by identifying and lowering the main barriers, developing common guidelines and driving innovation.

The report can be downloaded from the Analysys Mason’s website at http://www.analysysmason.com/Consulting/Services/Strategy-consulting/Economic-modelling-and-cost-analysis/The-total-cost-of-ownership-for-embedded-mobile-devices

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