Telenor and BCG study: mHealth to change the face of healthcare (Norway)
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), in cooperation with Telenor Group, has now released the complete report on the “Socio-Economic Impact of Mobile Health”. The report explores the potential impact of mHealth solutions, such as how Norway can save $2 billion each year with remote monitoring solutions for the elderly and how Thailand can cure 40,000 cases of tuberculosis through SMS treatment compliance.
The report dives into the healthcare situations in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro, Thailand, Malaysia, Russia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. It presents potential solutions for each of these markets that are possible through mobile communications.
Jon Fredrik Baksaas, CEO, Telenor Group, has said that they commissioned this report because they wanted to better understand how their solutions can help improve the healthcare situations in the countries where we operate. For instance, how can they increase efficiency in modern healthcare through remote monitoring solutions that enable the elderly people to live longer in their own homes?
The most notable healthcare challenges faced in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Hungary, Serbia and Montenegro include their aging population and the rising costs of healthcare services. Solutions such as home monitoring aided by mobile technology can keep the elderly in their homes longer, easing the burden on care facilities. However, barriers to widespread mHealth solutions include privacy issues, interoperability challenges when sharing information electronically, and the lack of industry incentive when remuneration is often dependent on nights actually spent in the hospital, nursing facility or face-to-face consultations.
As countries in transition, Malaysia, Russia and Thailand face shared difficulty in ensuring proper maternal health and infant care, combating communicable diseases, and confronting new challenges such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Remote diagnostics and remote patient monitoring can be critical to bringing healthcare to the rural populations in these countries. However, the lack of common standards can prevent the spread of mHealth, along with limited commitment from regulatory bodies to ensure that mHealth happens.
Nations such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and India are struggling to deliver affordable healthcare to their citizens. Their resources are limited and much of their population is rural. mHealth deployment is currently limited in these countries, partly due to lack of awareness and action from the regulatory bodies. From maternal and infant health challenges to reducing disease, these countries need cost-efficient and widespread solutions that will help their citizens live longer and healthier. mHealth can fill these gaps, but access to mobile services needs to improve, along with government commitment and the creation of incentives to encourage the spread of mHealth.
Baksaas said that mHealth can be one of the keys to redefining and reinvigorating their struggling healthcare systems, as well as enhancing the healthy lifestyles and longevity of the citizens. The telecommunications industry is well-positioned to play a central role in the evolution of mobile health solutions worldwide.
Mt:s launches bonus credit with June top-ups (Serbia)
Mt:s, which operates in Serbia, has introduced a prepaid promotion that offers three bonus credits for each top-up.
Users who top up their prepaid account until 30 June, with at least US$4.46 can expect a bonus credit of US$4.46, which can be used to browse, talk and text on the Mt:s network in the following seven days.
The same amount of bonus credit of US$4.46 will be awarded to customers two more times, on 1 July and 1 August.
Telenor launches cheaper roaming in Montenegro
Telenor Serbia subscribers who roam in Montenegro will pay US$0.14 per minute for calls to Telenor Serbia and Telenor Montenegro.
Outgoing calls will be charged US$0.10 for the connection, while a one-minute call to all other mobile and fixed networks in Serbia and Montenegro will cost US$0.35.
Incoming calls are charged only the connection fee of US$0.10, regardless of the duration of the call. The price of SMS messages to all networks costs US$0.35, while the price of internet access will be US$0.001 per KB.
Bulgaria to get CallMyName on 1 June
Service for mobile communication CallMyName will be launched in Bulgaria on 1 June. CallMyName uses personal and corporate names rather than dialing mobile phone numbers.
After Bulgaria, the service will be launched in the following countries: Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Serbia, Italy and Croatia.
Any company or person can use their name as a number by using CallMyName (CMN). The service brings together the name of each subscriber with their telephone number, website, Facebook profile and Skype name. Each of the registered names is always accessible from anywhere.
CMN intends to change the calling habits of users in Bulgaria and around the world in mobile phone dialling and simplify communication. Using CMN is free of charge and possible from any mobile device with internet connection. Moreover, Call My Name will provide Android and iPhone applications which will be free to download from its website.
Telekom Srbija ready to adapt new market conditions
Telekom Srbija experts have held a lecture on the topic of mobile applications for the most talented students of the Mathematical High School in Belgrade.
This marked the beginning of a series of workshops on the topic of mobile communications, which represents a step further in the cooperation between Telekom Srbija and this educational institution.
The company also equipped the school’s IT classroom with 20 computers and gave the workshop participants 20 Android smartphones. With this donation and the engagement of the company’s experts in the lectures and workshops, Telekom Srbija and the Mathematical High School advanced their cooperation in order to contribute to the education of students in the sphere of modern technologies as well as improve the practical implementation of the acquired knowledge.
A series of workshops will allow students to learn more about the possibilities offered by the Android platform and the development of the applications themselves as well as to actively participate in the creation of new Android apps.
According to General Director of Telekom Srbija Branko Radujko, this company is implementing a strategic business plan in order to stay successful. It is ready to adapt to the prevailing market conditions
He added that the business environment is changing rapidly, so the company has to take a proactive approach and introduce internal changes that would forestall external blows.
Telenor Serbia gives away tickets for ‘Sensation’ music event
Telenor Serbia has started a promotion whereby both new customers and those renewing two-year ‘Prenesi’ postpaid package with a monthly fee higher than US$0.71 will get a ticket for the ‘Sensation’ electronic music event taking place at Belgrade Arena on 21-22 May.
In addition, a special discount is provided to all who buy two or more tickets for the music event in a Telenor store.
Vip Serbia Q1 revenues rise by nearly 30%
Vip Mobile has reported that its first-quarter revenues grew by 29.9 percent to US$43.49 million compared to US$33.43 million in the year-earlier quarter.
EBITDA comparable amounted to US$7 million in the first quarter compared to a negative EBITDA comparable of US$6 million in the first quarter of 2010.
ARPU increased by 14.8 percent to US$8, as a result of a higher usage as well as an optimized tariff portfolio.
The subscriber base jumped 22.7 percent from a year earlier to 1.4 million users at end-March, driven by strong growth in the contract customer segment Vip mobile held a 14.2 percent market share at the end of the first quarter, while the mobile penetration rate in Serbia reached an estimated 135.6 percent.
Vip Serbia announces winners of app contest
Vip Serbia has annouced the winners of its ‘Vip izazov3′ app contest launched in cooperation with Samsung for Android, bada and Windows Phone 7 mobile devices.
By developing applications for these mobile platforms through three different phases, developers competed for three award categories, namely ‘Best application by jury opinion’ for each platform, ‘Best students’ applications by jury opinion’ and ‘Developers award.’
Winning the ‘Best application by jury opinion’ award were ‘ViPutnik’ for Android created by Danilo and Milena Cubrovic, ‘TV program Srbija’ for bada by Aleksandar Ilic, Marko Mitic and Nikola Boric, and ‘SerbianNews’ for Windows Phone 7 by Aleksandar Petrinovic.
What the a ‘ViPutnik’ app does is provide end-users with info for rides by car, taxi, bus, train or airplane. ‘TV program Srbija’ is a Serbian TV guide, while SerbianNews offers selected access to daily information from Serbia. The total prize fund of ‘Vip izazov3′ is US$57,348.
Brightpoint to offer BlackBerry products in CEE (Slovakia)
Brightpoint Slovakia has inked a distribution agreement with Research In Motion to expand the availability of BlackBerry products in Central Eastern Europe (CEE).
Using its global operations in CEE, Brightpoint will begin distributing BlackBerry smartphones, software and accessories to customers located in Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Macedonia and Poland.
BlackBerry smartphones will be available from various network operators and retail outlets throughout the CEE region.
Telenor Serbia Q1 revenues increase by 18%
Telenor Serbia saw its revenues increase 18.2 percent year-on-year to US$130.76 million in the first quarter, following higher ARPU and a higher subscription base, as well as increased interconnect and higher inbound roaming revenues.
As a result of reduced operating costs combined with higher revenues, EBITDA increased by 32 percent in nominal terms and from 38 percent to 42 percent calculated as a percent of revenues.
At the same time, capital expenditure increased significantly following the ongoing network modernisation. The number of subscriptions rose by 52,000 to 3.059 million, taking the operator’s subscriber market share to over 35 percent.
ARPU in local currency increased by 9 percent due to higher subscription fees and higher usage.
