Until today's date, SMS is still the main means of communication that we prefer. I feel that it can ensure my messages are being read almost instantly as mobile phones are something that people would carry it beside anytime.
A study by UK-based Portio Research indicates that the worldwide mobile messaging was the highest earner in the industry, raking in US$179.2 billion in 2010 alone.
The report said mobile message was set to rake in more than US$200 billion this year, and go beyond S$300 billion by 2014.
It said SMS (short message service) has consistently claimed the top spot and has long helped mobile network operators significantly offset the effect of falling voice revenues.
“SMS alone generated US$114.6 billion worldwide in 2010, and it promises to continue to play a significant role in revenue terms in the coming years,” the report said.
The report noted that SMS had seen very successful, having generated approximately US$585 billion for operators worldwide since it was invented in the mid-1990s.
Portio forecasts that SMS was still set to earn those mobile networks another US$726 billion over the next five years, to year-end 2015.
Source: http://business.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201111/75932.php by Samuel Nii Narku Dowuona/Adom News/Ghana on 3rd November 2011.
Web SMS, 1-way Messaging, 2-way Messaging, SIM Hosting, Email-to-SMS, Developer (HTTP API & SMPP), White Label Reseller Program, HRL Lookup, Long Code Service, Non-premium Short Code, Industry Based Solutions etc. To know more about our products & services, visit our official websites: www.moceansms.com | www.bulksms.com.my | www.mocean.com.my
Friday, 4 November 2011
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Nigeria - Bulk SMS Resellers Price War in Nigeria
I love this article posted by naijaecash.com to urge NIGERIAN to be smart in choosing reseller that offer QUALITY service and not purely looking at PRICING! Price is Not Everything!!
Buy Bulk SMS for as low as N1.xx…. I guess that is the latest catchy phrase in Nigeria. It is quite interesting that many Bulk SMS resellers are trying to woo Nigerian consumers via rock bottom pricing. There is a serious price war going on now as they try to outdo each other by offering rock bottom price for their bulk sms services. I guess if it were possible, some will even offer free SMS just to snatch customers from their competitors. Well, that strategy is not working for now. At least, it has not made me change from my present service provider. Honestly speaking, if someone somewhere think this is the way to do bulk sms reselling business, they better have a rethink. Nigerian consumers are not fools!
Price is Not Everything
Of what benefit is a service that is cheap but inefficient? It is economically unwise to spend money on a service simply because it appears cheap! If the service can’t produce the expected result, then it is money wasted irrespective of how cheap it is. Why should I buy SMS at the rate of N1.00 only to discover that messages sent are never delivered to the intended recipients or it gets delivered when it is no longer relevant. Someone sent an SMS that is meant to wish a loyal client happy birthday but delivery of the message was delayed until 2days after the birthday! I’ll say that is a crappy service, irrespective of how cheap the service was. I’ll rather pay double to get the message delivered at the right time.
So many Bulk SMS resellers are not getting their acts well. You must not be the cheapest in the market to be the most patronized. There are other qualities that can make you stand out in the crowd. My bulk sms service provider is not the cheapest, but they know how to deliver quality services. ;-)
Rolls Royce Is Not Cheap
Just think about Rolls Royce. Rolls Royce manufacturing team are not trying to increase or maintain their market share by reducing their price to compete with the likes of Nissan. Instead, they strive to improve on the performance of their model and the luxury it affords the buyers. Irrespective of how low another car manufacturer may place their price, lovers of Rolls Royce won’t be wooed!
Nigerian Consumers are wise
As an entrepreneur, you need to do proper homework before using low price as a bait to increase your market share. If your service is poor and your customer support service is non-existent or inefficient, then lowering your price will do no good. You should focus your attention first on improving your service before inviting more clients to try your service.
Bulk SMS resellers compete in an international market
Price war gimmick is a common strategy of the Nigerian gsm telecom operators. Nigerian consumers no that the price war is just a gimmick because it is always accompanied by crappy services. The fact that the gsm operators seem to be getting away with this doesn’t mean the consumers are fools. So never conclude that the same trick will work for bulk sms resellers. Unlike gsm telecom operators who have the advantage of operating in a closed local market, bulk sms resellers are actually operating in a highly competitive international market.
So my advice to all those wannabe Bulk SMS resellers out there is that they go improve on their services . You will only be relevant in the market by offering quality service. Nigerians online won’t mind patronizing a bulk sms reseller who operates from the moon as long as the service is reliable. Even though I am proudly Nigerian, I don’t subscribe to crappy services. The bulk sms price war strategy is not working, think of something else. Cheers.
Buy Bulk SMS for as low as N1.xx…. I guess that is the latest catchy phrase in Nigeria. It is quite interesting that many Bulk SMS resellers are trying to woo Nigerian consumers via rock bottom pricing. There is a serious price war going on now as they try to outdo each other by offering rock bottom price for their bulk sms services. I guess if it were possible, some will even offer free SMS just to snatch customers from their competitors. Well, that strategy is not working for now. At least, it has not made me change from my present service provider. Honestly speaking, if someone somewhere think this is the way to do bulk sms reselling business, they better have a rethink. Nigerian consumers are not fools!
Price is Not Everything
Of what benefit is a service that is cheap but inefficient? It is economically unwise to spend money on a service simply because it appears cheap! If the service can’t produce the expected result, then it is money wasted irrespective of how cheap it is. Why should I buy SMS at the rate of N1.00 only to discover that messages sent are never delivered to the intended recipients or it gets delivered when it is no longer relevant. Someone sent an SMS that is meant to wish a loyal client happy birthday but delivery of the message was delayed until 2days after the birthday! I’ll say that is a crappy service, irrespective of how cheap the service was. I’ll rather pay double to get the message delivered at the right time.
So many Bulk SMS resellers are not getting their acts well. You must not be the cheapest in the market to be the most patronized. There are other qualities that can make you stand out in the crowd. My bulk sms service provider is not the cheapest, but they know how to deliver quality services. ;-)
Rolls Royce Is Not Cheap
Just think about Rolls Royce. Rolls Royce manufacturing team are not trying to increase or maintain their market share by reducing their price to compete with the likes of Nissan. Instead, they strive to improve on the performance of their model and the luxury it affords the buyers. Irrespective of how low another car manufacturer may place their price, lovers of Rolls Royce won’t be wooed!
Nigerian Consumers are wise
As an entrepreneur, you need to do proper homework before using low price as a bait to increase your market share. If your service is poor and your customer support service is non-existent or inefficient, then lowering your price will do no good. You should focus your attention first on improving your service before inviting more clients to try your service.
Bulk SMS resellers compete in an international market
Price war gimmick is a common strategy of the Nigerian gsm telecom operators. Nigerian consumers no that the price war is just a gimmick because it is always accompanied by crappy services. The fact that the gsm operators seem to be getting away with this doesn’t mean the consumers are fools. So never conclude that the same trick will work for bulk sms resellers. Unlike gsm telecom operators who have the advantage of operating in a closed local market, bulk sms resellers are actually operating in a highly competitive international market.
So my advice to all those wannabe Bulk SMS resellers out there is that they go improve on their services . You will only be relevant in the market by offering quality service. Nigerians online won’t mind patronizing a bulk sms reseller who operates from the moon as long as the service is reliable. Even though I am proudly Nigerian, I don’t subscribe to crappy services. The bulk sms price war strategy is not working, think of something else. Cheers.
Africa - MTN Group gets 158.59 million subscribers by September 2011
The MTN Group, Africa’s leading mobile telecom network, has announced that it had 158.59 million customers across all its 22 operations at the end of the third quarter of this year, September 2011.
The figure represents a 4.1% increase over that of the second quarter, which stood at 152.3 million at the end of June, 2011.
MTN has successfully maintained market share in most of its markets, including Ghana where it posted almost 9.9 million subscribers at the end of September, 2011, representing some 48.4% market share.
“Ghana continued to show good growth and increased its subscriber base by 3.4% to more than 9.89 million, maintaining its leadership position,” the report said.
Ghana contributed 14.17% of subscribers to the WECA Group.
MTN Ghana CEO, Michael Ikpoki predicted earlier this month the company will cross 10 million subscribers by the close of the month, which is just three days to go.
It is important to mention early that average revenue per user (ARPU) in Ghana in dollar terms dropped by one per cent from $7 to $6.9 a month due to cedi depreciation, but remained stable in cedi terms, with stable effective tariffs and average outgoing minutes on the network.
West and Central Africa (WECA), where Ghana belongs to contributed 44% (69,779,600) of subscribers to the group’s total, which is the highest in the group, but indicates a marginal one per cent drop from 45% in June 2011.
South and East Africa (SEA) region contributed 23%, one per cent higher than the 22% in June, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) contributed 33%, which is the same as it did in June this year.
The WECA region increased its subscriber base by 2.8% for the quarter as a result of slower subscriber growth in Nigeria.
Subscriber registration in the WECA region had a negative impact on connections as the GSM market declined from 82.7 million to 81.84 million subscribers during the third quarter in Nigeria.
“MTN Nigeria recorded a 1.4% increase in its subscriber base to 41.11 million, contributing 59% to the region’s subscribers,” it said.
The SEA region, where the headquarters is located, increased its subscriber base by 5.1% for the quarter, and that was attributed to South Africa which increased its subscriber base by 5.9% to 20.97 million for the quarter and contributed 58% to the region’s subscribers.
Postpaid connections, both classic and hybrid, improved through both independent retail and branded channels, largely due to improved stock availability and increased channel activity.
Prepaid connections for the quarter totalled 1.036 million, almost double the rate achieved for the second quarter.
Uganda increased its subscriber base by 3.7% to 7.51 million. During the period, revenue growth became a more important priority and tariffs were successfully increased. While subscriber growth was still satisfactory, there was a marginal loss in subscriber market share.
The MENA region recorded a 5.3% increase in subscribers for the quarter.
The growth within the region was mainly attributable to Iran which increased its subscribers by 3.5% to 33.31 million. Syria increased its subscribers by 6.0% to 5.43 million as the operation adjusted to the changing conditions resulting from the political turmoil in the country.
Sudan made good progress and increased its subscriber base by 17% to 5.37 million as initiatives continued gaining traction.
MTN South Africa’s blended average revenue per user (ARPU) remained stable at R133.8 compared to 30 June 2011. No material changes were made to the value proposition and average outgoing minutes of use increased marginally for the quarter.
Nigerian ARPU in remained stable despite a marginal reduction in effective tariff. Uganda showed a small upward trend in local currency ARPU as higher effective tariffs did not reduce outgoing minutes of use following the increase in tariffs during the quarter.
Data (internet browsing and SMS) contributed 21% of traffic and six per cent of revenue, and that was pushed by increased smartphone penetration over the period.
Source: http://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2011/10/28/mtn-group-gets-158-59-million-subscribers-by-september-2011/ on October 28, 2011
The figure represents a 4.1% increase over that of the second quarter, which stood at 152.3 million at the end of June, 2011.
MTN has successfully maintained market share in most of its markets, including Ghana where it posted almost 9.9 million subscribers at the end of September, 2011, representing some 48.4% market share.
“Ghana continued to show good growth and increased its subscriber base by 3.4% to more than 9.89 million, maintaining its leadership position,” the report said.
Ghana contributed 14.17% of subscribers to the WECA Group.
MTN Ghana CEO, Michael Ikpoki predicted earlier this month the company will cross 10 million subscribers by the close of the month, which is just three days to go.
It is important to mention early that average revenue per user (ARPU) in Ghana in dollar terms dropped by one per cent from $7 to $6.9 a month due to cedi depreciation, but remained stable in cedi terms, with stable effective tariffs and average outgoing minutes on the network.
West and Central Africa (WECA), where Ghana belongs to contributed 44% (69,779,600) of subscribers to the group’s total, which is the highest in the group, but indicates a marginal one per cent drop from 45% in June 2011.
South and East Africa (SEA) region contributed 23%, one per cent higher than the 22% in June, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) contributed 33%, which is the same as it did in June this year.
The WECA region increased its subscriber base by 2.8% for the quarter as a result of slower subscriber growth in Nigeria.
Subscriber registration in the WECA region had a negative impact on connections as the GSM market declined from 82.7 million to 81.84 million subscribers during the third quarter in Nigeria.
“MTN Nigeria recorded a 1.4% increase in its subscriber base to 41.11 million, contributing 59% to the region’s subscribers,” it said.
The SEA region, where the headquarters is located, increased its subscriber base by 5.1% for the quarter, and that was attributed to South Africa which increased its subscriber base by 5.9% to 20.97 million for the quarter and contributed 58% to the region’s subscribers.
Postpaid connections, both classic and hybrid, improved through both independent retail and branded channels, largely due to improved stock availability and increased channel activity.
Prepaid connections for the quarter totalled 1.036 million, almost double the rate achieved for the second quarter.
Uganda increased its subscriber base by 3.7% to 7.51 million. During the period, revenue growth became a more important priority and tariffs were successfully increased. While subscriber growth was still satisfactory, there was a marginal loss in subscriber market share.
The MENA region recorded a 5.3% increase in subscribers for the quarter.
The growth within the region was mainly attributable to Iran which increased its subscribers by 3.5% to 33.31 million. Syria increased its subscribers by 6.0% to 5.43 million as the operation adjusted to the changing conditions resulting from the political turmoil in the country.
Sudan made good progress and increased its subscriber base by 17% to 5.37 million as initiatives continued gaining traction.
MTN South Africa’s blended average revenue per user (ARPU) remained stable at R133.8 compared to 30 June 2011. No material changes were made to the value proposition and average outgoing minutes of use increased marginally for the quarter.
Nigerian ARPU in remained stable despite a marginal reduction in effective tariff. Uganda showed a small upward trend in local currency ARPU as higher effective tariffs did not reduce outgoing minutes of use following the increase in tariffs during the quarter.
Data (internet browsing and SMS) contributed 21% of traffic and six per cent of revenue, and that was pushed by increased smartphone penetration over the period.
Source: http://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2011/10/28/mtn-group-gets-158-59-million-subscribers-by-september-2011/ on October 28, 2011
SMS Marketing in Today’s Retail Industry
Today’s consumers are a lot more media-wise than those of the past. Gone are the days when a simple advertising campaign would be far-reaching and appealing enough to drive all your prospects to a store.
Instead, we have to compete with the deafening buzz of different media channels and businesses are fighting to be heard. People are looking for more authenticity; brands that share their values, simplify their lives and engage with them in meaningful communication. Retailers that treat each customer as an individual are achieving results, and this is where the mobile phone and bulk SMS marketing enters.
The adoption of bulk SMS marketing is a growing trend around the globe as consumer spending slows and retailers are forced to become more creative.
* Over 6.1 trillion text messages were sent in 2010 worldwide, according to a report from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
* The ITU study found that when it comes to a preferred method of contact, 31% of adults would choose a text message, 51% would choose a voice call and 14% say it depends on the situation. 55% of heavy texters, those who exchange 50 messages or more a day, prefer texting to talking.
* Bulk SMS messages can be targeted directly to the mobile phone of the user. It is capable of reaching 91% of the US population, with consumers on average opening 98% of text messages and responding directly to 26% of them.
There is no disputing the extraordinary reach and power of mobile marketing solutions. Today, people rarely go out without their mobile phone. Even at home, it’s usually within arm’s reach. A Pew Research Center study reported that 4 out of 5 young adults sleep with their phones on or near their beds and many said they never even turn their phones off.
Very simply, there is no technology that is more compelling, universal and immediate — making bulk SMS marketing with email marketing mobile a winning solution for retailers everywhere.
Source: http://www.adotas.com/2011/10/sms-marketing-in-todays-retail-industry/ on Oct 31, 2011
Instead, we have to compete with the deafening buzz of different media channels and businesses are fighting to be heard. People are looking for more authenticity; brands that share their values, simplify their lives and engage with them in meaningful communication. Retailers that treat each customer as an individual are achieving results, and this is where the mobile phone and bulk SMS marketing enters.
The adoption of bulk SMS marketing is a growing trend around the globe as consumer spending slows and retailers are forced to become more creative.
* Over 6.1 trillion text messages were sent in 2010 worldwide, according to a report from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
* The ITU study found that when it comes to a preferred method of contact, 31% of adults would choose a text message, 51% would choose a voice call and 14% say it depends on the situation. 55% of heavy texters, those who exchange 50 messages or more a day, prefer texting to talking.
* Bulk SMS messages can be targeted directly to the mobile phone of the user. It is capable of reaching 91% of the US population, with consumers on average opening 98% of text messages and responding directly to 26% of them.
There is no disputing the extraordinary reach and power of mobile marketing solutions. Today, people rarely go out without their mobile phone. Even at home, it’s usually within arm’s reach. A Pew Research Center study reported that 4 out of 5 young adults sleep with their phones on or near their beds and many said they never even turn their phones off.
Very simply, there is no technology that is more compelling, universal and immediate — making bulk SMS marketing with email marketing mobile a winning solution for retailers everywhere.
Source: http://www.adotas.com/2011/10/sms-marketing-in-todays-retail-industry/ on Oct 31, 2011
How to keep your SMS list subscribers happy
There’s a reason that your customers have opted in for your SMS marketing, a.k.a text marketing, service whether it be your hard to resist deals and services, to witty weekly updates. But you’ve realized, that in reality, acquiring your SMS subscribers actually is just half the battle. So the question stands, “How should I keep my subscribers happy and from opting out?”
1. Live up to your subscriber’s expectations
Each SMS should remind subscribers why they’ve signed up for your weekly messages. If you’ve initially offered a weekly deal, you can keep your messages interesting, but avoid deviating from your promises. For example, if your business is an upscale restaurant and you’re tempted to display your sense of humor with videos of LOL Cats, please refrain from doing so.
2. Keep your subscribers interested
There is more than one way to add value and excitement to your campaign than just offering deals. If you’re a restaurant, you offer your SMS subscribers with a reservation reminder program. If you’re a doctor, lawyer or hairdresser, you can remind your forgetful customers about their up coming appointment. Or you can involve your customers in your business and show them that you care about the quality of your services, simply by asking your SMS subscribers to respond with honest feedback about your service or product.
3. SMS your subscribers not too often and not too infrequently
Texting your SMS subscribers at an undesirable frequency is an easy way to sour your relationship. Once a week is a common assumption, but in reality, various variables are dependent on the happy medium, including the type of SMS marketing campaign you’re running, to the type of business that you run.
Get an idea about the frequency at which your customers conduct their business with you. For example, if you’re a hair salon running a deals based SMS marketing campaign, the realization that people tend to get their hair cut once or twice a month should clue you into sending your subscribers messages once or twice a month.
4. Use cross platform marketing to improve loyalty
A heavily discussed topic at Ad Week revolved around promoting the effectiveness of cross platform marketing – marketing on multiple channels, whether it be TV, mobile, or Internet devices. Because you’re restricted to 140 characters with a SMS, you’re only able to send a concise, yet descriptionless message. By integrating your social media page or website into your SMS marketing campaign, you’re able to provide subscribers with an online channel that they can use to find further information pertaining to your campaign. The more your subscribers know, the better they will respond to the campaign.
Remember that you will have a handful of subscribers without smartphones, so in the spirit of keeping your subscribers happy, offer a full URL that smartphone-less subscribers can use to find your social media page or website.
5. Give your SMS subscribers the option to opt out
The final tip may appear contradictory to retaining the loyalty of your subscribers, but it is one that every business must implement. Omitting the option to opt out of your SMS marketing campaign is quite like receiving junk mail that “forgets” to include the “unsubscribe” link, yet never seems to stop filling up your inbox. You can see how much this could potentially anger just about anyone, and in a world dominated by social media, it’s a potential PR nightmare. Simply, at the end of every message, add “Reply STOP to Opt out.” Your SMS subscribers will appreciate you for it.
1. Live up to your subscriber’s expectations
Each SMS should remind subscribers why they’ve signed up for your weekly messages. If you’ve initially offered a weekly deal, you can keep your messages interesting, but avoid deviating from your promises. For example, if your business is an upscale restaurant and you’re tempted to display your sense of humor with videos of LOL Cats, please refrain from doing so.
2. Keep your subscribers interested
There is more than one way to add value and excitement to your campaign than just offering deals. If you’re a restaurant, you offer your SMS subscribers with a reservation reminder program. If you’re a doctor, lawyer or hairdresser, you can remind your forgetful customers about their up coming appointment. Or you can involve your customers in your business and show them that you care about the quality of your services, simply by asking your SMS subscribers to respond with honest feedback about your service or product.
3. SMS your subscribers not too often and not too infrequently
Texting your SMS subscribers at an undesirable frequency is an easy way to sour your relationship. Once a week is a common assumption, but in reality, various variables are dependent on the happy medium, including the type of SMS marketing campaign you’re running, to the type of business that you run.
Get an idea about the frequency at which your customers conduct their business with you. For example, if you’re a hair salon running a deals based SMS marketing campaign, the realization that people tend to get their hair cut once or twice a month should clue you into sending your subscribers messages once or twice a month.
4. Use cross platform marketing to improve loyalty
A heavily discussed topic at Ad Week revolved around promoting the effectiveness of cross platform marketing – marketing on multiple channels, whether it be TV, mobile, or Internet devices. Because you’re restricted to 140 characters with a SMS, you’re only able to send a concise, yet descriptionless message. By integrating your social media page or website into your SMS marketing campaign, you’re able to provide subscribers with an online channel that they can use to find further information pertaining to your campaign. The more your subscribers know, the better they will respond to the campaign.
Remember that you will have a handful of subscribers without smartphones, so in the spirit of keeping your subscribers happy, offer a full URL that smartphone-less subscribers can use to find your social media page or website.
5. Give your SMS subscribers the option to opt out
The final tip may appear contradictory to retaining the loyalty of your subscribers, but it is one that every business must implement. Omitting the option to opt out of your SMS marketing campaign is quite like receiving junk mail that “forgets” to include the “unsubscribe” link, yet never seems to stop filling up your inbox. You can see how much this could potentially anger just about anyone, and in a world dominated by social media, it’s a potential PR nightmare. Simply, at the end of every message, add “Reply STOP to Opt out.” Your SMS subscribers will appreciate you for it.
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Thailand - 66.7 million of mobile subscribers in Thailand
As of March 2011, the penetration rate in Thailand was estimated at 107.863% over a population estimate of around 66.7 million.
Nigeria - 108 millions of GSM mobile subscribers in Nigeria
Nigeria has 108 millions of GSM mobile subscribers based on 2010 data. So, you can see the huge market for mobile messaging service. If you wish to enter into his bulk SMS business, you will have to move fast!
South Africa - SMS the crime fighter
The crime-fighting power of technologies such as SMS should not be overlooked!
The latest South African crime statistics for 2010/2011, could probably best be summarised as “improving, but could do better”. While there have been reductions in the murder and attempted murder rate, assault, robbery and attacks on policemen – fighting crime should still be at the top of South Africa’s agenda.
With SMS being so suited to sending alerts quickly and easily to a group of people, its capability and usefulness as a crime fighting tool is not to be under-estimated. Probably the best-known application of SMS in the fight against crime in South Africa is Primedia’s Crime Line, an anonymous crime tip-off line via SMS that has made 1, 106 arrests and R39, 579 928 in seizures since its inception on the 6th June 2007.
The success of using SMS for tip-offs about a crime that has taken place is thanks to the fact that nearly everyone has a phone and is able to use SMS. People can send a tip-off immediately and discreetly when they witness a crime, wherever they are, and remain anonymous.
As well as tip-offs, however, SMS is ideal for quickly sharing important information with a number of people which can be effective in keeping people safe, preventing crime or apprehending criminals. Neighbourhood watches, security estates, schools and any other communities can quickly alert their members to dangerous situations. They can also gather information from members of the community to allow police services to respond faster.
Nico Nel, the past Chairman of the Linbro Park Community Policing Forum in Sandton , Gauteng, has no doubt about the effectiveness of SMS in fighting crime. “We originally subscribed to BulkSMS.com to communicate with the Domestics for the Domestic Watch programme run by Making a Difference with Penny Steyn. Our Domestics receive a crime fighting lesson from her, once a month and Penny is now using the system to alert and remind Domestics to attend her lessons throughout the Johannesburg region – some 3,000 a month! SMS is the most effective method of keeping in touch with the part of a Community that does not have access to email,” he says.
In terms of crime in Linbro Park, “Crime in Linbro Park is down to its lowest level in 20 years,” he continues.
“We used to have between three and seven armed robberies a month and at one stage that many in a week. In the past 30 months we have had virtually none. SMS is integral to our fight against crime. We now pay a reward of a R30 recharge voucher for each crime tip-off, or more, according to the circumstances. This has made Linbro Park a place where criminals have no place to hide. We then react, where applicable, by sending bulk SMS messages to alert the Community, including our domestics”.
Linbro Park Community Policing Forum uses SMS messaging to alert the community to a crime in progress, and says that they have caught criminals red-handed on more than one occasion as a result of these SMS alerts. “Bulk SMS is particularly effective because it is quick to use and the delivery of messages is virtually instantaneous, whereas SMSing to various individuals from your cellphone is quite slow,” says Nel.
Community-based security via SMS can take several forms, from informing all households of a crime; to having mobile members of the community such as estate agents, plumbers and so on share information; to communicating with more formalised neighbourhood watch organisations and the police.
In Linbro Park, on receiving a crime alert, members of the community have pre-determined duties – some will man access points to the suburb to prevent criminals fleeing, others with trauma training go to the scene to render medical and other assistance, others will patrol streets on the lookout for criminals. All keep a watch for any presence of the criminals in the suburb.
In these contexts it is vital to manage the flow of information while ensuring the information is accurate. Two key considerations are that an SMS alert doesn’t cause panic or incite vigilante activity. Using a bulk SMS system, it is possible to ensure that information is shared from a central community safety hub, whose responsibility is to check the accuracy of any information they receive from members of their community.
With a SMS messaging solution, the hub is able to send out messages to predetermined groups of contacts within the community, for example, neighbourhood patrol leaders. The community should be educated about what is expected of them when they receive an SMS alert that is crime related, in order to avoid them being placed in danger.
So while there has been talk of the South African government banning communications technology such as Blackberry messages for security reasons, and both BBM and SMS has been temporarily banned in several countries around the world during times of civil unrest, the crime-fighting power of technologies such as SMS should not be overlooked.
Source: http://mybroadband.co.za/news/cellular/37220-sms-the-crime-fighter.html by Pieter Streicher on October 31, 2011
The latest South African crime statistics for 2010/2011, could probably best be summarised as “improving, but could do better”. While there have been reductions in the murder and attempted murder rate, assault, robbery and attacks on policemen – fighting crime should still be at the top of South Africa’s agenda.
With SMS being so suited to sending alerts quickly and easily to a group of people, its capability and usefulness as a crime fighting tool is not to be under-estimated. Probably the best-known application of SMS in the fight against crime in South Africa is Primedia’s Crime Line, an anonymous crime tip-off line via SMS that has made 1, 106 arrests and R39, 579 928 in seizures since its inception on the 6th June 2007.
The success of using SMS for tip-offs about a crime that has taken place is thanks to the fact that nearly everyone has a phone and is able to use SMS. People can send a tip-off immediately and discreetly when they witness a crime, wherever they are, and remain anonymous.
As well as tip-offs, however, SMS is ideal for quickly sharing important information with a number of people which can be effective in keeping people safe, preventing crime or apprehending criminals. Neighbourhood watches, security estates, schools and any other communities can quickly alert their members to dangerous situations. They can also gather information from members of the community to allow police services to respond faster.
Nico Nel, the past Chairman of the Linbro Park Community Policing Forum in Sandton , Gauteng, has no doubt about the effectiveness of SMS in fighting crime. “We originally subscribed to BulkSMS.com to communicate with the Domestics for the Domestic Watch programme run by Making a Difference with Penny Steyn. Our Domestics receive a crime fighting lesson from her, once a month and Penny is now using the system to alert and remind Domestics to attend her lessons throughout the Johannesburg region – some 3,000 a month! SMS is the most effective method of keeping in touch with the part of a Community that does not have access to email,” he says.
In terms of crime in Linbro Park, “Crime in Linbro Park is down to its lowest level in 20 years,” he continues.
“We used to have between three and seven armed robberies a month and at one stage that many in a week. In the past 30 months we have had virtually none. SMS is integral to our fight against crime. We now pay a reward of a R30 recharge voucher for each crime tip-off, or more, according to the circumstances. This has made Linbro Park a place where criminals have no place to hide. We then react, where applicable, by sending bulk SMS messages to alert the Community, including our domestics”.
Linbro Park Community Policing Forum uses SMS messaging to alert the community to a crime in progress, and says that they have caught criminals red-handed on more than one occasion as a result of these SMS alerts. “Bulk SMS is particularly effective because it is quick to use and the delivery of messages is virtually instantaneous, whereas SMSing to various individuals from your cellphone is quite slow,” says Nel.
Community-based security via SMS can take several forms, from informing all households of a crime; to having mobile members of the community such as estate agents, plumbers and so on share information; to communicating with more formalised neighbourhood watch organisations and the police.
In Linbro Park, on receiving a crime alert, members of the community have pre-determined duties – some will man access points to the suburb to prevent criminals fleeing, others with trauma training go to the scene to render medical and other assistance, others will patrol streets on the lookout for criminals. All keep a watch for any presence of the criminals in the suburb.
In these contexts it is vital to manage the flow of information while ensuring the information is accurate. Two key considerations are that an SMS alert doesn’t cause panic or incite vigilante activity. Using a bulk SMS system, it is possible to ensure that information is shared from a central community safety hub, whose responsibility is to check the accuracy of any information they receive from members of their community.
With a SMS messaging solution, the hub is able to send out messages to predetermined groups of contacts within the community, for example, neighbourhood patrol leaders. The community should be educated about what is expected of them when they receive an SMS alert that is crime related, in order to avoid them being placed in danger.
So while there has been talk of the South African government banning communications technology such as Blackberry messages for security reasons, and both BBM and SMS has been temporarily banned in several countries around the world during times of civil unrest, the crime-fighting power of technologies such as SMS should not be overlooked.
Source: http://mybroadband.co.za/news/cellular/37220-sms-the-crime-fighter.html by Pieter Streicher on October 31, 2011
Monday, 31 October 2011
The Power of Mobile
Many mobile phones have social networking apps, which send push messages to users. Individuals are notified of any happenings on social networking sites through their cell phones, in real-time. This constant connection to social networking sites means products and companies constantly remind and update followers about their capabilities, uses and relevance.
In Russia, 19% of internet surfers rarely, if ever, use a PC to go online. In Egypt, that number is 70%. Even for those who have multiple internet access points (mobile, plus a computer at home, work, school or university), mobile provides a personalised, focused and immediate interaction. A consumer’s phone is “all about me” in a way that a desktop computer at work never can be.
So the bottom line is this: Social networking provides an affordable means for your brand to form a presence on the mobile internet so that you can market your business and interact with consumers.
As always, though, you can’t assume that “if I build it, they will come”. You’ll need to promote what you do.
Source: http://memeburn.com/2011/10/six-ways-to-combine-mobile-marketing-with-social-media/ by K.F. Lai on 31st October 2011.
In Russia, 19% of internet surfers rarely, if ever, use a PC to go online. In Egypt, that number is 70%. Even for those who have multiple internet access points (mobile, plus a computer at home, work, school or university), mobile provides a personalised, focused and immediate interaction. A consumer’s phone is “all about me” in a way that a desktop computer at work never can be.
So the bottom line is this: Social networking provides an affordable means for your brand to form a presence on the mobile internet so that you can market your business and interact with consumers.
As always, though, you can’t assume that “if I build it, they will come”. You’ll need to promote what you do.
Source: http://memeburn.com/2011/10/six-ways-to-combine-mobile-marketing-with-social-media/ by K.F. Lai on 31st October 2011.
Indonesia - Internet users in Indonesia reaches 55 million people
"IT" is a word that hard to be lived without. More and more people are now spending more time in front of computers and mobile phones. Thus, SMS marketing is a new concept to be offered to the market.
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The number of Internet users in Indonesia significantly increased to 55 million people in 2011 from the previous 45 million, a study shows.
The study was conducted by Southeast Asian based research firm Markplus Insight from August until September 2011 in 11 cities, namely Jakarta and its neighboring cities, Surabaya, Bandung, Semarang, Medan, Makassar, Denpasar, Pekanbaru, Palembang, Banjarmasin.
The study, as reported by kompas.com on Friday, involved 2,161 people aged ranging between 16 and 64 years old, who use the Internet more than three hours a day as samples.
In every city where the survey had been conducted, up to 80 percent of Internet users are people aged between 15 and 30-years old.
The research also found a 100 percent increase of online trade in 2011 compared to last year with one third of transactions made through e-payment service with text message and Internet banking recorded as the most popular means of payment.
The study currently shows mobile Internet penetration in Indonesia reached 57 percent of the total Internet users, a 100 percent increase from last year, due to affordable prices of gadgets and mobile Internet services.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/10/28/internet-users-indonesia-reaches-55-million-people.html by The Jakarta Post on 28th October 2011.
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The number of Internet users in Indonesia significantly increased to 55 million people in 2011 from the previous 45 million, a study shows.
The study was conducted by Southeast Asian based research firm Markplus Insight from August until September 2011 in 11 cities, namely Jakarta and its neighboring cities, Surabaya, Bandung, Semarang, Medan, Makassar, Denpasar, Pekanbaru, Palembang, Banjarmasin.
The study, as reported by kompas.com on Friday, involved 2,161 people aged ranging between 16 and 64 years old, who use the Internet more than three hours a day as samples.
In every city where the survey had been conducted, up to 80 percent of Internet users are people aged between 15 and 30-years old.
The research also found a 100 percent increase of online trade in 2011 compared to last year with one third of transactions made through e-payment service with text message and Internet banking recorded as the most popular means of payment.
The study currently shows mobile Internet penetration in Indonesia reached 57 percent of the total Internet users, a 100 percent increase from last year, due to affordable prices of gadgets and mobile Internet services.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/10/28/internet-users-indonesia-reaches-55-million-people.html by The Jakarta Post on 28th October 2011.
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