Below article has shown that mobile phones perhaps via SMS are the essential communication tool in developed countries to access information.
“Tools such as mobile phones can be used to empower citizens through mapping their communities, providing feedback on service delivery, and gaining access to information on jobs, markets, and hazard conditions.” Judy Baker, Lead Economist of the World Bank Institute Urban Practice
A couple of days ago I had the opportunity to attend a Brown Bag Lunch of the World Bank Institute WBI entitled ‘Open Information Solutions for the Urban Poor’. During an hour and a half four speakers advocated the use of Information and Communications Technologies ICT for development or what they call ICT4D. While, being a user of many ‘Aps’, I was aware of the endless applications that open information solutions had in developed countries – where there is a high access to information technologies – , however, their use in urban contexts in developing countries seemed to me distant and complex. It took me only an hour to change my mind.
Reality check…
I guess my ignorance of the opportunities that ICTs had for development issues came from my ignorance of the recent exponential growth of some ICTs in developing countries. While Internet is still a rare commodity in developing countries – only 11% of Africans and 24% of Asians have access to it – mobile phones have been democratized much faster than any other ICT. Since 2002, mobile penetration has grown by 321% in emerging economies compared to 46% in developed countries. Africa, the least developed continent, had only 17 million mobile connections in 2000 and has today around 620 million, corresponding to 60% of the population. But the democratization of some ICT in developing countries is only a part of the equation, how can basic information technologies help to tackle developing issues?
From Yelp to M-PESA
Today, most of the open information solutions used in developed countries are based on spatial applications that require GPS and mobile access to the internet. Smartphone applications like Yelp or Poynt – that can point you to the nearest and best reviewed restaurant – are based on information made by users for users, most of which have either smartphones or an internet connection. With only the most basic mobile technology, open information solutions in developing countries have to very creative and simple. In fact, some of the most widely used Open Information technologies in developing countries rely on simple SMS. M-PESA, an SMS-based money transfer system in Kenya allows individuals to deposit, send, and withdraw funds using their cell-phones. The latter, is currently used by 40% of Kenya’s adult population, most of who live in cities and use it as a cheap and easy way to transfer money to their families in the country-side.
Very similar SMS applications are emerging in many other developing economies – like Brazil and Bangladesh – to improve citizen’s participation in participatory budgets, give service delivery feedback, etc. In Mexico, two entrepreneurs (Oscar Salazar and Jorge Soto) have developed CitiVox, in which citizens reports are transformed into actionable information. One of their first applications used citizens’ report on crimes in Mexico to produce real-time information that could serve to inform other citizens and the authorities.
Source from Paula Restrepo-Cadavid on Nov 25, 2011
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Thursday, 8 December 2011
OMG: Text messaging turns 19 this week.. and this is the Brit we have to thank for our sore thumbs
~ ! ~ Happy Birthday to You - SMS ~ ! ~ Yay ! You are turning into 19 years old this year. But yet, it's still HOT in the sense that SMS still contributes a big portion of revenues to the operators. Don't believe? See yourself. :)
Text messaging turns 19 this week but what few people know is that the first person to send one was in fact a British engineer.
While many might have assumed it would have emanated from some high-tech office in Silicon Valley, California, it came from an office in Newbury, Berkshire.
And the man who sent it was Neil Papworth who aged 22 texted Vodafone director Richard Jarvis at a staff Christmas party the full greeting 'Happy Christmas' - not, note, 'Happy Xmas'.
Mr Papworth sent the SMS (or Short Message Service) from his work computer to an Orbitel 901 handset on the Vodafone network and thereby set off a revolution in the way we communicate, date, work and network.
'I was a young engineer working on new communications technologies. We thought SMS was a clever way for a company's staff to send simple messages to one another,' Mr Papworth told the SMS & Mobile Messaging Association at a gathering to mark the 15th anniversary.
'I'd never have predicted that it would spread into the consumer world and become what it is today. At the time it didn't seem like a big deal.'
And ever since that December day in 1992 the number of texts has grown and grown giving rise to an entirely new vernacular.
What would life now be without OMG, LOL, TTYL and 'cya l8er'? And - heaven forbid - emoticons?
For many teens, who have never known life without a mobile phone, the world pre-texting seems inconceivable.
One phone per family? In the hall? With the whole family wanting to use it? How did that work?
But now landlines and snail mail are long gone, pagers and the fax machine were over before they began, and the world has been left texting, tweeting, chatting and IM’ing into oblivion.
Still, the take up of texting was slow.
Considering the first was sent in 1992, messaging didn’t become commonplace until the early 2000s.
In fact, in 1995 mobile phone customers sent only 0.4 messages on average each per month.
Post 2000 however things changed and texting took off. Some 8 trillion text messages will be sent in 2011 - or over 15 million each minute.
The biggest texters are from the subscribers in the Philippines who text an average of 27 messages each day.
In last year alone SMS texts generated $114.6 billion in global revenues.
That’s just the beginning, according to the experts, who estimate that mobile networks will earn $726 billion from SMS text messaging over the next five years.
While some may resent the little messages for causing a demise in verbal communication, for many the humble text is a quick route out of an unwanted chat.
‘If you call, the conversation can go on and on. With texting you can just say “Meet me here in ten” and you’re done,’ Rachel Claire, an avid texter, told Mail Online.
Source: By KATIE SILVER on 7th December 2011.
Text messaging turns 19 this week but what few people know is that the first person to send one was in fact a British engineer.
While many might have assumed it would have emanated from some high-tech office in Silicon Valley, California, it came from an office in Newbury, Berkshire.
And the man who sent it was Neil Papworth who aged 22 texted Vodafone director Richard Jarvis at a staff Christmas party the full greeting 'Happy Christmas' - not, note, 'Happy Xmas'.
Mr Papworth sent the SMS (or Short Message Service) from his work computer to an Orbitel 901 handset on the Vodafone network and thereby set off a revolution in the way we communicate, date, work and network.
'I was a young engineer working on new communications technologies. We thought SMS was a clever way for a company's staff to send simple messages to one another,' Mr Papworth told the SMS & Mobile Messaging Association at a gathering to mark the 15th anniversary.
'I'd never have predicted that it would spread into the consumer world and become what it is today. At the time it didn't seem like a big deal.'
And ever since that December day in 1992 the number of texts has grown and grown giving rise to an entirely new vernacular.
What would life now be without OMG, LOL, TTYL and 'cya l8er'? And - heaven forbid - emoticons?
For many teens, who have never known life without a mobile phone, the world pre-texting seems inconceivable.
One phone per family? In the hall? With the whole family wanting to use it? How did that work?
But now landlines and snail mail are long gone, pagers and the fax machine were over before they began, and the world has been left texting, tweeting, chatting and IM’ing into oblivion.
Still, the take up of texting was slow.
Considering the first was sent in 1992, messaging didn’t become commonplace until the early 2000s.
In fact, in 1995 mobile phone customers sent only 0.4 messages on average each per month.
Post 2000 however things changed and texting took off. Some 8 trillion text messages will be sent in 2011 - or over 15 million each minute.
The biggest texters are from the subscribers in the Philippines who text an average of 27 messages each day.
In last year alone SMS texts generated $114.6 billion in global revenues.
That’s just the beginning, according to the experts, who estimate that mobile networks will earn $726 billion from SMS text messaging over the next five years.
While some may resent the little messages for causing a demise in verbal communication, for many the humble text is a quick route out of an unwanted chat.
‘If you call, the conversation can go on and on. With texting you can just say “Meet me here in ten” and you’re done,’ Rachel Claire, an avid texter, told Mail Online.
Source: By KATIE SILVER on 7th December 2011.
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Australia - Forrester Unveils Australian Mobile Behavioural Profiles
Understanding the attitudinal and behavioural preferences of your customers is essential for you to leverage the right means of marketing communication to boost the effects of your marketing effort. So people, let's have a look at the below diagram and hope it helps you. :)
The latest research from Forrester Research advises retailers to ‘base mobile commerce strategies on their own circumstances… rather than the technologies available’ and take the POST approach to m-commerce.
In Mobile Techograhics: Australian Online Shoppers, Forrester Research identifies six segments of consumers within the Australian population based upon their mobile usage (listed in the below diagram):
Mobile behavioural trends that Forrester identified from this research include:
- 84% of Australian online adults who have mobile phones use them for more than voice – uses range from SMS to consuming mobile video.
- 49% of Australian adult mobile phone owners who regularly shop online for apparel, footwear, or accessories are also in Forrester’s Entertainers category, meaning they buy content, apps, or personalised services for entertainment on their mobile phones at least weekly.
- 38% of Australian adult mobile phone owners who regularly shop online for computer hardware, software, or peripherals are also in Forrester’s Connectors category, meaning they use mobile email at least once a month, or they use another efficiency or productivity application like mapping.
Taking The POST Approach
Forrester Senior Analyst, Steven Noble stresses that retailers need to base their mobile strategies on customer needs, rather than let available technologies dominate their decisions.
In the report he highlights the value of The POST Method, a three step process based on first identifying and understanding customers needs via their Mobile Technographics profile, then determining objectives and building a strategy… finally choosing the most suitable technology.
Noble suggests that retailers conduct surveys of their own customers to establish where they fit within the Mobile Technographic profiles.
“Consumer mobile behaviour will cross over between profiles (for example, a ‘Entertainer’ may also be a ‘Connector’), however if you understand the majority of your target audience this may go a long way to building a relevant m-commerce strategy,” he advises.
Trends Indicate…
- Mobile App or M-Site? Forrester’s research reveals that only 23% of Australian smartphone users regularly download apps, so its seems a mobile website should be your first priority… unless perhaps you have a large demographic of ‘Entertainers’ or ‘SuperConnecteds’ who will appreciate the richer and tailored experience of an app.
- Who do I build for… iPhones, Android or Blackberry? 50% Australian smartphone users use the iOS platform. Therefore all signs indicate that retailers (depending on their audience) should focus on developing applications for these devices. This means taking into consideration not using Flash and perhaps exploring the opportunities afforded through HTML5.
- Keep It Simple! The research also reveals a small proportion of Australian smartphone users engage in promotions, use coupons and/or enter contents via their mobile devices. Dependent on your customer’s Mobile Technographic profile, don’t rush into elaborate mobile marketing campaigns, keep it simple and as your target audience’s behaviour becomes increasingly sophisticated, let your mobile marketing evolve.
“For a long time retailers have felt that mobile is something exciting and that they would like to do but delay for various reasons, however now is the time for mobile,” urges Noble.
“We are at a point in Australia where consumer mobile behaviour is ahead of what merchant’s can offer and it is no longer something that can be put on the back-burner,” he warns.
Source: by NIROSHA METHANANDA on 6th December 2011.
The latest research from Forrester Research advises retailers to ‘base mobile commerce strategies on their own circumstances… rather than the technologies available’ and take the POST approach to m-commerce.
In Mobile Techograhics: Australian Online Shoppers, Forrester Research identifies six segments of consumers within the Australian population based upon their mobile usage (listed in the below diagram):
Mobile behavioural trends that Forrester identified from this research include:
- 84% of Australian online adults who have mobile phones use them for more than voice – uses range from SMS to consuming mobile video.
- 49% of Australian adult mobile phone owners who regularly shop online for apparel, footwear, or accessories are also in Forrester’s Entertainers category, meaning they buy content, apps, or personalised services for entertainment on their mobile phones at least weekly.
- 38% of Australian adult mobile phone owners who regularly shop online for computer hardware, software, or peripherals are also in Forrester’s Connectors category, meaning they use mobile email at least once a month, or they use another efficiency or productivity application like mapping.
Taking The POST Approach
Forrester Senior Analyst, Steven Noble stresses that retailers need to base their mobile strategies on customer needs, rather than let available technologies dominate their decisions.
In the report he highlights the value of The POST Method, a three step process based on first identifying and understanding customers needs via their Mobile Technographics profile, then determining objectives and building a strategy… finally choosing the most suitable technology.
Noble suggests that retailers conduct surveys of their own customers to establish where they fit within the Mobile Technographic profiles.
“Consumer mobile behaviour will cross over between profiles (for example, a ‘Entertainer’ may also be a ‘Connector’), however if you understand the majority of your target audience this may go a long way to building a relevant m-commerce strategy,” he advises.
Trends Indicate…
- Mobile App or M-Site? Forrester’s research reveals that only 23% of Australian smartphone users regularly download apps, so its seems a mobile website should be your first priority… unless perhaps you have a large demographic of ‘Entertainers’ or ‘SuperConnecteds’ who will appreciate the richer and tailored experience of an app.
- Who do I build for… iPhones, Android or Blackberry? 50% Australian smartphone users use the iOS platform. Therefore all signs indicate that retailers (depending on their audience) should focus on developing applications for these devices. This means taking into consideration not using Flash and perhaps exploring the opportunities afforded through HTML5.
- Keep It Simple! The research also reveals a small proportion of Australian smartphone users engage in promotions, use coupons and/or enter contents via their mobile devices. Dependent on your customer’s Mobile Technographic profile, don’t rush into elaborate mobile marketing campaigns, keep it simple and as your target audience’s behaviour becomes increasingly sophisticated, let your mobile marketing evolve.
“For a long time retailers have felt that mobile is something exciting and that they would like to do but delay for various reasons, however now is the time for mobile,” urges Noble.
“We are at a point in Australia where consumer mobile behaviour is ahead of what merchant’s can offer and it is no longer something that can be put on the back-burner,” he warns.
Source: by NIROSHA METHANANDA on 6th December 2011.
Watershed year for SMS approaching
This article is talking about 2012 is the year the electronic communications opt-in vs opt-out debate is going to come to a head.
2012 is the year the electronic communications opt-in vs opt-out debate is going to come to a head, and the fallout is going to have a significant impact on both businesses and consumers.
Related telecommunication regulatory decisions are going to affect both the price of SMS, as well as the amount of SMS spam consumers receive every day – directly impacting the efficacy of the medium.
So, an important year for both SMS as a channel, particularly when used as an alert service, as well as consumers and their exposure to SMS spam.
Here then are my predictions for 2012 in more detail.
1.Opt-in vs opt-out
This debate is hotting up in the SMS market thanks to many grey routes gradually being shut down. By using grey routes, companies were able to bypass the Wireless Application Service Providers’ Association’s (WASPA) opt-in requirement. These routes include both international routes and sending via newly-licensed mobile operators.
So, direct marketers operating on an opt-out basis stand to lose a lot of business if their messaging has to comply with WASPA’s opt-in requirement.
While these direct marketers are furiously lobbying WASPA to move to an opt-out framework in order to legitimise their traffic, it is no secret that I strongly advocate keeping opt-in mandatory for specifically the SMS channel.
This is for a number of reasons including that the consumer incurs a cost to opt out-of an SMS communication; allowing an opt-out framework is likely to multiply SMS spam tenfold, rendering the medium useless for general business communications as well as transactional and alert messages; and an opt-in framework is vital for WASPA to effectively identify and punish spammers.
2.P2P SMS declines, A2P messaging on the increase
Person-to-person (P2P) SMS messaging is going to continue declining in 2012, thanks to the rising popularity of mobile instant messaging platforms such as BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), WhatsApp and iMessage. But application-to-person (A2P) messaging is going to stay on its upwards trajectory and in fact become more useful as a transactional and alerting mechanism now that people’s inboxes aren’t as flooded with social SMSs.
3.An SMS interworking fee is introduced
South Africa’s telecommunications regulator ICASA is going to have to enforce an interworking fee between operators for cross-network SMS delivery in order to sort out the current muddle of anti-competitive issues.
Currently the newly-licensed entrants are taking advantage of the fact that they can terminate SMS messages for free on the networks of the incumbent operators. An internetworking fee refers to a fee paid to the network that delivers an SMS that originated on another mobile network – this has never been enforced in South Africa. This is a problem when it comes to A2P messaging, which typically is heavily asymmetrical, with very few replies generated for each message sent.
4.The cost of SMS
While mobile data prices are going to continue to fall in 2012, thanks to the ongoing price war between the South African mobile operators, the picture is not so clear-cut for SMS. For consumers, it is likely that at worst SMS prices will stay level but there is also a chance they may even drop if cross-network termination fees are introduced.
This seems counter-intuitive; however the introduction of termination fees will draw the attention of ICASA and consumers to how little SMS actually costs operators. This is likely to put more pressure on operators to reduce SMS costs for consumers.
Cross-network termination fees will also mean the cost of SMS messaging for businesses that used to use grey routes is likely to increase as the incumbent operators are unlikely to continue delivering messages for free. The cost of SMS messaging via a WASP contract is likely to decrease to match the interworking fees charged between operators.
So in summary: opt-out is a myth and an opt-in model gives WASPA the teeth it needs to regulate the industry effectively to fight spammers. But this can only happen if WASPA governs all messaging routes and there is a level playing field in terms of pricing thanks the introduction of an SMS internetworking fee between the mobile network operators.
Source from Pieter Streicher on Dec 5, 2011
2012 is the year the electronic communications opt-in vs opt-out debate is going to come to a head, and the fallout is going to have a significant impact on both businesses and consumers.
Related telecommunication regulatory decisions are going to affect both the price of SMS, as well as the amount of SMS spam consumers receive every day – directly impacting the efficacy of the medium.
So, an important year for both SMS as a channel, particularly when used as an alert service, as well as consumers and their exposure to SMS spam.
Here then are my predictions for 2012 in more detail.
1.Opt-in vs opt-out
This debate is hotting up in the SMS market thanks to many grey routes gradually being shut down. By using grey routes, companies were able to bypass the Wireless Application Service Providers’ Association’s (WASPA) opt-in requirement. These routes include both international routes and sending via newly-licensed mobile operators.
So, direct marketers operating on an opt-out basis stand to lose a lot of business if their messaging has to comply with WASPA’s opt-in requirement.
While these direct marketers are furiously lobbying WASPA to move to an opt-out framework in order to legitimise their traffic, it is no secret that I strongly advocate keeping opt-in mandatory for specifically the SMS channel.
This is for a number of reasons including that the consumer incurs a cost to opt out-of an SMS communication; allowing an opt-out framework is likely to multiply SMS spam tenfold, rendering the medium useless for general business communications as well as transactional and alert messages; and an opt-in framework is vital for WASPA to effectively identify and punish spammers.
2.P2P SMS declines, A2P messaging on the increase
Person-to-person (P2P) SMS messaging is going to continue declining in 2012, thanks to the rising popularity of mobile instant messaging platforms such as BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), WhatsApp and iMessage. But application-to-person (A2P) messaging is going to stay on its upwards trajectory and in fact become more useful as a transactional and alerting mechanism now that people’s inboxes aren’t as flooded with social SMSs.
3.An SMS interworking fee is introduced
South Africa’s telecommunications regulator ICASA is going to have to enforce an interworking fee between operators for cross-network SMS delivery in order to sort out the current muddle of anti-competitive issues.
Currently the newly-licensed entrants are taking advantage of the fact that they can terminate SMS messages for free on the networks of the incumbent operators. An internetworking fee refers to a fee paid to the network that delivers an SMS that originated on another mobile network – this has never been enforced in South Africa. This is a problem when it comes to A2P messaging, which typically is heavily asymmetrical, with very few replies generated for each message sent.
4.The cost of SMS
While mobile data prices are going to continue to fall in 2012, thanks to the ongoing price war between the South African mobile operators, the picture is not so clear-cut for SMS. For consumers, it is likely that at worst SMS prices will stay level but there is also a chance they may even drop if cross-network termination fees are introduced.
This seems counter-intuitive; however the introduction of termination fees will draw the attention of ICASA and consumers to how little SMS actually costs operators. This is likely to put more pressure on operators to reduce SMS costs for consumers.
Cross-network termination fees will also mean the cost of SMS messaging for businesses that used to use grey routes is likely to increase as the incumbent operators are unlikely to continue delivering messages for free. The cost of SMS messaging via a WASP contract is likely to decrease to match the interworking fees charged between operators.
So in summary: opt-out is a myth and an opt-in model gives WASPA the teeth it needs to regulate the industry effectively to fight spammers. But this can only happen if WASPA governs all messaging routes and there is a level playing field in terms of pricing thanks the introduction of an SMS internetworking fee between the mobile network operators.
Source from Pieter Streicher on Dec 5, 2011
Asia - Asian Mobile Ad Market on Growth Path
With the increasing rate of mobile phones adoption and penetration, it shows a positive relationship with the rate of mobile advertising. Because since everyone is holding the phone most of the time, why would marketers want to miss the golden opportunity of their ads being seen?
As the usage of smartphones, and advanced phones increase exponentially in the Asian markets, the growth scope for mobile advertisements is also on the rise. According to a recent Mobile Insights Report – Asia Regional Summary, released by InMobi, the world’s largest independent mobile ad network, the Asian mobile ad market grew by 25% to over 69.5 billion quarterly ad impressions in Q3 2011. The period taken is July to September 2011.
Talking about the market statistics Atul Satija, Vice President and Managing Director – Asia Pacific at InMobi, says “Asia continues to be an important growth market for InMobi. With increasing penetration of Android devices and cheaper data plans being seen across the region, we see significant growth of deeply immersive brand advertising on the mobile platform over the next year. What will also be interesting to see is a stronger application development ecosystem led by local app economies that are already emerging in Taiwan and Singapore, and will soon become prominent in markets like Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, among others.”
According to InMobi India is currently the number one mobile ad market with a high 47% market share. It is followed by Indonesia with 18.8% share, and Vietnam at 6.6% share. Surprisingly Japan and China which have a very high mobile phone usage are low in ranking in terms of mobile ad popularity. Japan has only 6.4% market, and China has 3.2% market.
The study further shows that the ad growth is driven more by smartphones than advanced phones. In terms of mobile OS, Android gained market share while other OSes experienced a decline, iPhone OS (-2.7%), Nokia OS (-2.2%) and Symbian OS (-1.1%). Android impressions grew by 7.5 share points in Q3 2011.
Satija also points out that with increased smartphone adoption; app impressions are expected to continue growing exponentially in the region. While Nokia impressions declined slightly this quarter, its devices still make up almost half the mobile ad impressions in Asia. The other vendors who make the top five list include Samsung with 20.6%, Sony Ericsson with 8.1%, Apple with 6.3% and HTC with 3%. Although Apple’s total share declined slightly, the iPhone 4 delivered the most impressions in the region with a 3.3% market share.
Source: By Staff Writer on 29th November 2011.
As the usage of smartphones, and advanced phones increase exponentially in the Asian markets, the growth scope for mobile advertisements is also on the rise. According to a recent Mobile Insights Report – Asia Regional Summary, released by InMobi, the world’s largest independent mobile ad network, the Asian mobile ad market grew by 25% to over 69.5 billion quarterly ad impressions in Q3 2011. The period taken is July to September 2011.
Talking about the market statistics Atul Satija, Vice President and Managing Director – Asia Pacific at InMobi, says “Asia continues to be an important growth market for InMobi. With increasing penetration of Android devices and cheaper data plans being seen across the region, we see significant growth of deeply immersive brand advertising on the mobile platform over the next year. What will also be interesting to see is a stronger application development ecosystem led by local app economies that are already emerging in Taiwan and Singapore, and will soon become prominent in markets like Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, among others.”
According to InMobi India is currently the number one mobile ad market with a high 47% market share. It is followed by Indonesia with 18.8% share, and Vietnam at 6.6% share. Surprisingly Japan and China which have a very high mobile phone usage are low in ranking in terms of mobile ad popularity. Japan has only 6.4% market, and China has 3.2% market.
The study further shows that the ad growth is driven more by smartphones than advanced phones. In terms of mobile OS, Android gained market share while other OSes experienced a decline, iPhone OS (-2.7%), Nokia OS (-2.2%) and Symbian OS (-1.1%). Android impressions grew by 7.5 share points in Q3 2011.
Satija also points out that with increased smartphone adoption; app impressions are expected to continue growing exponentially in the region. While Nokia impressions declined slightly this quarter, its devices still make up almost half the mobile ad impressions in Asia. The other vendors who make the top five list include Samsung with 20.6%, Sony Ericsson with 8.1%, Apple with 6.3% and HTC with 3%. Although Apple’s total share declined slightly, the iPhone 4 delivered the most impressions in the region with a 3.3% market share.
Source: By Staff Writer on 29th November 2011.
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