Israel - Security Industry: military tests SMS system

The Israeli military's Home Front Command is testing a Short Message Service system.  The SMS system is designed to warn the Israeli population against missile attacks. The $10 million system is a development between Israel's eVigilo and Sweden's Ericsson.

The Personal Message system is scheduled for testing in different Israeli communities each day. A Home Front Command spokesman said SMS is specifically designed to focus missile alert warnings "just to people who are within a specific area that is going to be hit. The Home Front Command, checking cellular alert system, (number)," will be the message sent to those who signed up to participate in the SMS drill.

A statement issued by Home Front Command added, "The Home Front Command will today start conducting nationwide testing of the 'Personal Message' alert system, which will end on Thursday," with the SMS texts in Hebrew, Arabic, English and Russian being sent to subscribers on Israel's three main cellular networks -- Cellcom, Pelephone and Orange. The Home Front Command has also reached an agreement to work with Hot Mobile subscribers."

Subscribers can call the cellular company to request being disconnected from the alerts if they don't wish to receive them. On Sunday and Monday, SMS mock messages about an impending missile attack were sent to the area around Ramle-Lod. On Tuesday, messages are to be sent to Ashkelon, Ashdod, Tel Aviv, Netanya, Akko, Haifa, Nahariya, Karmiel, Tzfat and other locations, while Wednesday the SMS messages is scheduled to be sent to Dimona, Rehovot, Yavne, Rishon Letzion, Kiryat Shmona and other cities. Thursday, the final day of the SMS system tests, is to focus on Beit Shemesh, Mevaseret Tzion, Modi'in and other locales.

The SMS public warning system is expected to be fully operational by September. Home Front Command officials believe that the SMS system could be used to warn the population of an imminent missile attack either by Iran or Hezbollah militia based in southern Lebanon, with the Israeli military worried that the possibility of missile strikes could increase if Israel eventually decides to mount a pre-emptive attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Cellular companies initially hesitated to cooperate with the Home Front Command, saying that the SMS warning system could cause widespread panic. The companies demanded the Defense Ministry indemnify them in the event of possible lawsuits. However, following discussions with legal specialists the sides agreed that no compensation would be paid, citing the legal precedent that none is paid in the case of false alarms.
A second issue that arose in discussions between the cellular companies and the Home Front Command was whether the SMS system could be defined as unsolicited, junk messaging. The two sides subsequently agreed that since the SMS system is defined as a "life-saving" service, the Home Front Command could use it exclusively in emergency situations.

Source: By upi.com on Aug. 13, 2012

Why Mobile Marketing Campaigns Reach More Customers

Not believe in the saying that a simple mobile marketing could churn up response rates? Look at the statistics below and think again. :)

Unlike social media, e-newsletters, billboard ads, or TV commercials, mobile marketing messages will most likely get through to consumers.

A recent infographic by Mogreet revealed that 98 percent of all SMS and MMS messages sent are opened.

In addition, Gene Sigalov of Content Marketing Institute says that within three minutes of being sent, 90 percent of all text messages are read by the recipient.

Texting a call to action
Content marketer Patricia Redsicker pointed to a study from Morgan Stanley that found 91 percent of people with cellphones keep them within arm’s reach at all time.

“If all those people always have their phone right next to them at any time, day or night, what an opportunity to reach them if you’re doing mobile marketing,” she said.

Redsicker said SMS marketing messages should include a keyword that is easy to remember along with a short code and a call to action. For example, a text might read, “Text LOL to 34567 to Win Free iPod.”

“Then, give them a confirmation text that makes them feel good and important,” Redsicker said. ”[It could say] ‘Awesome, you rock.’”

Use mobile to build a customer contact list
Entrepreneur’s Gail Goodman suggests that shops use text message marketing in a way that benefits themselves and consumers.

“Customers entering into your retail establishment probably are carrying their cellphones on them,” she said. ”Build your contact list by inviting patrons to send a text message or scan a QR code. Put a sign at your cash register to encourage such activity while the shopping experience is still fresh.”

Offering a coupon or special offer for customers that do so can encourage people to sign up. “And you end up building your list without having to manually enter email addresses after deciphering handwriting on a sign-up sheet,” Goodman said.

Be everywhere
Shareef Defrawi of Zizinya Web Solutions said, “Mobile marketing is where it’s at, and where it’s at is wherever your customers happen to be. By optimizing and refining your mobile marketing campaign you can reach them at the moment they need you.”

Source: By Kylie Jane Wakefield

Do you want to feel it yourself? Contact us at +603-8996 4780 or sales@moceansms.com

Brazil: 4 Reasons Why Brazil Is The Next Hot Mobile Market

We all know about “The Girl from Ipanema” and the world-famous supermodels like Gisele Bundchen. But Brazil is now on the world map in another way, this time for its explosive mobile consumer market and the business opportunities for investors and digital content developers alike.

Latin America’s once quiet tech growth is now entering its heyday, with global tech giants and investors flocking to its temperate climes. According to the recent Global Venture Capital Confidence Survey, investors see Brazil as the country with the most potential for rewarding investments in today’s uncertain global economy. Latin America, and Brazil specifically, has emerged as the next major opportunity in mobile, with 620 million mobile users in all of Latin America, and Brazil singlehandedly contributing 256 million mobile users to the region.

Here are four reasons why investors and entrepreneurs alike should be keeping an eye on Brazil – the sixth-largest economy in the world – and its hot mobile scene:

• Making friends, and fast.

Brazil now has 50 million users on Facebook, with an astounding growth rate of 144 percent per year, making it the second biggest country on Facebook after the U.S., according social media analyst company Socialbakers. Brazil has by far the fastest growth in the region, with Haiti coming in second place at 91 percent annual growth and Mexico failing to make the top five.

As a whole, Latin America sees 1.6 new Facebook registrations every minute. Both developers and brands have a huge opportunity awaiting them on Facebook in Brazil, as this audience grows at a rapid rate and continues generating more page likes and becoming more deeply engaged with brands on Facebook.

Big consumer brands like L’Oreal, Nike and Smirnoff have already put a stake in the Brazilian Facebook competition, and all rank in the country’s top 10 brands on Facebook. They’re getting millions of Facebook fans from Brazil’s rapidly growing user base, indicating a huge marketing opportunity for non-Latin American brands to tap into Brazil’s Facebook audience.

After Facebook’s recent push toward expanding on mobile, the social network is now drawing 425 million mobile users. Mobile is already winning time over computers in the U.S., with smartphone users spending an average of 441 minutes per month on Facebook and computer users spending 391 minutes on the social network, according to data collected by comScore in March. And with Facebook’s recent introduction of the App Center in Brazil, there’s a chance for apps to make a big splash in Brazil’s mobile market.

• Ready to play.

The Brazilian mobile market is eager to play games, and to consume apps in general. The Apple App Store in Brazil just started offering games in April 2012, and according to a recent report by analyst firm Distimo, Not only is Brazil now the biggest app market in Latin America, but its year-on-year revenue also far outpaced the U.S. App Store revenue growth, with Brazilian app sales growing 83 percent in the last year, compared to 44 percent growth in the U.S. Brazil ranks sixth in the world for App Store revenue growth according to Distimo, and its ranking will only rise over the next few years as mobile growth slows in booming countries like Japan and Russia.

• Smartphone economics are changing.

Unlike the still-brutally-high data costs in the U.S., prices are actually dropping in Brazil as carriers offer competitive pricing plans. With prepaid plans the most popular model, the major carriers are offering data plans from 20 to 25 cents per day. Some carriers are even offering no-charge access to data-heavy services like mobile video streaming. Not only are cheaper data plans attracting more mobile users, but Apple manufacturer Foxconn has the potential to spur mobile growth by bumping up iPhone production in Brazil.

Foxconn has already set up shop with a plant in Brazil and has plans to ramp up its iPhone production, which to date has not been on a mass scale. Thus far, Apple has been bringing Chinese-manufactured parts and products into Brazil, and due to high import taxes, the iPhone 4S hit the Brazilian market with a nearly $1,500 price tag. Mass domestic production of the iPhone should cut prices dramatically.

In addition to the upswing in iPhone sales, Android devices are expected to hit the Latin American market in a big way this Christmas season. Unlike markets in the U.S. and  Europe, less expensive Android phones are the top-selling devices on carriers’ app stores. At Movile, we’re expecting that more than 20 million Android phones will be sold in Brazil over the next 12 months.

• Building for speed.

Thanks to government support in the form of auctions that encourage telecom carriers to purchase 4G bandwidth at competitive prices, Brazil is laying the groundwork for widespread 4G access. Even George Soros threw his hat into the 4G bidding, with his recent purchase of Brazilian telecom Sunrise Telecomunicacoes signaling high expectations for mobile investments in Brazil.

All four of Brazil’s major telecom companies obtained licenses for 4G high-speed Internet capabilities in the recent auction, and have pledged to ready their 4G networks by April 2013 in time for Brazil to host the soccer World Cup. And looking at the long-term picture, the big telecoms are expected to offer 4G in all Brazilian cities with a population of 100,000 or more by the end of 2016.

Brazil has the building blocks in place to create a dominant mobile market: a supportive government, manufacturing resources and an eager consumer base. As its place in the global mobile market shapes up over the next few years, developers, entrepreneurs and investors would be wise to grab a stake in this promising mobile frontier before the competition gets too fierce.

Source: By Eduardo Henrique on 1st August 2012.

Do you want to feel it yourself? Contact us at +603 8996 4780 or sales@moceansms.com