14 stats that show why consumer trust and wearables go hand-in-hand

The wearables ecosystem continues to grow rapidly with all manner of connected devices from fitness trackers in trainers and connected eyewear and is of course buoyed by the recent launches of smartwatches from the likes of Apple and Samsung. What remains consistent is the inevitability of connected devices’ need to create and use consumer data to monetise the services that wearable hardware supports. Indeed the sustainability of this ecosystem is largely dependent on consumers sharing their personal data through the apps and services that they use. By its definition, personal data for …

1.3 million Android attacks last year: ten steps to mobile security

Mobile's onward march is well documented.  In a blink, phone penetration has reached a reported 6.8 billion (the population of the earth is 7 billion) and the next iteration of connectivity will see wearable devices shape a future that was unimaginable when the first text message was sent in the early eighties.  But with mass adoption comes plenty of threats. Just like computers, viruses, malware, and hacking are a constant menace. Here Alexander Erofeev, Chief Marketing Officer at security specialists, and MEF member, Kaspersky Lab, shares his 10 insights on the size of the problem and how …

10 things you need to know about mobile vouchers and digitizing cash

Identified as one of MEF’s “10 Key Mobile Trends for 2015”, the creation of methods to convert “cash” to “digital money” is key to enabling mobile & Internet commerce. How does an aspirational consumer in an emerging market take their real cash and buy goods with their mobile? Here, Peter Cook, CEO of MEF Member Novatti, shares the 10 things you need to know. 1) It’s happening now Looking at some current use cases: Mobile recharge - whether the consumer buys a “PIN”, otherwise known as a “Voucher”, or they pay an agent to do an e-topup, the consumer is paying with cash and receiving a …

10 things you need to know about carrier billing

Identified as one MEF’s “10 Key Mobile Trends for 2015”, carrier billing is a major driver behind the global growth in digital content sales. Carrier billing enables consumers to buy apps, games, music and other content by charging the cost to their mobile bill, in one or more taps. Here, Richard Leyland, VP Marketing with MEF Member Bango shares the 10 things you need to know. 1) It’s happening now Where many mobile payment technologies are known for expectation and hype, but disappointing revenues, carrier billing is a notable exception. It’s happening now, on a massive scale. As app …

10 things you need to know about the Barclays Accelerator

The Barclays Accelerator, powered by Techstars, is a start-up accelerator programme designed to champion and support new innovative companies in the FinTech space. It offers companies that make it through the selection process an amazing array of benefits including seed investment from Techstars, exclusive access to Barclays APIs & data and world class mentorship from leading experts over the 13-week programme. Barclays are currently taking applications for the 2nd cohort, which close on 9 January 2015. Here Barclays share 10 things you need to know about this opportunity and how …

10 things you need to know about mobile social tech

Last year, dedicated social tech investor, Nominet Trust, launched the inaugural Nominet Trust 100 (NT100), a list of 100 inspiring international projects using technology to drive social change and make the world a better place.  The call for nominations for the second annual NT100 is now open.Research among the finalists of the 2013 NT100 found that mobile innovations (including apps) stood out as the technology of choice that will make the biggest impact on society. Here Ed Anderton, Development Researcher at the Trust, outlines some examples of how, specifically mobile ideas, have made a …

10 things you need to know about the Philippine mobile money market

Mobile phone penetration in the Philippines has far exceeded the population, with an estimated 107 out of 100 Filipinos owning a mobile phone at the end of 2013. And while the country has been in the mobile money space for more than a decade, the growth potential is still huge as the majority of the population still generally prefer to pay for products and services with cash. Local operator & MEF member, Smart Communications, is looking at mobile money solutions as one of the future growth opportunities for the company. Lito Villanueva is  Vice President & Head of Innovation, …

10 Things You Need To Know about Ringback Tones

Customizable ringback tones for mobile devices have long been available to consumers to personalize their calling experience. Today, RealNetworks is focused on re-inventing the ways people personalize their devices, with a particular emphasis on the ringback tone. Ken Murphy, EMEA Vice President of RealNetworks’ Mobile Entertainment division, is a 20-year veteran of the mobile industry with expertise in telecoms, hardware manufacturing and mobile entertainment services in both developed and developing markets. Here are his top 10 reasons why you should be paying closer attention to the …

10 things you need to know about India’s Mobile Apps Economy

India’s Mobile Market is challenging, highly competitive, innovative and above all, exciting. Here Virat Singh Khutal, CEO of  Twist Mobile shares his top ten "things you need to know" about this hugely varied and dynamic market. 1) A Market in Transition The Indian mobile market is in a period of major transition, moving from a predominantly feature phone market to smart phones. This transition is driven by cheap handsets, which now account for 90% of total phone sales. Every android phone sold in India has a 40% chance of GPRS activation compared to a 20% chance on feature phones. 2) The …

Ten top mobile security tips you need to know

In today’s world, most things are documented, stored and communicated through our digital devices, be it a smartphone, tablet or other electronic devices. Keeping these safe involves more than just preventing intrusion by malicious software but actually physically protecting these devices, as you would with other important things in your life. It’s time to step up your preventive measures.  Goh Su Gim, a Security Advisor from F-Secure in the Asia Pacific region based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  presents 10 steps on how to go about it: 1) Stay alert Theft and loss of smartphones today is at …

10 things you need to know about the Bangladesh mobile market

In a country where 50% of the population does not have electricity, mobile brings a silent revolution to Bangladesh. Kaymun Amin is CEO and Founder of VuMobile and here explores the massive potential of the Bangladeshi mobile market. Bangladesh is home to 160 million people with over 70% of the population living in rural areas on $2 per day or less.  The country is the ninth-largest market worldwide in terms of mobile subscribers in Q1 2013 with 70 million 'unique' subscribers (i.e. people) actively using 112 million mobile connections (i.e. SIM cards) (source: GSMA). Market penetration based …

10 things you need to know about mobile marketing

eMarketer estimates that mobile ad-spend will increase to almost $37 billion in 2016 on smartphones and tablets, up from $8.4 billion in 2012, (display and search). Here, Phalgun Raju, VP & GM for India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong & Taiwan at InMobi provides 10 things that you need to know about mobile marketing. 1. Smartphone shipments will pass 1 billion by 2014 According to IDC smartphone shipments are expected to pass 1 billion for the first time in 2014. The smartphone and tablet brigade will out-ship PCs in 2013 by 3:1 and the ratio will grow to 5:1 by 2017. This rapid adoption …

10 things you need to know about the Indian mobile market

The massive and fast growing mobile market in India has attracted many major companies, investors and entrepreneurs, but the promised riches do not come without huge risk. India has over 900M mobile subscribers and still growing, second only to China. However, there are significant challenges that need to be taken into consideration when entering the market. Here Paul Palmer, VP of Global Sales at Bubbly, formerly Bubble Motion, breaks down 10 key points you need to know before jumping in at the deep end. 1) While there are 900M+ subs, mobile operators are highly fragmented There are six …

10 reasons why your mobile strategy should include HTML5 – Pietro Catello, Buongiorno

Every week, we ask  our members to sum up everything we need to know about a given topic in 10 easy-to-digest bites.  This week Pietro Catello, MEF EMEA board director and regional B2C director - Northern & Central EU, Russia, South Africa and APAC for Buongiorno, shares ten key insights in to HTML5. Although you may already be familiar with HTML5, now is a great time to take a closer look at the main advantages and opportunities that this constantly evolving technology brings to mobile-focused businesses. …

10 reasons why companies will keep on texting: Cassio Bobsin Machado, CEO Zenvia

Every week, we ask  our members to sum up everything we need to know about a given topic in 10 easy-to-digest bites.  This week  Cassio Bobsin Machado, CEO at Brazilian SMS company, Zenvia, gives us ten reasons why SMS still endures.   Texting fever hit the world throughout the last decade, driving a new behaviour on almost every mobile user from 8 to 80.  In 2002 some 250 billion SMS were sent, meanwhile 2012 saw 6.7 trillion text messages beeping worldwide. As mobile operators figured out how to charge some bits of information for a few cents, this massive adoption created a tremendous …

10 things you need to know about mobile security – Omri Sigelman, AVG

Every week, we ask our members to sum up everything we need to know about a given topic in 10 easy to digest morsels.  This week  Omri Sigelman  from internet and mobile security provider, AVG Technologies, shines a light on mobile security. Everyone knows about the stratospheric growth of mobile usage throughout the world, but what is often overlooked is that as smartphone use is growing, so are the threats targeted at mobile users. Technology research firm Gartner is predicting that Smartphone sales in 2013 will hit 1 billion units, and while consumers clearly love them, there’s a lack …