Why mobile first markets are leading the mobile charge

Unencumbered by legacy internet infrastructure, in many markets mobile has taken off as the primary digital touch-point. As smartphones become cheaper and connectivity improves there has been a corresponding uplift in mobile device penetration in markets across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. And it’s that widespread adoption that characterises many growth economies as mobile first. Ahead of MEF Global Forum Mobile First Markets in Bangalore next week, we take a look at why India is one of the countries at the forefront of this trend. With its entrepreneurial mentality, millions of …

MEF members meet the startups of tomorrow with Barclays Accelerator powered by Techstars

MEF this week hosted a fintech-focused Innovation Meetup with the Barclays Accelerator powered by Techstars, attended by MEF members and invited guests as part of our new and dedicated Innovation Programme. The event showcased the current cohort participating in the Accelerator based at the London Escalator, an open innovation space designed to support start-ups and entrepreneurs. Nine companies (unfortunately the 10th startup was unable to attend) presented a quick-fire pitch about their business to the assembled audience, which was followed by enthusiastic networking, giving MEF …

Nigeria – it’s a mobile market, but not as you know it. . .

As part of its ongoing pan-African strategy, MEF is  hosting the inaugural MEF Connects Nigeria later this month in association with Basebone and Mozilla. Co-located with Mobile West Africa 2015,  attendees can learn more about this mobile-first market while networking with local carriers, pioneers and innovators. Here, Matthew Dawes, founder and CEO (that’s Chief Enabling Officer) of All Amber and Mobile West Africa 2015, shares his thoughts on why Nigeria is such an exciting place to do business. I’ve been involved in Nigerian telecommunications development (you might as well say …

TADHack is coming to London

MEF is official partner of TADHack, the annual global telecoms app developer hackathon. This year the Tadhack team is bringing mini events to London in April and Chicago in October. Here TADHack founder and Telecoms industry veteran, Alan Quayle, gives us the lowdown on the London hackathon. What’s TADHack WebRTC London all about? TADHack (Telecom Application Developer Hackathon) is focused on developers, technology and creativity; it’s much more than simply providing a venue to hack. Its about quality networking and lots of promotion for those involved. We have a dream team of mentors for …

MEF Global Consumer Survey 2014: growth economies driving mobile adoption

Global mobile content and commerce activity grew slightly from 65 to 66 per cent in 2014, fueled by strong gains in growth markets. A lack of trust remains the industry’s biggest obstacle, increasing from 30 to 34 per cent year on year Download the executive summary here MEF has published the results of its annual Global Consumer Survey at MEF Global Forum held in San Francisco this week which brought together nearly 400 global mobile leaders, the hottest start-ups and industry executives. The study now in it's 4th year is the largest ever, surveying almost 15,000 mobile media users …

Navigating the Shift to Digital and Mobile Video

Until recently, traditional TV players had brushed off the notion that digital will have a heavy impact on their business or market share. It’s understandable, considering the platform continues to grow (even today), but the mistake in this thinking was not taking the shift in technology or viewer behaviors into account. The heavy up-tick in digital video options along with the introduction of smartphones and tablets has given consumers something they never had before with traditional television – a choice. YouTube alone boasts nearly 1 billion monthly unique visitors to their site chalking …

MEF Connects Singapore – Event Roundup

MEF Asia recently hosted the ever-popular MEF Connects Singapore held during CommunicAsia where MEF members and business leaders from across the world met to share knowledge and do business. Here, General Manager for MEF Asia, Linda Ruck, shares the background to one of the most exciting mobile markets in the world, and her takeaways from the member event. With a population of almost 5.4 million, Singapore is a busy and exciting market with a this tech-savvy nation that enjoys a staggering mobile penetration rate of more than 148 percent and 8 million active mobile subscribers - split between …

Podcast: the 3rd Annual MEF Consumer Trust Summit

Earlier this month we held our 3rd Annual Consumer Trust Summit, co-hosted by MEF members Dentons. In the shadow of the Washington Monument experts from the app community assembled alongside regulators from the US and Europe. The question on everyone’s lips wasn’t "is privacy and building trust still important?", rather, twelve months on from the Snowden revelations it was: "how can we speed up the process?" Simon Bates, MEF Senior Advisor for Policy & Initiatives, shares his impressions. Simon Rice of the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office was on hand to provide the EU …

Dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s in Mobile Education

Educational apps rank ninth among all app categories in terms of downloads. 17 per cent of mobile media users download them – a third of the number downloading games (54 per cent), for example.  Whilst their popularity might be described as niche, their impact is transformative. To acknowledge the benefit that mobile education is having on consumers, MEF has included a new mobile education category in this year's Meffy Awards - the global awards for mobile content and commerce.  The award highlights the innovation and impact mobile has on education resources and services and celebrates the …

Exploring the next generation of mobile privacy policy

A lack of trust is the number one reason why consumers aren’t buying more with their mobiles. Last week, in Washington DC, MEF Members, co hosts Dentons and a collection of US and European regulators, app developers and industry experts gathered at the 3rd Annual MEF Consumer Trust Summit to discuss the latest developments in the business critical issue of Consumer Trust, and how the greatest barrier to m-commerce can be responsibly overcome. We'll bring you full coverage of the day next week here on the MEF Minute in the form of a series of podcasts recorded live at the event, so you can …

MEF Connects São Paulo in Pictures

Before Brazil (and the rest of the world) descends into World Cup fever later this week, here's a look at the photo gallery from last month's networking event which took place at Gran Estanplaza in São Paulo. Supported by Digital Virgo, TIMWE and Zed Latin America, the recent MEF Connects São Paulo took place as part of Tele Viva Movel 2014. MEF Connects was a great opportunity for our LatAm Members to meet and network while focusing on the industry’s key business opportunities and concerns – enabling the mobile ecosystem to leverage the mobile device to drive customer acquisition, …

Now Apple’s shifted its focus to privacy and security, maybe the industry will follow

As the biggest company in the world offers a timely reminder of the importance of building consumer Trust, MEF''s Senior Advisor for Policy & Initiatives Simon Bates reflects on the upcoming Annual Summit to be held in Washington DC with co-hosts Dentons on the 10th June, and why consumer trust and privacy remain business critical issues. MEF Consumer Trust Summit 2014 Speakers Tim Spirapani VP of Law, Policy, Government Relations Application Developers Alliance Larry Magid Tech journalist, internet safety activist CBS News Debbie Matties,  Vice …

TADHack, Building the Telecom Application Developer Ecosystem

MEF is official partner of this year's TADHack, being held in Madrid this summer. Organiser and Telecoms industry veteran Alan Quayle,  talks about the increasingly important role of developers in telecoms, and why TADHack is the place to be this June.  How are Developers relevant to Telecoms? The Telecoms industry has failed its most important asset for innovation, telecom application developers. We’re a $2T industry that does not have a well-established developer ecosystem.  There have been many silo’ed attempts to build communities around a single company, but Apple and Android dominate …

Standing room only for MEF privacy workshop at AppsWorld Europe

Steve ‘Woz’ Wozniak wasn’t the only draw at last month’s AppsWorld expo in London. More than 60 developers crammed into the Tech World workshop to hear about AppPrivacy – MEF’s free privacy policy generator. MEF Chair Andrew Bud hosted a panel including Martin Fanning, a partner at international law firm Dentons, James Pimentel-Pinto, a founding director of leading UK developer AgencyMobile, and MEF’s Senior Advisor for Policy & Initiatives, Simon Bates, who here summarises the session, which you can watch in full in the video below. MEF has long championed the importance of building …

MEF Global Board Elections 2013 in Pictures

Unable to attend this year’s Global AGM? Check out the photos from the evening where four new Directors were elected by the membership on to the MEF Global Board representing DMG Media, mBlox, Pearson and TIMWE. The Global AGM is always a great opportunity for members to get an update on MEF’s activities around the world in the last 12 months, and hear the roadmap for the year ahead. This year’s meeting was kindly hosted at MEF Member Atos‘ London offices. The EMEA board met first in the afternoon to catch-up live and debate both the Privacy in Mobile Apps and newly approved EMEA …

MEF supports new event series Mobilista Rockstars

MEF has confirmed a new partnership as a Supporting Organisation for the forthcoming Mobilista Rockstars series of events, taking place in Hong Kong, London and New York next month. MEF members can claim a 10% discount on delegate places, see below for details. Tomi Ahonen, a member of this year’s Meffys judging panel, put the series together in order to showcase some of the best speakers in mobile on a global scale. Designed to define the commercial opportunities in digital for this decade, Mobilista Rockstars comprises 6 days of conferences on 3 continents during the week of October …

MEF Global Forum 2013. Inside out. Outside in.

Rimma Perelmuter, MEF’s CEO, looks ahead to the inaugural MEF Global Forum 2013 in November and shares insights on the industry’s shifting dynamics and how the international gathering will look to advance global innovation, growth and monetisation in mobile. The mobile industry continues to grow and morph at lightning speed.  Platforms, services and business models are constantly evolving and in parallel new industry sectors such as banks and publishers are embracing mobile as the primary touch-point for their customers; all eager to leverage the mobile platform for discovery, engagement and …

Free Privacy Workshop @ Apps World Europe (and member discount)

MEF is set to continue its partnership with the popular Apps World series, coming to Earls Court in London this October. Apps World Europe spells two days of engagement and high level insight around the burgeoning mobile apps industry.  As Europe’s largest multi-platform app event over 8,000 developers, mobile marketers, mobile operators, platform owners and industry professionals are expected to pass through its doors.  With Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins confirmed as headline speakers this year is shaping up to be the biggest yet. Building …

Mobile gaming comes of age

MEF COO, Joanne Lacey was at the UK game’s industry conference Develop this week and was delighted to see mobile gaming leading the debate, driving innovation in both business models and technology. MEF was founded by a small group of member companies in 2000. Two members were mobile games companies, both pioneering a vertical that continues today to be a key market driver for mass-consumer mobile adoption, setting content & commerce agendas worldwide. And as the App Store celebrates its 5th anniversary, it appears the wider games industry’s attitude to mobile games has finally changed …

Save the Date – MEF Connects México – 14th August

MEF LatAm has announced  the first ever MEF Connects México - an evening of knowledge sharing and networking event taking place in Mexico City next month. Set to be held in the luxurious Club Piso 51 atop the city's tallest skyscraper, the Torre Mayor, guests from across LatAm's mobile ecosystem will gather to exchange knowledge, ideas and business cards, while taking in the spectacular views of not one, but two volcanoes! MEF Connects events are a well established feature of our global calendar, and we have previously held similar gatherings all over the world, including London, Sao …