Smartphones in mobile-first markets: it’s complicated

It’s one of the great truisms of the mobile industry: smartphone ownership is rocketing in developing markets. But is it true? Well, kind of but not really. At least according to the operator panel convened at the MEF Global Forum for Mobile First Markets earlier this summer. The event in Bangalore brought together Vodafone India’s Prakash Sayini, Turkcell’s Tahsin Akar, Ooredoo’s Thomas Chevanne and Etiselat Nigeria’s Adia Sowho to debate this question: Are mobile first markets ready for the smartphone revolution? The panellists answers would surprise anyone who has only read …

Interview: how Ola is building an ‘Uber for India’

All over the world, ride-sharing apps are taking on powerful local taxi businesses. But in India, the situation is a little different: there are hardly any local firms to take on. So the challenge is more about establishing a market in the first place. Mumbai-based Ola Cabs is leading the charge. Anand Subramanian, director of marketing communications at Ola was interviewed by Shradha Sharma of YourStory Media during MEF Global Forum Mobile First Markets in Bangalore, and shared some of the company’s strategies and goals. In March of this year, Ola raised $400 million in Series E funding. It …

15 stats that show how mobile money is taking shape globally

Earlier this month we created this Mobile Money Landscape diagram - a who's who of the companies that are booting up the mobile money ecosystem. Take a closer look at the statistics below which we've picked out to illustrate how mobile money is pushing out in every direction, bringing mobile service providers in to direct and collaborative relationships with regulators, banks, and retailers, creating a powerful mix of companies that are all committed to making a secure and sustainable future. Understanding how mobile money is taking shape in growth and established economies will also be …

Innovation Series Part 2: Meet the MEFGF13 Start-ups

As part of the Innovation Day at #MEFGF13 delegates were treated to pitches from some of the hottest early-stage start-ups based in Silicon Valley showcasing mobile technology innovation. Hosted at NestGSV’s Redwood City campus, MEFTV was on hand to speak to the execs behind these potential future tech giants – here in part 2 we meet Olset and Eko Devices. Olset - the virtual travel buddy Gadi Bashvitz, founder & CEO introduces Olset, an innovative virtual travel agent that saves user’s time spent on making bookings while providing a superior travel experience by creating “a …

Innovation Series: Meet the MEFGF13 Start-ups

As part of the Innovation Day at #MEFGF13 delegates were treated to pitches from some of the hottest early-stage start-ups based in Silicon Valley showcasing mobile technology innovation. Hosted at NestGSV’s Redwood City campus, MEFTV was on hand to speak to the execs behind these potential future tech giants – meet the first two companies Tile and Partender. Tile - the world's largest lost and found Tile co-founder and CEO Nick Evans describes the revolutionary and Meffy award winning tracking system whereby you can attach a discrete tracking device to your wallet, laptop, keyring or any …

MEF North America and LatAm Board Elections in Pictures

The MEF LatAm and North America elections took place during the recent MEF Global Forum in Silicon Valley as part of the pre-conference agenda. 16 new regional board directors were added to the two boards, representing the breadth and diversity of our global mobile community. The results were announced at Mozilla's SF offices, where the official MEFGF13 welcome drinks were held. Here are the full boards for each Chapter with newly elected directors shown in bold: North America Board Ron Czerny - Founder & CEO, Playphone (Chair) Sanjaya Krishna - Principal & US Digital Risk …

#MEFGF13 Round-up: Photos and highlights

The inaugural MEF Global Forum 2013 took place last week in San Francisco. Over 350 senior execs attended during the three day event which delivered a unique showcase and platform for  international mobile content & commerce. In the coming weeks we will share some of the sessions, interviews and opinion pieces from #MEFGF13, but for now here’s a quick snapshot of the highlights and a selection of photos from across the three days. MEF Global Forum has been 12 months in the making after the move to Silicon Valley was announced by MEF NA Chair Ron Czerny last December at MEF Americas in …

Meffys 2013 winners shine at MEFGF13

Day One of the first ever MEF Global Forum finished in style last night with the 10th Anniversary of the Meffys at a glitzy gala dinner at the InterContinental Hotel in San Francisco. The evening kicked off with Welcome Drinks sponsored by Kaspersky Lab and the ceremony was hosted by Emmy awarding winning and Googler, Daniel Sieberg. The night was a fantastic celebration of the best in mobile from  across the global mobile ecosytem, with over 25 countries from all five continents represented. Established mobile companies, startups and new vertical sectors were competing in 13 awards …

Cutting edge start-ups set to impress at MEFGF13

An ever-popular highlight at MEF events, next week at MEFGF13 we will be showcasing the hottest technology trends from early-stage start-ups from the Valley. On 14th November as part of the Innovation Day in association with Silicon Valley Bank and supported by Mooreland Partners and KPMG at NestGSV’s Redwood City campus, seven cool start-ups will show us what they are up to. Sam Hill, MEF Minute & MEFTV editor, will be covering the event - and here shares a sneak preview of the line-up. The start-up pitching sessions are always a real highlight for me at MEF events - last year’s MEF …

Distimo & MEF Report on Worldwide App Store Trends

Ahead of the first MEF Global Forum in San Francisco on the 14-15th November, MEF has teamed up with app store analytics leader Distimo to release a free report showcasing global trends across the Apple and Google App stores in 16 different countries. As well as analysis of download volumes and revenues by category in established markets such as the U.S. and EU, the report also shines a light on trends in growth markets including South Korea, Brazil and South Africa. It found that the Apple App Store now accounts for 65 per cent of total revenues globally, with Google Play gaining ground in …

Spotlight On Mobile in Asia – Colin Miles

With less than three weeks to go until  MEF Global Forum co-located with the 10th annual Meffys Awards on 14th and 15th November in San Francisco, this week Colin Miles, MEF Asia Chair and VP of Corporate relations at InternetQ Plc, shares his thoughts on the state of the Asian mobile markets and a describes a quiet revolution - the ‘alternate’ mobile consumer movement - going seemingly unnoticed in the West. The (Instant) Message is now the Medium It is such a tumultuous time in Mobile that any blog trying to pinpoint a patterned perspective is likely to be blown apart within a few …

Special delegate hotel rates for MEF Global Forum end this week

If you're heading to San Francisco... for MEF Global Forum you should definitely consider booking your hotel this week to take advantage of the exclusive delegate rates at the InterContinental Hotel, reserved exclusively for MEFGF13 and Meffys attendees. With our special delegate rate, rooms at the hotel, where much of the week's proceedings are based, start from $269 per night - which is roughly a 20% saving on the usual rate for the same period, and a pretty attractive deal for a downtown locale. Another benefit of being on-site is that all delegates staying at the hotel can take advantage …

Spotlight On Mobile in North America – Ron Czerny

As excitement builds for the first ever MEF Global Forum co-located with the 10th annual Meffys Awards on 14th and 15th November in San Francisco, we invited the Board Chairs of regional Chapters to share their mobile insights on their respective territories. Ron Czerny is CEO of Playphone and Chair of MEF in North America - here he discusses the genesis of mobile games in one of the world’s largest mobile entertainment markets. As a veteran entrepreneur in the games industry I have witnessed over the past 25 years the evolution of games in every platform from arcade, console, PC and Web …

Finalists and host announced for 10th Annual Meffys Celebration

MEF today revealed the shortlist for the upcoming 10th annual Meffys awards, being held in Silicon Valley as part of the inaugural MEF Global Forum 2013 conference on the 14th and 15th November. After a grueling judging marathon (Meffys entrants are shortlisted by an international panel of over 40 journalists, academics, analysts and VCs) the thirteen categories were whittled down to 5 finalists each - no mean feat considering the quality and diversity of the entrants. This year saw submissions from established businesses, new businesses, agencies, start-ups, a host of new verticals, …

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 …