MEF rebrands to Mobile Ecosystem Forum and elects new EMEA Board

New company name reflects MEF’s broadening remit as the ecosystem grows - cross border, sector and company size Darren Foulds, Managing Director of Barclays Mobile and Pingit, elected as EMEA Chair and Adia Sowho Head of Digital Media, Etisalat Nigeria elected as Vice-Chair MEF has announced the results of its 2015 EMEA Board elections which took place at the company AGM at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It also announced its transition to the Mobile Ecosystem Forum officially launching at its 13th annual MEF Connects MWC in association with American Express. Rimma Perelmuter, CEO …

Why Direct Operator Billing Is Back In Style

From its early beginnings as a convenient way to purchase a ringtone or game with a premium rate SMS message, paying with your mobile bill has come a long way. Today, Direct Operator Billing (DOB) (sometimes referred to as Direct Carrier Billing) is recognised globally as a highly convenient way to pay for all kinds of digital goods and services. At the same time, the plethora of mobile payment wallets which have been launched over the last year and the global consumers’ increasing appetite to pay for physical goods over their mobile presents a challenge to existing incumbents. So what does …

MEF Africa Report: Mobile Leaders Confident of Regional Industry Expansion

First announced at the recent Africa Day in Johannesburg, MEF this week launched the second part of its three-country African Growth Market Study, which surveyed mobile business leaders in the region to deliver an industry snapshot of market confidence and key drivers for mobile content and commerce in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. Confidence across the continent was shown to be high with over two-thirds in Kenya (70%) and South Africa (68%) and almost all in Nigeria (93%) optimistic for  mobile content and commerce revenue growth. The three-country study provides insight into the …

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 …

Take the Women in Wireless London Chapter "State of Play" Survey

Women in Wireless (WiW) London is conducting a survey among females in the mobile and digital media industries in the UK and you are heartily encouraged to participate by clicking this link. The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete.  The survey objective is to explore the current state of play for women’s career and life choices, and to understand how companies can work with organisations like WiW to develop the skills and options available for women to pursue a challenging and fulfilling career path.As a reward for participating, you will have the option to provide your …

MEF announces inaugural LATAM Board

Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF), the global trade body of the mobile media and entertainment industry, announced today the election results for its inaugural LATAM Board.MEF’s LATAM Chapter was launched in November 2009 to accelerate the growth of mobile media & entertainment across the region by creating dialogue between the industry and regulators, as well as driving initiatives that promote best practice and sustainable business solutions. The newly elected board was elected to a two year term and consists of industry leaders across Latin America with expertise spanning the mobile, …

MEF Responds to GetJar Study

Yesterday, a study from GetJar and Chetan Sharma Consulting predicted that mobile apps downloads will increase from more than 7bn downloads in 2009 to 50bn in 2012. It also projected that the global mobile application economy will be worth $17.5bn in 2012, more than CD sales, which it predicts will reach $13.83bn. What’s more, Google announced that the number of mobile apps on Android Marketplace have doubled to 30,000 in the past three months.Here, Rimma Perelmuter, Executive Director of the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF), the global association of the mobile media industry, comments:“The …

Mobile Entertainment Forum’s fourth Business Confidence Index suggests economic recovery and growth

Mobile Entertainment Forum’s (MEF) fourth Business Confidence Index (BCI), compiled by KPMG, points to signs of recovery and a clear trajectory of revenue growth of 28% for the coming year.The latest BCI survey of the MEF Membership, representative of the whole mobile media entertainment value chain, demonstrates a fourth consecutive growth prediction since January 2009 and a clear trend that the industry consistently projects growth in the region of 25-35% for the next 12 months.Andrew Bud, the Global Chair of MEF commented: “Our industry has faced a difficult period, but these latest …