Mobile Report August 2013

Mobile Report AUGUST 2013

INSERT IMAGE IN BACKGROUND

MAKE SURE IT FILLS THE SCREEN 100%

A MONTHLY SNAPSHOT OF

MOBILE NEWS, VIEWS, EVENTS

& DEVELOPMENTS LOCALLY

AND ABROAD

HOW TO USE THIS REPORT

This report is intended to be an easy-to-reference tool

It is a resource that you can flip through in your own time – and not to necessarily read from front-to-back

CONTENTS

» Executive Summary

» Section 1: Mobile Landscape

» Section 2: Mobile Innovation and Campaigns

» Section 3: Mobile Devices and Operating Systems

» Section 4: Mobile Networks

» Section 5: Social Networks

» Section 6: Facebook Statistics for Africa

» Sources and Contacts

Executive Summary

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. South Africa has Africa’s cheapest postpaid data prices and the number of internet users reaches 14 million mark

2. While Kenya’s mobile market shrinks, Botswana’s internet subscriptions grow

3. Kenya Airways unveil mobile money integration

4. Launch of M-PESA in India

5. Ubuntu Edge misses its target, but still the biggest crowdfunding campaign ever

6. MySmartEye app for smartphones allows blind people ‘see’ what’s around them

7. First Tri-SIM smartphone by Goophone and LG

8. Apple’s iPhone 5S launch is expected in September and Samsung is working on 5S

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

9. Blackberry may be up for sale

10. New app that turns any surface into a touchscreen

11. Vivo X3, the next world’s thinnest smartphone

12. The LTE technology to be launched in Zimbabwe and 3G service in Guinea

13. Facebook eyes mobile money and Instagram acquires video editing app

14. The latest Facebook statistics for Africa

Mobile Landscape

SECTION 1

14 MILLION INTERNET USERS IN SOUTH

AFRICA

» The DMMA, working with Echo’s Peter Langschmidt, says the internet population stands at 14 million people, representing 39% of adults in South Africa.

» The figure was derived from the All Media Products Survey (AMPS) and independently validated by Effective Measure (EM), the DMMA’s official measurement provider for digital audience data.

» Effective Measure’s unique browsers accessing the internet is 11.6 million monthly internet users.

» Web browsing via mobile phones as well as computers is 11.3 million monthly internet users.

Source: DMMA, 29 July 2013

KENYA’S MOBILE MARKET ‘SHRINKS’

BY 900,000 SUBSCRIBERS

» Mobile subscriber numbers in Kenya have fallen from 30.7 million to 29.8 million between January and March this year.

» This is according to the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) quarterly ‘Sector Statistics Report for January to March 2013’.

» The regulator says the decline has mainly been attributed to the deactivation of 2.4 million unregistered SIM cards during the quarter.

» The CCK adds that the decrease in mobile subscriptions has resulted in a fall in mobile penetration figures from 78% in the previous quarter to 75.8% in the period under review.

» Also, total mobile traffic declined by 1.2% to stand at 7.2 billion minutes, down from 7.3 billion recorded in the previous quarter, says the CCK.

» Meanwhile, the CCK says the uptake of mobile money expanded with subscriptions increasing by 10.1% to reach 23.2 million.

» The number of mobile money transfer agents also rose to 74,216 up from 62,300 reported in the previous quarter.

» Regarding the country’s internet and data market, this segment grew to reach 9.6 million subscriptions by end of March 2013, according to the regulator.

Source: ITWeb Africa, 31 July 2013

TELKOM LAUNCHES BUSINESS

UNCAPPED INTERNET USAGE PLAN

» The good news for small and medium businesses, Telkom has confirmed the launch of its Business Uncapped internet usage plan.

» The company explained that Business Uncapped consists of a range of affordable uncapped internet offers suitable for small offices with up to five users.

» Carel Booysen, Executive: Business Broadband and internet, elaborated that the aim of the offering is to provide small businesses priority on the network during office hours.

» More specifically, it is intended to allow them to benefit from an uncapped internet experience suitable for business essential internet functions like browsing, email and file transfer.

» Booysen asserted that it is these kinds of offering which provide the access, capacity, speed and the tools that enable customers to fully exploit the digital world.

Source: techsmart, 2 August 2013

TAX PAYMENTS AT CAMEROON

PORT GO ELECTRONIC

» Tax and customs fee payments at Cameroon’s Port of Douala in

Cameroon are going electronic, thanks to a firm called Emerging Markets Payments (EMP).

» EMP is an electronics payments card processing company that plans to pilot a cashless service at the port from September. EMP, meanwhile, plans a full launch later of its service later this year.

» The cashless system is expected enable users to make faster transactions by helping them pay customs fees and taxes using electronic payment cards.

» All fees are also to be payable via point-of-sale terminals (POS) or a dedicated web site managed by EMP.

» EMP is majority owned by leading emerging market private equity company, Actis.

» It has over 130 banks and 30,000 merchants as customers across 45 countries.

Source: ITWeb Africa, 5 August 2013

MAJORITY OF SMARTPHONE TRANSACTIONS

HAPPEN AT HOME

» Smartphones and tablets have empowered shoppers and confused marketers by creating a more complex multi-platform environment.

» Yet, if marketers were holding out hope that consumer behavior would eventually “stabilize” around clearly distinct use cases — PCs for e-commerce, tablets for browsing, smartphones for “on the go” — it’s not exactly happening that way.

» Nielsen offers some perspective on all this via a collection of Q1 mobile shopping data.

» Nielsen compared the top shopping behaviors and most common device locations (in the real world) for each category.

Source: Marketing Land, 7 August 2013

ACTIVITY SMARTPHONE TABLET

Store locator lookups

In-car while commuting

At home

Product price checking

1. In store 2. At home

At home

Product research before buying

1. At home 2. In store

At home

Reading reviews 1. At home 2. In store

At home

Creating and using lists while shopping

1. In store 2. At home

1. At home 2. In store

Mobile commerce At home At home

Social media commenting on purchases

At home At home

Post-purchase product review

At home At home

'SA HAS AFRICA’S CHEAPEST

POSTPAID DATA PRICES'

» South Africa has among the cheapest postpaid broadband packages in

Africa, according to a study conducted by Research ICT Africa (RIA).

» In an RIA’s policy brief titled ‘How do mobile and fixed broadband stack up in SA?’, the organisation says that compared to 12 African nations, South Africa has the cheapest 1GB postpaid mobile broadband basket at an average price of $9.81 per month.

» Meanwhile, East Africa’s Tanzania and Kenya are placed second and third, with 1GB postpaid broadband data packages respectively costing $10.17 and $10.81 each in the two nations.

» And in Ghana a 1GB postpaid broadband option costs $10.92, placing the West African nation in fourth position on the list of countries with the cheapest baskets.

» And it’s not just in the 1GB postpaid broadband range that South Africa has competitive prices on the continent.

» In the 5GB postpaid broadband basket, the southern African country also has the second cheapest offering after Nigeria. In South Africa a 5GB mobile postpaid basket costs $21.80 per month, according to the RIA.


BOTSWANA’S INTERNET

SUBSCRIPTIONS GROWTH TOPS 132.2%

» Research from Statistics Botswana (SB), the country’s data authority, has indicated a significant growth in both mobile cellular and internet subscriptions.

» The ‘Botswana ICT 2012 Statistics’ report, released by statistician general Anna Majelantle, says that mobile cellular subscriptions rose from 2,900,263 in 2011 to 3,081,726 in 2012, registering a growth of 6.3%.

» “This increase resulted from the rise in pre-paid subscriptions which constituted 97.9% of total mobile cellular subscriptions in 2012,” said Majelantle.

» Meanwhile, information from the authority says that internet subscriptions rose by 132.2% between 2011 and 2012, from 254,649 subscriptions in 2011 to 591,252 in 2012.

» Majelantle added that for the year 2012, postpaid and prepaid mobile cellular subscriptions were 63,842 and 3,017,884 respectively.

» She further said that ‘mobi-density’, the number of mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, increased by 124.6% in 2012, recording a rise of 62.1 percentage points from the increase recorded in 2011.


ATM WITHDRAWALS ENABLED FOR

GHANA’S MOBILE MONEY USERS

» Mobile money users in Ghana can now withdraw cash from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) without a card, thanks to a just-launched offering by telecoms firm MTN.

» The service, dubbed ATM Cash Out, is the first of its kind in Ghana.

» ATM Cash Out is available at all Fidelity Bank Ghana ATMs across the country.

» And MTN further plans to roll-out the service to more partner banks’ ATMs nationwide.

» “I believe the introduction of this innovative service to the Ghanaian market will enrich the user experience of customers,” said MTN Mobile Money senior manager, Eli Hini.

» The ATM Cash Out service has been formally launched as part of MTN’s annual ‘Mobile Money Month’ in the country.

» MTN was the first operator to launch mobile money services in Ghana.

» The MTN Group operates mobile money offerings in 14 countries, reaching over 10 million customers.


59% OF NIGERIANS ‘UNAWARE’ OF

MOBILE MONEY

» About 60% of Nigerians are ‘unaware’ of mobile money, two years after the introduction of the service in the country, says a snap poll.

» Nigerian opinion poll and research organisation NOI Polls has conducted the mobile money services snap poll.

» The opinion poll was conducted and it involved telephonic interviews of a random nationwide sample consisting of 1,004 Nigerians aged 18 years and above, representing six geopolitical zones in the country.

» And according to results, NOI says 59% of Nigeria's population of more than 160 million people are ‘unaware’ of mobile money.

» Furthermore, according to the results of poll, only 13% of those that are aware of Mobile Money currently use it.

» However, in the report, 71% of non-users say they could consider using mobile money services in the future.

» In August 2011, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) licensed 16 banks and other financial institutions to establish mobile money services throughout the country.


75% OF SMARTPHONE OWNERS ‘‘HIGHLY LIKELY’’

TO DELETE EMAILS THEY CANNOT READ ON

THEIR PHONES

» Email service provider Constant Contact’s mobile email study discovered that 80% of smartphone owners say it is “extremely important” to read emails on their mobile devices, with 75% of the nearly 1,500 survey respondents claiming they were “highly likely” to delete an email if it couldn’t be read from their smartphone.

» The study found that among participants age 18 to 30 years, 88% open email on a mobile device, with more than half – 52% – confirming their smartphone is their primary device for opening emails.

» 30 to 39 age group: 85 % open emails on their mobile device with nearly half – 48% – claiming their smartphone is their primary device for email.

» 40 to 49: 74% confirmed they read emails on their devices, but only 35% of this age demographic said that their smartphone was their primary device for reading emails.

» 50 to 59: 71% of survey respondents reading emails on their phone and 26% claiming their smartphone is their primary email device.

» 60 +: 66% read emails on their smartphone, but only 14% claim it to be their primary device for reading emails.


STANDARD BANK’S MOBILE

GROWTH REVEALED

» Standard Bank says its mobile banking customers as at July 2013 have

swelled to 3 million, representing a 58% increase from the same period last year.

» The group reported a 10% rise in headline earnings per share in the half-year to June period to 506 cents, and a dividend per share of 233 cents was declared.

» “Sharply increased activity occurred through the mobile banking channels in South Africa offset by slightly lower activity through the group’s ATM network,” it said in its results presentation.

» Vuyo Mpako, head of channel design and development at Standard Bank, said that at June 2013 the group had just under 170,000 unique registered users of its app, with the total value of transactions on the app at approximately R11 billion in the year to date.

Source: MobileMoneyAfrica, 22 August2013

FEATURE MOBILE PHONES STILL

STRONG IN THE SA MARKET

» Feature phones, described as phones that have limited or no web access and

a limited ability to run third-party applications, still make up 32 million of the estimated 40 million cellphones in South Africa.

» Speaking at the launch of its new feature phone-friendly mobi site, Kevin Hurwitz, CEO of Wonga.com South Africa said that despite the fact that smartphone penetration is on the rise, feature phones still offer the most access to local consumers.

» He says that as mobile devices and particularly feature phones become cheaper in South Africa, one can expect a marked increase in feature phone sales.

» As testament to this growth, he points to latest research by the Digital Media and Marketing Association (DMMA) that revealed that South African internet users have grown by more than two million in the last 12 months.

» "Tailored for their individual needs, feature phones still offer functionality and affordability to many local consumers, With mobile technology evolving daily, there is massive potential to reach consumers via devices such as smartphones and tablets, but disregard the feature phone market at your peril," he concludes.

Source: allAfrica, 22 August2013

KENYA AIRWAYS UNVEILS MOBILE

MONEY PAYMENT OPTION

» Customers in Uganda wanting to fly with airline Kenya Airways can now purchase their flight tickets using mobile operator MTN’s mobile money offering.

» Kenya Airways operates five daily flights between Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport and its hub in Nairobi.

» The airline also flies to over 45 African destinations.

» MTN Uganda chief marketing officer Ernst Fonternel welcomed the partnership with Kenya Airways.

» Fonternel added that MTN’s mobile money service reaches over 8 million customers.

» “As per the GSMA 2012 Global Mobile Money adoption survey, MTN Uganda ranks 2nd in the world in the number of active mobile money customer accounts," he said.

Source: ITWeb Africa, 28 August2013

Mobile innovation and

campaigns

SECTION 2

FUTURE GOOGLE GLASS TO BE

MADE BY MOTOROLA

» Motorola unveiled their new Android smartphone, the Motorola Moto X

which is one of the first devices to be released by the company since they were taken over my Google, and now it would appear that Motorola may make future Google Glass devices for Google.

» Now Google are considering using Motorola for production of future versions of their Google Glass, the news comes from Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside.

» Woodside has said that Motorola is already working with Google on other hardware projects, and that Google Glass could someday be produced by Motorola.

» It would make sense for Google to use Motorola for future development of Google Glass, we suspect we will see Motorola producing future models of the device for Google.

Source: Geeky Gadgets, 5 August 2013

SPECIALLY DESIGNED SIM CARDS

HELP PROTECT FREE-SPEECH

» Abayima, a non-profit organisation has decided to come up with a solution

that will assist activists, journalists and human rights organisations in oppressive regimes to communicate simply by using specially designed SIM cards.

» Abayima was founded back in 2011 with the objective of making communication possible for citizens during crisis scenarios, such as when internet and mobile networks go down whether by circumstance or by malicious intent.

» Abayima developed the Open SIM Kit (OSK), an open source software solution that allows anyone to hack the contents of a SIM card, which is the primary network communication tool found in 90% of phones in the global market.

» With the redesigned SIM cards, citizens and other people in repressive regimes communicate simply by storing information on the SIM cards and swapping with one another, providing an alternative way to circumvent network surveillance.


FNB MOBILE PAYMENT DEVICE A

STEP CLOSER

» UK company Powa Technologies Group, which has partnered with SA banking group FNB to develop a mobile payments device, has completed its first round of outside funding totaling $76 million.

» Powa creates technology which allows consumers and businesses to make transactions through mobile devices.

» In October 2012, Powa signed a deal with South African bank FNB to offer its payment device in the country.

» The device, mPowa, works by using a free mobile phone app and a reader, which connects to a smartphone or mobile device by plugging into its headphone socket or connecting via Bluetooth.

» It enables companies and individuals to accept card payments from their customers on the go in a quick and convenient way.

» The mobile app is free to download on iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows and Blackberry devices and functions as the control centre that accepts the payment.

» The bank remains coy over a launch date, however. “We are in the final stages of certification and design and will soon be active with the product in the coming months,” it said.

Source: BusinessTech, 22 August 2013

VODAFONE LAUNCHES M-PESA IN

DELHI

» Vodafone India along with ICICI bank, launched its mobile money transfer and payment service ‘M-Pesa’ in Delhi, expanding the footprint in the Capital.

» “We expect a small number of people to adapt this initially...if classical marketing theory is anything to go by usually about 0.5 to 1% of people adopt a new product,” Vodafone India Business Head (Delhi) Subrat Padhi said.

» He, however, added, the company expects the product to go “viral” in the days ahead going by the kind of response it got in countries like Kenya.

» “We clearly feel the initial experience will come by our push...point of inflection, there is a point when it becomes viral and people start doing it with word of the mouth,” Vodafone India Business Head M-Pesa Suresh Sethi said.

» The service will be available through 1,400 authorised agents and across 130 Vodafone exclusive retail stores in Delhi and NCR region.

» Apart from Delhi, the service, which was launched in December last year, is currently available in Kolkata, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Rajasthan and will be rolled out across the country in 12-18 months.

» Besides Vodafone, other mobile operators such as Bharti Airtel are also offering similar services.

Source: MobileMoneyAfrica, 22 August 2013

UBUNTU EDGE MISSES TARGET BY

$19M MARGIN

» The Ubuntu Edge has failed to hit its ambitious crowdfunding target by a whopping $19 million.

» The open-source mobile had aimed for the stars with a goal of $32 million, but fell far short, ending up with $12.8 million.

» The phone won't now be produced and all funds will be returned to contributors, within five working days.

» It is still the most money ever pledged on Indiegogo, the crowdfunding site used for the campaign, and it tops Kickstarter's record of $10.3 million for the Pebble smartwatch.

Source: CNET, 22 August 2013

PAINT A PICTURE FOR THE BLIND

WITH MYSMARTEYE

» MySmartEye, a new initiative by Singapore’s local telecommunications company StarHub and developed by TribalDDB, is a mobile application that enables the visually impaired to be aware of their surroundings.

» Through the app, the visually impaired will be able to take a picture and have it described via the built-in voice-over feature of their smartphones.

» When a visually impaired user snaps a photo, it is automatically sent to the micro-volunteers’ smartphone, where the volunteer is then prompted to describe the image.

» The speed of the message transmission back to the visually impaired user depends on the volunteer's response time.

» The app also allows the visually impaired user to check feedback on his or her image using motion and gesture prompts.

» To use MySmartEye, all micro-volunteers have to log in through their Facebook account, helping to ensure credibility and responsibility of the comments given.

» One visually impaired user said the app allows him to feel more socially connected with the world.

Source: Mashable, 27 August 2013

Mobile devices and

operating systems

SECTION 3

GOOPHONE AND LG TO OFFER FIRST

TRI-SIM SMARTPHONES

» Dual-SIM phones are handy in regions where international travel and prepaid service are common, but even those devices aren't always enough for jetsetters.

» Thankfully, GooPhone and LG have come to those customers' rescue by launching the first smartphones based on a new MediaTek Triple-SIM chip.

» GooPhone X1+ and a just-shipped variant of the Optimus L4 II can juggle three phone lines without a big hit to battery life.

» Neither tri-SIM phone is high-end: the X1+ reportedly carries a 5-inch FWVGA display and a dual-core MT6572 processor, while the L4 II sports a 3.8-inch HVGA screen and an unnamed 1GHz chip.

» Despite those limitations, we suspect the handsets will be vital to anyone who'd rather not switch SIMs when crossing the border.

» LG's phone is already on sale in Brazil, while the GooPhone X1+ should ship to multiple countries this month.

Source: engadget, 5 August 2013

SONY XPERIA TABLET Z ANDROID

4.2 UPDATE RELEASED

» Good news for owners of the Xperia Tablet Z as Sony has started rolling out the Sony Xperia Tablet Z Android 4.2 update, the update comes in the form of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

» The Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update brings a range of new features to the Sony Xperia Tablet Z, the update has been released for the LTE version of the device, with the update expected shortly for the WiFi version.

» The Xperia Tablet Z Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update comes as firmware versions 10.3.1.A.0.244 and you can check to see if it is available for your device from the settings menu.

Source: Geeky Gadgets, 5 August 2013

GOOGLE RELEASES ANDROID

USAGE DATA

» Tech giant Google has released the latest Android mobile operating system (OS) usage data, revealing which version of the platform is doing duty on users’ smartphones and tablets.

» Android Jelly Bean (Android 4.1 - 4.3) continues to ascend to new usage heights, after having dethroned the long serving king of the Android hill, Gingerbread (Android 2.3.3 - 2.3.7), as the number one used version last month.

» Jelly Bean now powers four out of every ten (40.5%) Android-running mobile devices, up from 37.9% in July, whilst Gingerbread’s share slips from 34.1% to 33.1%.

» The demand for Android Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0.3 - 4.0.4) remains low, with this version of the mobile platform laying claim to a 22.5% usage share (down from 23.3%).

» The sticky, tablet loving Honeycomb (Android 3.2) refuses to be completely put out to pasture, running on 0.1% of Android-powered devices.

» Honeycomb’s fellow Android veterans, Froyo (Android 2.2), Donut (Android 1.6) and Eclair (Android 2.1) possesses a 2.5%, 0.1% and 1.2% respective Android usage stake.

Source: techsmart, 5 August 2013

GOOGLE ADDS TOUCH CONTROLS TO

EXPERIMENTAL VERSION OF CHROME

Source: engadget, 5 August 2013

» The latest build of Canary, the bleeding-edge test-bed for Google Chrome, reveals that the company is working on touch-centric features for its desktop browser.

» By swiping left and right, for instance, users will be able to avoid the chore of hitting the back and forward page buttons -- while pinch-to-zoom and on-screen keyboards are also available to try out.

» Now, of course, you just need some hardware to take advantage of the new features.

APPLE + ANDROID COMBINE 92%

OF SMARTPHONE MARKET

» ComScore issued its latest smartphone market share report.

» As has been true for the past several months, not much has changed.

» Android remained the top mobile operating system, with 52% of the US smartphone market while the iPhone gained nearly a point.

» ComScore also reported a 0.1% gain for Windows Phone.

» According to comScore 59% of US mobile subscribers owned smartphones in June. Nielsen says current smartphone penetration in the US is 62%.


IPHONE 5S LAUNCH EXPECTED IN

SEPTEMBER

Source: ITWeb, 12 August 2013

» Apple is expected to unveil its next smartphone at an event on 10 September, according to technology blog AllThingsD.

» The blog cites unnamed sources as the leak behind the launch date, but an Apple representative refused to comment on the timing of any upcoming events.

» A report in the Korea Times last month suggested the phone could be long-term evolution-advanced (LTE-A)-enabled, as Apple has allegedly approached SK Telecom to incorporate its LTE-A technology into the 5S.

» LTE-A technology will enable the iPhone 5S to download data twice as fast as its predecessor, at a speed of 150Mbps.

» Leaked images of the upcoming smartphone also made their way onto the Web, suggesting Apple hasn't ventured from its design recipe for the iPhone 5.

BLACKBERRY MAY PUT ITSELF UP

FOR SALE


» Struggling smartphone maker BlackBerry is weighing options that could include an outright sale, it said, and its largest shareholder is stepping down from its board to avoid any possible conflict of interest.

» BlackBerry, which pioneered mobile email with its first smartphones and email pagers, said it had set up a committee to review its options, sparking a debate over whether Canada's one-time crown jewel is more valuable as a whole or snapped up piece by piece by competitors or private investors.

» The company said Prem Watsa, whose Fairfax Financial Holdings is BlackBerry's biggest shareholder, was leaving the board as BlackBerry determines its next steps.

» The potential buyers of BlackBerry assets, if not the company itself, could include deep-pocketed Canadian pension funds, as well as some of its rivals.

» BlackBerry, once a stock market darling, has bled market share to Apple and phones using Google Android operating system, and its new BlackBerry 10 smartphones have failed to gain traction with consumers.

» Companies tipped as possible partners for BlackBerry have included Microsoft and Amazon.com, as well as Lenovo Group.

» Sources say Wall Street bankers have also pitched deals involving BlackBerry to companies such as HTC and Samsung Electronics, so far without success.

KINECT APP THAT TURNS ANY SURFACE

INTO A TOUCHSCREEN IS NOW FOR SALE

Source: Engadget, 15 August 2013

» With several companies developing technologies that can turn any surface into a touchscreen, it should be widely available soon.

» Those who want to try it out before it's cool, however, should look towards Ubi Interactive's software that combines the talents of Microsoft's Kinect for Windows sensor and a projector.

» So long as the software's installed on a Windows 8 computer, the sensor tracks and detects movements users make on the projected image.

» Interactions are the same as any tablet or smartphone, including launching icons by tapping on them and expanding areas with pinch-to-zoom.

» Merely a concept in 2012, the software is now available on Ubi's website with prices ranging from $149 to $1,499, depending on the display size and the type of customer support.

VIVO X3 CRUSHES WORLD’S THINNEST

SMARTPHONE TITLE

Source: Digital Trends, 23 August 2013

» It wasn’t so long ago that Huawei grabbed the title of World’s Thinnest

Smartphone with the Ascend P6, which measures just 6.16mm thick.

» Now, Huawei has lost it again, this time to the Vivo X3.

» Vivo X3 is just 5.75mm thick.

» It’s not cheating either, as the X3’s chassis measures the same all the way along, with no unsightly bumps for the battery or camera lens.

» The screen is 5-inches and has a 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, while the processor is a quad-core chip with a 1.5GHz clock speed.

» Android 4.2 is installed as the OS, and there’s an 8-megapixel camera on the back of the phone.

» Surprisingly for such a thin phone, the X3 is quite heavy at 150 grams, and the battery is as feeble as you’d expect at 2000mAh.

» Also, if you want the super thin Vivo X3, you’re stuck with a blue color scheme, as the white model is 5.95mm thick.

» The Vivo X3 will go on sale in China next month, when it will cost the equivalent of $410.

SAMSUNG STARTS WORK ON S5

Source: ITWeb, 27 August 2013

» Although the Samsung Galaxy S4 is only a few months old, the company has reportedly already started working on its successor.

» The Electronic Times has revealed what could be the first specs of the Samsung Galaxy S5.

» The latest report claims the Galaxy S5 will feature a 16MP camera, upgrading from the S4's 13MP sensor and matching the Galaxy S4 Zoom's 16MP.

» The Galaxy S5 is also expected to come with an optical image stabiliser, a function that was reportedly originally meant to be used for the Galaxy Note 3, but could not be implemented at the time due to problems with parts supply.

» The report adds once development of the 16MP module is complete, it is likely to become the basic standard for the company's smartphones in the future.

» The patent images of what is believed to be the Galaxy S5 were leaked in the previous month. The images showed off a rectangular shape, but with edges that are slanted, diverting from Samsung's current look found on the Galaxy S3 and S4.

Mobile Networks

SECTION 4

ERICSSON CELEBRATES 115

YEARS IN EGYPT

» Swedish multinational technology firm Ericsson has marked 115 years in

Egypt at a dinner event for stakeholders from the country’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector.

» Ericsson has a long-standing presence in Egypt, beginning in 1897 when the company was tasked with establishing the first telephone exchange system in the country connecting Cairo to Alexandria for the first time.

» "Egypt has seen rapid advancement in its telecommunications industry in recent years, and we at Ericsson are proud of our role in helping to push it forward together with our partners,” said Isil Yalcin, president of Ericsson North East Africa.

» Yalcin further went on to announce the company's social corporate responsibility initiative in the country around ‘smart schools’.

» The smart schools initiative is planned to support innovation among Egyptian youth and nurture local talent.


AIRTEL ZAMBIA AIMS FOR 500,000

MOBILE MONEY TRANSACTIONS

» Airtel Zambia plans to reach half-a-million transactions from its 1.2 million subscribers registered on its mobile money service by the end of this year.

» The company’s managing director Charity Lumpa said out of the 1.2 million registered mobile money subscribers, approximately 14, 000 to 15, 000 are currently regular users of its mobile money services.

» The company also says that over 80 active Airtel money merchants have been registered.

» Lumpa added that Airtel money is helping registered customers to pay utility bills and send money to friends and relatives in the comfort of their homes.

» The company is recording at least $95,000 worth of transactions every day through the Airtel mobile money service.

» Airtel is Zambia’s largest telecom operator with over four million subscribers.


AIRTEL GHANA, ISEND ENABLE

CROSS-BORDER PREPAID PURCHASES

» Ghanaians living in countries such as the US are soon set to be able to buy prepaid airtime for their family and friends in Ghana who use mobile operator Airtel’s network.

» Electronic payment service company, iSend, has announced that it has partnered with mobile operator Airtel Ghana to create this service.

» According to a press statement, customers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Europe are set to be able to purchase prepaid mobile airtime from more than 150,000 retail locations.

» Customers can also arrange top-ups online at iSend's website.

» Users of the service are not charged beyond the normal price of minutes, according to Steve LaBella, president and chief executive officer of iSend, in the statement.

» "This partnership is highly beneficial for the families and friends whom iSend and Airtel Ghana can now serve together," he concluded.


ZAMBIA POSTPONES PLANS FOR

FOURTH MOBILE LICENCE

» Plans to award a fourth mobile licence in Zambia this year have been put on hold by the country’s government.

» Zambia’s minister of communications and transport, Yamfwa Mukanga, has said government has made progress in clearing the way for the fourth operator, but the licence is only to be offered after the country’s digital migration project.

» Among the telecom firms interested is South African headquartered Vodacom, Zambian government officials have said earlier this year.

» Zambia’s telecoms market is dominated by Airtel Zambia and MTN, which have over 8.5 million combined total number of subscribers. State-owned Zamtel also operates as a mobile network provider in the country.

» “We will only allow the fourth mobile service provider on the market after the digital migration exercise is implemented. We are not in a hurry to have the fourth operator because the country is content with the current service levels,” Mukanga said.

» He said the three operators that the country has presently are enough to service the market.

» He added that the Zambian government is also in talks with the operators to reduce the cost of communication for the benefit of customers.


ECONET WIRELESS LAUNCHES LTE

IN ZIMBABWE

» Zimbabwe has become Africa’s seventh country to offer a LTE network after mobile operator Econet Wireless unveiled the next generation high-speed internet service earlier in August.

» The LTE service is planned to be available at all of Zimbabwe’s airports and the central business districts of Harare and Bulawayo.

» The resort town of Victoria Falls, where the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) general assembly kicks off at the end of August, is also planned to have the service.

» Econet - Zimbabwe’s largest mobile operator with an estimated eight million subscribers - has helped Zimbabwe become the seventh country after Angola, South Africa, Namibia, Mauritius, Tanzania and Uganda to have a LTE service.

» “We are officially launching LTE through dongles or modems. We are making it our business to move to 4G mobile phones,” said Stern Henning, the chief commercial and customer relations officer at Econet Wireless.

» LTE offers speeds of up-to 65 Mbps and can be 10 times faster than 3G, said Stern Henning, the chief commercial and customer relations officer at Econet Wireless.


VODACOM REVEALS MY5 VALUE ADDED

SERVICE FOR PREPAID CUSTOMERS

» Local mobile operator Vodacom has announced its new value added service (VAS) for prepaid customers dubbed My5.

» My5 offers one hour of talk time, unlimited texting to any network, as well as data allocation to prepaid clients for as little as R6.

» The service is part of Vodacom Free4Sho customer promotion that provides guaranteed free benefits to prepaid customers. It is offered as a bolt-on service to Vodacom4Less and Daily Free Calls prepaid plans.

» In order to enjoy the benefits of the My5 daily bundles, customers must first link at least one Vodacom number by dialling *111*5# and following the prompts.

» Prepaid customers can also purchase My5 bundles, change links and check balances by dialling *111*5#.

Source: TechSmart, 21 August2013

VODACOM TO INVEST R1.28

BILLION IN TANZANIA

» The Tanzanian unit of South Africa’s Vodacom plans to invest 200 billion shillings – or R1.28 billion – to expand its network this year but said rising taxes could stifle the sector.

» Rene Meza, the managing director of the largest mobile phone operator in Tanzania, said on Wednesday he expects more growth in subscriber numbers this year despite stiff competition.

» Telecommunications is the fastest-growing sector in east Africa’s second-biggest economy and the government is keen to get a higher share of revenue from it.

» But mobile phone operators say the government’s introduction of a new tax of 1,000 shillings per month on every SIM card and an excise duty of 0.15 percent on money transfers could hurt investment.

» They argue the SIM card tax will delay expansion of mobile phone use among the poor majority in rural areas – around 23 million Tanzanians do not use mobile services.

» The nation of 45 million people has a mobile penetration rate of 48 percent, or about 22 million subscribers, according to the Mobile Operators Association of Tanzania (MOAT).

Source: BusinessTech, 22 August2013

MTN GUINEA TO ROLL-OUT 3G

SERVICES

» Mobile operator MTN Guinea has won a licence to provide 3G services in the small West African country.

» MTN Guinea (also referred to as ‘Areeba’) says the country’s telecoms regulator L’Autorite de Regulation des Postes et Telecommunications (ARPT) has awarded it the licence on 16 August.

» In December 2011, Orange Guinea launched the country’s first 3G network in the capital Conakry.

» In February 2012, Cellcom Guinea followed with its 3G network, which was also at first available in Conakry.

» Guinea, which has a population of 10.22 million according to the World Bank, is also set to have a forecasted mobile penetration rate of 67% by year-end, says research firm BuddeComm.

» But despite having a competitive telecoms market with five operators and strong economic growth, BuddeComm says Guinea has a lack of broadband services resulting in an internet penetration rate of just 1.5%.

Source:ITWeb Africa, 29 August2013

Social Media

SECTION 5

TWITTER HOTEL REDEFINES

THE SOCIAL MEDIA VACATION

» For vacationers seeking the solace of island life, disconnecting from a smartphone and all things tech is a welcome reprieve. But if your idea of paradise is mingling with other Tweetaholics, then the "first Twitter experience hotel" is for you.

» Located on the Spanish island of Majorca, the Sol Wave House harnesses the power of social media as a way to enhance its overall hotel experience.

» Opening just a year ago, the hotel features Twitter-themed rooms, drinks and a virtual community called #SocialWave that guests can use to interact and flirt with one another.

» Guests at Sol Wave tweet with each other by logging onto Twitter via to a special web app available only through the hotel's Wi-Fi.

» Once inside, guests share pictures, send private messages, see who's online, find out where other visitors are staying inside the hotel and send virtual kisses.

» Marco Fantón, Sol Wave House's social media director, told TIME, "He sees the community as a fun and interactive extension of what guests are already doing on their vacations — showing off their trip using social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.”

Source: mashable, 5 August2013

SOUNDCLOUD AND GOOGLE+ TEAM

UP FOR EMBEDDED POSTS

» SoundCloud, a music sharing service that lets users upload and distribute

their original sounds, announced that the company has integrated with Google+ to embed sounds directly into Google+ posts.

» According to the SoundCloud blog post, when you share a SoundCloud URL to your Google+ circles, the widget will appear automatically in the post.

» SoundCloud is the first third-party developer that Google+ has teamed up with for plug-in audio files, according to a Google spokesperson.

» Artists often use SoundCloud to share new music with fans, and even politicians like President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg used the site to upload speeches.

» Google+ reported 500 million total members in December, although that number is most likely higher.

» The site currently boasts 190 million active users in the stream and 390 million monthly active users across Google, according to a Google spokesperson.

Source: mashable, 12 August 2013

FACEBOOK EYES MOBILE MONEY

» Facebook, which is always looking to monetise its user base, is now taking aim at trying to get a cut of the global e-commerce market.

» The social media leviathan is looking to test a new payment product that will allow shoppers to buy on mobile applications using their Facebook login details, AllThingsD reports.

» According to the report, shoppers who have previously registered their credit card details with the site will be able to shop on partnering e-commerce mobile apps without entering their billing information.

» However, the new service does not seem to be a competitive offering to the global de facto payment gateway, PayPal, but rather a closer relationship between the two entities.

» AllThingsD says Facebook confirmed the test and it should launch in the "next month or so" with pilot partner JackThreads, a discount site aimed at young men.

» Facebook's pilot, reports the site, is aimed at creating a better mobile checkout experience and not getting involved in actual payment processing.

Source: ITWeb , 19 August2013

INSTAGRAM ACQUIRES VIDEO

EDITING APP LUMA

» The Facebook-owned firm purchased the app for an undisclosed fee in a

move that will likely see its features integrated into Instagram's own applications.

» "Eighteen months ago, we embarked on a mission to make capturing and sharing beautiful videos easy without expensive software or heavy equipment," said the Luma team in a statement.

» ‘‘By joining the exceptionally talented team at Instagram, we're taking another big step towards realising that mission.”

» Video on Instagram launched as a competitor to Twitter's popular Vine service, but editing options are limited at present.

» Luma has removed its app from the App Store, but will support existing users until the end of December.

Source: digital spy , 26 August 2013

TWITTER LETS USERS TWEET HIGHLIGHTED

SENTENCES FROM ARTICLES

» The New York Times tested a new feature that allows users to click on a highlighted sentence from a story, and tweet it out directly, instead of just tweeting the headline.

» Readers who see the tweet and click on the accompanying link are brought to the highlighted part of the story, rather than to the beginning of the article.

» The idea behind the feature was that while a headline doesn't always grab you, an enthralling sentence from the middle of a story may do the trick.

» Times reporter Dave Itzkoff explained to Poynter his method for determining which sentences to highlight: "Just a bit of educated guesswork trying to imagine what readers would be drawn to and what would make the best traveling billboards for the overall story."

Source: Mashable, 28 August 2013

Facebook Statistics for

Africa

SECTION 6

SOUTH AFRICA

» Active users: 9,200,000

» Position in the top list: 30

» Penetration: 18.85%

» 1,060,000 Pretoria | Port Elizabeth 220,000 | 14,000 Upington

» 50% Female | 50% Male

» The largest age group 18-25 with total of 312,000 users, followed by the users in the age 25-35

» 89.1% mobile users | 10.9% non-mobile users

» 26.6% Android | 13.3% iOS | 60.1% others

» 23.9% college graduates are the largest group of users

» The most popular page: National Library of South Africa

Source: SocialTimes In, 19 August 2013

NAMIBIA

» Active users: 340,000



» 8,600 Oshakati | 5,200 Rundu| 5,600 Tsumeb

» 48.5% Female | 51.5% Male



» 59% Android | 16.2% iOS | 24.8% others

» 30% college graduates are the largest group of users


MOZAMBIQUE




» 8,000 Pemba | 13,200 Quelimane | 320,000 Maputo | 40,000 Matola

» 31.3% Female | 68.8% Male






ANGOLA




» 800,000 Luanda | 520 Lobito | 34,000 Huambo

» 31.3% Female | 68.8% Male






MALAWI




» 18,200 Mzuzu | 100,000 Lilongwe | 122,000 Blantyre

» 32.4% Female | 67.6% Male



» 43% Android | 10.6% iOS | 46.4% others



KENYA



» Penetration: 6,35%

» 194,000 Kano | 540,000 Idaban | 4,200,000 Lagos

» 33.3% Female | 66.7% Male

» The largest age group 18-25 with total of 4,120,000 users, followed by the users in the age 25-35





Sources and Contacts

SOURCES

» all Africa

» BusinessTech

» CNET

» DigitalTrends

» Digital Spy

» DMMA

» Engadget

» GeekyGadgets

» ITWeb

» ITWeb Africa

» Mashable

» Marketing Land

» MobileMoneyAfrica

» MyBroadband

» Social Times In

» techsmart

CONTACT US

Angus Robinson | Director: Mobility [tel] +27 (11) 555-3800 [cell] +27 (83) 635 4400 [fax] 0867210884 [email] [email protected] [twitter] @angusrobinson

Have a look at all previous Mobile Reports and other mobile work on our site - http://www.native.co.za/home?keyword=mobile Should you have any mobile insight, strategy, campaign or solution requirements please contact us.

http://www.native.co.za/home?keyword=mobile

http://www.native.co.za/home?keyword=mobile

The end.

Mobile Report August 2013

Technology

mobile networks section

mobile innovation

mobile devicesand

mobile phones

mobile reportaugust2013

mobile landscape section1

uptake of mobile money

total mobile traffic