WCA July 2015

Telecom news

Of related interest . . . Ø Under the terms of a memorandum of understanding announced by the two operators, customers in East Africa who are signed up to Vodafone Group’s M-Pesa and those using South Africa-based MTN Group’s MTN Mobile Money will be able to transfer money back and forth between them. The collaboration is intended to facilitate convenient and afford- able international remittances among M-Pesa customers in Kenya, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Mozambique, and Mobile Money customers in Uganda, Rwanda and Zambia. Vodafone, of the UK, and MTN will also share “best practice” techniques and work together to define the rules and stan- dards governing mobile-based remittances in Africa. The ordinary hand gestures of the smartphone user are enlisted in a new defence against sophisticated malware Findings published on 26 th March by University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) researchers hold promise for protecting smartphones from attack by malware. Simple techniques developed by the university’s Department of Computer and Information Sciences enlist the motions performed naturally when people use their phones to block intruder software from infiltrating a smartphone or app to gain access to information about the user. As reported by Stephanie Kanowitz in FierceMobileIT (1 st April): “The idea is that when a human tries to access a service, the movement would be recognised and access would be allowed. Malware programs lack gestures, so access would be blocked.” According to the researchers, the hand actions associated with smart-phone use can – by means of motion, position and ambient sensors

Mobile products created by British-born Nigerian Oke Okaro are used by more than 60 million unique users every month and generate over $1 billion in annual revenues. Most recently he spent five years at Bloomberg LP as global head and general manager of the Mobile and Connected Devices unit where he built and led a team focused on transforming the company’s businesses worldwide. Recently Mr Okaro was interviewed by Kenya-based Forbes contributor Mfonobong Nsehe on how smartphones are changing Africa’s digital media consumption habits and the significance of this for the African future. Here, lightly edited, are the main takeaways from that interview. (“Bloomberg’s Former Head Of Mobile on How Smartphones Will Fuel Innovation in Africa,” 10 th April) What does mobile expansion mean for Africa? New businesses and industries are going to be built entirely around mobile devices. In the USA and Europe the web was built around desktop users, and 99.9 per cent of the digital properties today are desktop companies which support mobile. In Africa it will be the reverse, with mobile leading the way; and this is where the breakthrough innovation is going to come from. This is why I’m convinced that a large proportion of the most innovative digital companies of the future will come from Africa. What does innovation mean to you? It means setting the new standard. It means creatively solving a real problem in the market in an original, thoughtful, elegant and commercially viable way. It means creative destruction – throwing out the old because you can and without inhibition or preconceived notions, rebuilding a new and better mousetrap. It means leadership. How are tablets, smartphones and connected devices changing Africa’s digital media consumption habits? The modern devices are gradually taking centre stage as the preferred platform for consumption. It’s still early days, though, since the overwhelming majority of people still don’t have access. But this is changing, and within the next ten years 800 million more people are going to have smartphones and thus greater access. Is there any African mobile-based business you’re watching closely which you feel is primed for global domination in the next few years? The most innovative digital businesses of the future are going to come from Africa and I’m not just saying that because I’m African. Mobile is going to be crucial to every business of the future especially here in Africa. And, yes, I think a number of businesses have the potential to go global. What are some of the key mobile trends you believe will take centre stage in Africa within the next decade? I think one of the most substantial developments will be the emergence of the localised web, at scale. By localised web I mean home-grown digital properties that uniquely satisfy local needs. Today, the majority of the most trafficked digital properties are foreign [ie non-African] websites. This balance will shift over time with the proliferation of devices and introduction of new services because the mass-market audience will demand a web that’s more relatable. A mobile-centric Africa is seen as providing impetus for many of the most innovative digital businesses of the future

BigStockPhoto.com • Photographer: Krishnacreations

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Wire & Cable ASIA –July/August 2015

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