MEF Blog

MEF publishes 2nd Content & Commerce Survey defining the mobile value chain in the Middle East

2012-02-24T07:06:00.000-08:00

Back in October, MEF invited companies active in the Middle East to share their insights on the region’s market performance in the previous quarter and outline their expectations for the future. Now the results have been published of this, the second dedicated Middle East mobile content and commerce surveys, conducted in partnership with the global firm of auditors & MEF member KPMG. The survey found that the overall level of confidence in the future of the Middle Eastern mobile market remains high, with growth opportunities in particular identified for games, apps and ad-funded mobile entertainment.

The full findings of the 2nd Middle East Content & Commerce Survey are now exclusively available to MEF members in English and Arabic, with an executive summary available for all.

To read more about the survey, hit the link below..

Covering a broad range of topics including new business models, NFC, mobile wallets, apps, and end user content, the survey delivers a set of industry metrics essential to understanding the changing dynamics within the burgeoning Middle East market. A diverse range of companies participated in the survey with inputs from stakeholders across the value chain, including;

• Analysts & Consultants
• Content owners
• Content providers/aggregators
• Developers
• Financial institutions
• Technology providers
• Mobile networks

The survey showed that companies headquartered in the Middle East have seen local revenues grow significantly as a share of their overall income, with the proportion of these companies deriving 50% or more of their revenues from the region almost doubling to 63%. Respondents identified freemium content business models as the main opportunity for success, while the fragmentation of operating systems, platforms and handsets was seen as the greatest challenge.

As the first mobile focused trade body with a dedicated presence in the Middle East, MEF is committed to supporting growth and innovation in this strategic territory. The results of the first Middle East survey were published in August 2011 and the combined studies provide a vital time series on the Middle East’s mobile content & commerce landscape.

The MEF Middle East office, based in Doha, is co-founded and sponsored by the QTel Group.

To find out more, you can contact Regional General Manager George Daaboul.

Attend MEF’s roundtable session on Privacy & Mobile Apps at MWC

2012-02-23T02:46:00.001-08:00

In response to the current media focus on privacy and industry concern, MEF will be hosting a roundtable next week at MWC in Barcelona on ‘Privacy & Mobile Apps’ on February 28th.

MEF Chair Andrew Bud said “Trust between mobile consumers and the apps that they use is inevitably sensitive but absolutely vital to the development of the industry. Sustaining consumer trust is a task not just for the app store but for the whole ecosystem. We have essential work to do as an industry to make that practical.”

Open to members and invited VIP guests, the session brings together companies across the value chain to tackle this timely issue.

MEF Roundtable: Privacy & Mobile Apps
Date: Tuesday, 28th February 2012
Time: 3PM – 4PM
Venue: Gild International

The open door session is supported by SNR Denton in association with the Mobile Fringe, and is being held at Barcelona’s exciting new member's club, Gild International.

MEF, as the global community for content and commerce, is holding this session to drive thought leadership and plan next steps on this vital issue. If you are interested in participating or attending the roundtable please contact initiatives@mefmobile.org, but be quick as space is limited! For more information on MEF’s activities in Privacy & Security please contact MEF Deputy Director, Vildan Hasanbegović.

Member Event: Join Nielsen at MWC for an Uncommon Sense of the Consumer

2012-02-21T02:44:00.000-08:00

MEF member Nielsen will be hosting a full day of panel sessions at this year's MWC in Barcelona, and you're invited. With a packed schedule on Tuesday 28th, attendees can expect powerful insights and networking firmly focused on today’s digital consumer and how best to seize the enormous opportunities.

Sign up now to get access to all of the sessions throughout the day.

Nielsen presents: An Uncommon Sense of the Consumer - Tuesday February 28th, FIRA Hall 2, Mezzanine Level, Theatre D

10:00-11:00 - The Mobile Media Revolution

13:00-14:00 - The Mobile Mynd: Nielsen NeuroFocus Live Demonstration Event
15:00-16:00 - When Mobile Meets Retail
17:00-18:00 - Strong Signals: Best Practices for Mobile Operators and Device Manufacturers

To sign up and leave any questions for the panels, hop over to the Nielsen website to log your details - of course you need to be registered for MWC..

Candidates announced for MEF EMEA Board Elections 2012 at MWC

2012-02-17T04:34:00.000-08:00

MEF has announced the first round of candidates for the MEF EMEA Board Elections, to be held at the end of the month at MWC in Barcelona.

Full MEF members are eligible to vote and stand as a candidate, and will be instrumental in creating thought leadership, sharing knowledge and addressing the critical issues facing the mobile commerce and content industry today and in the future.

The current standing is as follows:

• Diane Alphonse, Head of Marketing, Communications & PR, Barwa Bank
• Ben Tatton-Brown, Co-Founder & Regional SVP, EMEA, Amobee
• Emma Kaye, Board Director, Mira Networks
• Volker Hirsch, Head of Business Development, Games, RIM
• Daryn Wobur, Managing Director, Global Business Development, Perform Group
• Daniel Prieskel, Co-Founder, Prieskel & Co.

Rimma Perelmuter, executive director MEF, said: “We are delighted to announce such an exciting line-up of candidates for the MEF EMEA board elections which reflects both the diversity of mobile content and commerce as well as MEF’s active regional breadth across Europe, Middle East and Africa.”

Board members for MEF EMEA have a crucial role in defining the mobile agenda for the Europe Africa and the Middle East, and help to shape & define the mobile content and commerce market. Meanwhile, the MEF EMEA AGM presents an opportunity for all members to hear the latest on MEF's activities and initiatives in the region and worldwide, contribute to planning and priority-setting while connecting with other members.

You can check out the candidate biographies in full on the MEF Website

A final list of confirmed candidates will be announced prior to the AGM, and submitted profiles will be posted on the MEF website and distributed at the meeting. There are absentee/proxy ballots available for any full members who cannot attend in person - check the election rules for details.

MEF EMEA AGM and Board Elections: Monday, February 27, 2012 6pm

Museu Picasso
c/ Montcada, 15-23
08003 Barcelona
MAP

To register your attendance at the EMEA AGM & Board Elections - visit the MEF website and fill in a short form, or you can contact MEF Events Coordinator Georgia Aarons for further information on how to run.

Indonesian VAS Update – Join us in Jakarta, February 16th

2012-02-10T04:41:00.000-08:00

MEF has announced a special one-day event co-hosted by Indosat on February 16th in Jakarta as a follow-up to on-going regulatory action to discuss the future of the Indonesian VAS market.

As you may recall, following concerns of widespread consumer harm in October last year all VAS subscription billing services were shut down on the direction of the Indonesian Ministry of Telecoms. As a global regulatory champion and independent intermediary, MEF has been proactively supporting collaboration between the local regulator BRTI and the industry ever since to actively resolve the situation and attempt to rebuild confidence in the VAS market. Indonesia is one of the world’s largest mobile markets with more than 250 million subscribers.

A detailed response to the draft regulations governing the Indonesian VAS market has been prepared with input from MEF members, and will be used to frame a discussion with BRTI on how new regulation might better protect consumers while allowing responsible businesses to thrive.

To this end, MEF is also co-hosting a one-day event in Jakarta with Indosat to clarify the BRTI rules around VAS and to discuss with other affected members best practises in ensuring compliance.

Global Strategies for Content Compliance

Date: Thursday 16th February, 2012
Time:    9.30am to 4.00pm
Venue: Indosat Office Building 4th Floor,
           Jl.Medan Merdeka Barat no 21,
          Jakarta, 10110,
              Indonesia

All global members interested in participating in this important forum are invited to join us in Jakarta and take advantage of MEF’s valuable global perspective. It promises to be a significant step in securing the long term future of the VAS market in the SEA region.

You can see the details on the MEF website, to confirm your attendance contact MEF Asia GM Linda Ruck.

Quick Poll! The most significant advancement for mobile content & commerce in the last 10 years was...?

2012-02-07T09:57:00.000-08:00

So this month MEF will be at MWC for our 10th amazing year, and we're asking the question, in that whole time, what was the most significant advancement for mobile content & commerce? It's a mighty long time in the mobile world, so we've boiled our favourites down to five suggestions (we didn't include the iPhone, sorry) - let us know what you think! And if you're coming along to Barcelona this year, be sure to sign up for the party!

MEF TV: Tom Daly, Coca Cola at MEF Americas 2011

2012-01-20T09:08:00.000-08:00

Next up in our series of video interviews from MEF Americas 2011, Rob of UNTETHER .tv speaks to Tom Daly, Director of Mobile and Search, Global Connections for Coca Cola. In this short but sweet chat, Tom describes how mobile has essentially been a part of Coca Cola's philosophy since the 20's and how he sees it only becoming increasingly central in the near future. A fascinating perspective on how this super brand is leveraging mobile to not only engage with customers but also within their own B2B value chain.

Let's watch..

MEF Connects MWC 2012 - Save the Date!

2012-01-19T07:31:00.000-08:00

MEF has announced the return of its legendary party held annually at MWC in Barcelona - mark the date in your diary now; Monday the 27th February (8PM) for MEF's return to the Picasso Museum, in association with Timwe.

The exclusive MEF party, open only to MEF members and their invited guests, has in its time become the sought after ticket of the congress, and is in fact this year celebrating its 10th anniversary! So be sure to join us for an exciting night of cocktails, tapas, art, and of course, some seriously top-level networking. Although the tickets are still under lock and key for the moment, you can let everyone know where you will be on Monday night via the Linkedin Event page, and be sure to follow @MEF and @MEFblog on Twitter to stay abreast of the latest developments.. stay tuned for more announcements..!

MEF TV: Marco Argenti, Nokia at MEF Americas 2011

2012-01-13T09:16:00.000-08:00

More fascinating insights from MEF Americas and MEF TV; in this video Marco Argenti, SVP of Developer and Marketplace for Nokia speaks to Rob Woodbridge of UNTETHER.tv. In it he expands on the topic of his keynote speech from MEF Americas 2011 "Creating Hyper Local App Economies" and discusses the opportunities for monetizing apps presented by leveraging the nuances of highly localised content.

Hit the jump for more from Marco and MEF TV at MEF Americas 2011: Mobile Content and Commerce.

Here Marco speaks to Ben Smith from Tribal Labs in more detail on how the Nokia Store supports local developers in monetizing their apps.

Here the topic of discussion is Nokia's devices and how they enables developers to address a wider market, while touching on how they can benefit from ecosystems that span mass-market scales to premium high-end devices.

Finally, Marco speaks about the design of the Windows Phone Metro UI itself, and the advantages it presents to developers though the use of "live tiles", which convey dynamic information from the app directly to the home screen before the user even opens it.

You can see even more fantastic interviews from MEF Americas 2011 on the MEF TV Youtube channel.

MEF Asia Webinar - What Crisis? Operators embrace the OTT Challenge

2012-01-11T02:52:00.000-08:00

MEF Asia is kicking off 2012 with a fast-paced thought leadership webinar on the 30th January on the challenge to mobile operators of OTT content and services.

Date: Monday 30th January, 2012

Time: 4pm (Singapore)

Register for this FREE MEF Webinar now

With the advent of the Smartphone, Asia-Pacific mobile connections is set to reach 4.2 billion in 2016, while the region’s mobile voice revenues will start to decline by 2014, says Ovum research. Mobile Operators face major challenges from the so called “over-the-top” players competing with traditional business models. As Telcos attempt to defend their core revenues, the need to adapt, innovate and seek new revenue streams has become essential. Adapt or die, what is the future of Mobile Operators?

We've secured a truly stellar lineup for this free MEF Webinar:

Mark Liversidge, Chief Marketing Officer, CSL Limited, Hong Kong
Farid Maruf, Country Technology Manager, Grameen Foundation, Bangladesh
Gio Bacareza, Head of Broadband and Internet Data Services, Smart Communications, Philippines
Stephen Lee, Asst VP, StarHub Advanced Multimedia Services, Singapore
Nathan Bell, Director, Products and Marketing, Telstra International, Australia
Wing K. Lee, Chief Executive Officer, YTL Communications Sdn Bhd, Malaysia

The Webinar will be moderated by Colin Miles, MEF Asia Chairman & EVP InternetQ South Asia Pte Ltd.

Space is limited, reserve your place now!

Check the MEF website for more details or contact MEF Asia General Manager Linda Ruck for further information.

MEF reveals Top 10 Predictions for 2012

2012-01-05T03:30:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2012!

If there's one thing everybody loves come January, it's a top 10 list of predictions for the year ahead. MEF is no exception, and the mobile gurus have looked into their crystal ball apps to bring us foresight of the big things to come in 2012. MEF has a good track record with it's predictions for the mobile world - in 2011 among other things, it accurately forecasted that the proliferation of Smartphones would drive consumer engagement in mobile. Check out last year's predictions to see how well we did on the rest..

Of this year's list, Rimma Perelmuter, MEF Executive Director said: “2011 has been a stellar year for the industry. With competition continuing to intensify and the increasing prevalence of mobile as a new screen for content, commerce and consumer engagement, 2012 is shaping up to be another significant year for the sector. As the global community for the ever-expanding mobile ecosystem, representing the interests of members as diverse as Coca-Cola, Turner Broadcasting and Telefonica, MEF is well placed to help its members to capitalise on the ever-increasing opportunity which the channel presents.”

So without further ado, let's check out MEF's top 10 mobile trends for 2012 - hit the jump to see the list in full..

1. NFC: 2012 will be the year that the industry ‘gets’ NFC and there will be increased investment with some spectacular trials, but it will fail to have a significant commercial impact.

2. Security: Regulators worldwide will be brought face-to-face with the security challenges of in-app billing, and new regulations will emerge.

3. Privacy: As Smartphones and mobile connected devices continue to become more widespread, increasingly complex and diverse attitudes towards privacy will cause chaos in the industry.

4. Nokia/Microsoft Alliance: The Smartphone landscape will evolve into a three horse race, accelerated by local focus in high growth markets.

5. HTML 5: Operators will face yet more capacity challenges arising from the surge in the use of HTML5 and the consequent stimulus to audio visual content.

6. SMS: Brands, content owners and retailers will retain SMS in their mobile toolkit to further engage consumers in content and commerce.

7. Games: 2012 will see mobile connected devices challenge consoles as the platform of choice for high-end gaming.

8. Mobile Payments: Carrier wallets and screen based payments will start to supersede PSMS in Atlantic markets.

9. Apps and multi-screen: The maturing mobile apps ecosystem will extend to infotainment in cars and the living room in 2012.

10. Geo-social: Location-based social commerce will replace social networking as the focus for mobile innovation by retailers and brands.

Agree/disagree? Your big thing for 2012 not mentioned? Share your thoughts in the comments..

You can checkout the full press release over on the MEF website.

Season's Greetings from everyone at MEF!

2011-12-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

Distimo report highlights growth of in-app billing

2011-12-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

Distimo, the leading mobile app analytics company, has today released its reports examining the movers and shakers for the year in each of the major mobile app stores across several territories. The reports contain a huge amount of data from the whole year covering Apple's App stores for the iPhone and iPad, Android marketplace, BlackBerry's App World, Windows Phone Marketplace, Nokia Ovi Store, and the Amazon Appstore.

The key findings from the reports are:

1. In all appstores the proportion of free applications surged significantly over the past year. In most appstores the average price of all apps decreased and the most popular applications are also cheaper than last year.

2. As publishers appear to be increasingly shunning one-off fees for their apps, in-app purchases in particular have emerged from several business models as the method of choice for app monetization.

3. The reports identify significant regional variations in download volumes with some regions exhibiting spectacular growth, while in other markets in-app purchases have take the fore as the main monetization method. The full reports contain complete details on download volumes and revenue details for all regions.

To download the reports in full, head over to the Distimo website - one report costs €699 for a single user license with concessions available for purchasing multiple territory reports.

MEF members can enjoy 15% off the cost of each - contact us for more information.

MEF Americas 2011 in Pictures

2011-12-16T10:27:00.000-08:00

We've talked a lot about MEF's annual mobile content and commerce gathering MEF Americas 2011 over recent months, and with good reason. Not only was it a hugely successful event with keynotes from the likes of Nokia, Sprint and Coca-Cola, and delegates representing both North America and LatAm from across the value chain - it was also set amid the fabulous Fontainebleau resort, Miami beach, which was definitely a canny choice of venue judging by these fantastic snaps.

Enjoy this year's MEF Americas photo gallery - and let us know if you were there in the comments!

MEF North America GM is one of Mobile Marketer’s Mobile Women to Watch in 2012

2011-12-15T09:01:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Marjorie DeHey Daleo, our North American General Manager, who has been featured in Mobile Marketer’s prestigious “Mobile Women to watch in 2012” list!

The leading mobile news outlet produces its list each year as a celebration of the talented women likely to make a major difference in mobile advertising, marketing, media and commerce in the year ahead.

In the article, Marjorie talks about her role at MEF and the challenges and priorities for next year;

"For 2012, my priorities are growing MEF’s mcommerce initiative and creating more content distribution opportunities for my clients. MEF’s mcommerce initiative is at the forefront of the industry as we have partnered with ASC X9, the U.S. technical group that develops financial industry standards, to develop privacy and security standards for mcommerce."

Many congratulations to Marjorie on this great achievement , and indeed all of the other execs shortlisted, many of whom hail from MEF member companies – you can read the entire feature on Mobile Marketer.

You can find out more about MEF North America and its initiatives on the MEF website.

MEF TV : Global Chair Andrew Bud at MEF Americas 2011

2011-12-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

In the first of our interviews filmed at MEF Americas 2011: Mobile Content and Commerce recently held in Miami, MEF Global Chair and the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer for mBlox, Andrew Bud speaks to Ben Smith of Tribal Labs for MEF TV.

Andrew outlines the key themes of MEF Americas 2011's keynotes from Nokia, Coca-Cola and Sprint on app localisation, the innovative ways of using mobile to engage with consumers, 'the unbanked' and mobile commerce, noting we are in the midst of a time of great innovation and disruption.

He goes on to share his thoughts on how trust, privacy and respect are common global themes and talks about the role of MEF has to play in representing all the participants across the mobile channel. Of key importance, he highlights the need for knowledge sharing between regions, particularly regarding the future of mobile payments and the complex issues involved in ensuring they are sufficiently robust to safeguard the future of mobile commerce.

Checkout MEF TV for more videos from MEF Americas, and stay tuned for featured videos coming soon.

MEF Middle East Webinar – HTML5 vs Native Apps

2011-12-08T07:07:00.000-08:00

Topic: HTML5 vs. Native Apps in defining mobile application strategies

Date: Wednesday 14th December

Time: 14:00 (UAE)

Join us next week for a MEF Middle east webinar discussion examining the different approaches to mobile applications afforded by HTML5 and native applications.

Register Now

There has been increased discussion around HTML5 in recent months prompting content publishers to question and rethink their mobile application strategies. While many tend to revert to building native apps as a tried and tested solution, there is another camp supporting HTML5 development due to the benefits provided by an immediate cross OS platform.

During this topical MEF ME Webinar, expert panellists will explore the differences, positives and negatives of both native apps and HTML5 in the development of mobile application strategies, providing insights into the issues of security and privacy of both platforms, as well as discussing their potential profitability and overall consumer experience.

Confirmed speakers for this free MEF webinar include;

• Eric Morhenn, Director of Strategic Alliances - Qtel Group

• Terence Eden, Developer Community Manager - InMobi

• Dr. Adel Al-Hezmi, Solution Architect - QUWIC

• Moderator - David Ashford, investor, consultant and formerly GM of AppsArabia.

Check out the MEF website for more information, or contact the MEF Middle East General Manager, George Daaboul directly.

Sign up for the Webinar

Neil Stiles, President of Variety on building content strategies in a multi-screen world

2011-12-05T10:07:00.000-08:00

Neil Stiles, president of the leading showbiz news outlet the Variety Group spoke on a panel at MEF Americas 2011 in Miami last week, where he and other industry luminaries from the likes of Shazam, Turner Broadcasting, Samsung and MTV discussed content strategy in a multi screen world. Ben Smith of mobile tech blog Wireless Worker interviewed Neil shortly afterwards to further explore his thoughts on content and how to succeed in a multi screened, converging landscape.

While dismissive of the wisdom in charging extra for content by simply delivering it to mobile devices, he is excited about the possibilities for mobile in supporting the facilitation of additional revenue streams for content, citing the purchase of onscreen items in TV shows as an example;

“Originally the thought process was all around 'the screen'...now the business model has moved from the screen to a second device, so if you’re watching a show with an i-Phone, the i-Phone or the tablet becomes the transactional device – I think that’s the third revenue stream for television.”

While he concedes that form is important, and a degree of tailoring is useful in ensuring a smooth user experience, Neil argues that the whole first/second screen debate is something of a red herring and that the technology being deployed is largely irrelevant when the focus should be on providing quality content, and providing it wholeheartedly wherever you choose to do so.

“The internet is the ultimate in unregulated markets, & it’s the ultimate in zero/marginal cost of distribution... now is the time to be decisive and have confidence... if you produce high quality content, you have to believe someone will be prepared to pay for it”.

Click below to listen to the frank interview in full on the 361 Degrees podcast.

S02 SUP01 - MEF Americas 2011: Neil Stiles on "multi-screen" content (mp3)

Direct MP3 download - 8MB - Subscribe by iTunes, Zune or RSS

Via Wireless Worker

Image: Variety.com

Download your free copy of the Netsize Guide 2011

2011-12-01T04:20:00.000-08:00

MEF is pleased to again be official partner for the Netsize Guide 2011.

Download your free copy now!

The Netsize Guide is the comprehensive work of reference on the state of mobile technology and its impact on business and society. This, the 10th edition, brings you 220 pages packed with thought leadership material, in-depth market analysis, interviews with industry leaders and case studies as well as a wealth of mobile telecommunications data. The guide also features an overview of the challenges facing M-commerce from MEF Executive Director, Rimma Perelmuter who discusses how MEF is tackling these issues though its global initiatives.

This year’s edition explores three key themes that drive the future of mobile: Transaction, Transformation and Trust.

Transaction - How we've come to rely on mobile devices for commerce from researching products to making purchases.
Transformation - How mobile devices are increasingly driving content, communications and connectivity.
Trust - How we now require simple, transparent services and devices we can trust.

The guide also features:

14 interviews with industry senior executives at leading companies including; ARM, Atlas Premium Brands, BNP Paribas, CMO Council, The Coca-Cola Company, Gameloft, GlobalPlatform, Informa Telecom & Media, Millennial Media, SingTel, Texas Instruments, Trusted Logic and Yahoo
Mobile telecommunications market data, app and mobile device usage (including tablets and smartphones) and social media statistics covering 41 countries, from Informa Telecom & Media, comScore and SocialBakers.
A wealth of companion links to online reports, research and market analysis.

Nokia and Sprint to Keynote MEF Americas 2011

2011-11-18T04:14:00.000-08:00

Exciting news from MEF Americas 2011, Nokia and Sprint have been announced as keynotes for MEF Americas 2011: Mobile Content and Commerce in Miami!

Nokia is to kick things off on day 1 with a keynote examining the trend towards the creation of ‘Hyper Local App Economies’, with a focus on the shift from a global ecosystem model to one where millions of people make money by selling and exchanging apps and content at a deeply local level. The keynote will explore new distribution models that give everybody the opportunity to create a distribution business, and the emergent app economies being observed. The keynote will be delivered by Nokia's Marco Argenti, SVP Developer & Marketplace.

Meanwhile top billing for day 2 goes to Sprint - John Carney, SVP of Consumer Marketing will be exploring the challenges and opportunities surrounding m-commerce and alternative financial services for the under-banked. The unbanked, under served segment of the population is extremely large and growing and while the technology and ecosystems largely exist to take advantage of this opportunity, the carriers can’t do it alone. The keynote is set to educate attendees about this market, where the near and longer term opportunities exist, and what needs to happen to get results.

The Keynotes top an extensive list of panel sessions and speakers, checkout the website for the full lineup. The essential gathering for thought leaders & deal makers from across North & Latin America’s mobile content and commerce ecosystems is now less than two weeks away - time to start packing!

Indonesian Value Added Services Market in Crisis - MEF takes action

2011-11-10T06:21:00.000-08:00

Colin Miles moderates a panel at Next Billion event in Jakarta

MEF is calling for its members affected by the recent regulatory upheaval in Indonesia to get in touch to collaborate on a project to clarify the compliance process for value added services (VAS) following a near complete shutdown of the industry in the region. If your business has been affected, contact MEF to contribute to crucial activity underway to remedy the situation there, and help shape the future of the VAS market in the region.

As of midnight, October 18 2011, all VAS subscription billing services were switched off on the direction of the Indonesian Ministry of Telecoms. This Ministerial direction was driven by widespread concern about consumer harm following media portrayals of some services as "credit theft", enforced via their Regulatory Associations (primarily BRTI) and carried out by the Association of Mobile Network Operators (ASTI). A number of contributing factors had recently caused the number of complaints about such services to rise dramatically including instances of non-compliance in the promotion and content of some services and the relative ease and difficulty in unsubscribing from certain services, compounded by widespread public misunderstanding and misinformation about such services and a failure by some consumers to read t's&c's before accessing a service.

In line with the Ministerial direction, all consumers were immediately unsubscribed from services by Indonesia’s 11 Mobile Network Operators and interim rules have been put in place to control the re-subscription of customers via double-opt-in, and relating to the promotion of existing and new services. The outcome of this direction has had massive impact on the entire Indonesian VAS industry, from the Mobile Network Operators down through the value chain, effectively resetting the Indonesian VAS market to zero.

While MEF supports the Indonesian Ministry and Regulator’s primary objective to address and curtail consumer harm, there is now an essential need to work quickly, decisively and collaboratively to identify the exact cause of the recent consumer harm, eliminate bad practice and ensure that rogue activity cannot return to the market. Furthermore, all legitimate services need to be quickly reinstated and clear industry-wide guidance around service monitoring, auditing and regulatory enforcement need to be established to safeguard the future of the Indonesian VAS industry.

MEF’s global expertise in the area of regulation and its position as the global trade body for the mobile content and commerce industry representing the entire value chain, makes it ideally placed to effectively support collaboration and discussion between BRTI and the industry to actively address and resolve the current problems and work towards creating a viable framework for the delivery of compliant services.

Earlier this month, Miranda Roberts, MEF’s Policy and Initiatives Manager, travelled to Jakarta to attend The Next Billion Event and meet with MEF members affected by the situation. While there, the BRTI Commissioner invited Miranda to attend a meeting to discuss the problems, along with MEF Asia Chairman and EVP & Co-Founder of i-POP, Colin Miles, in what proved to be a useful first step in knowledge sharing.

Following its meeting with BRTI, MEF has been invited to contribute to the compliance process and is now seeking to engage with members and wider industry to create collaborative industry working groups and review and clarify rules for the industry. The result of this activity will be the production of an Industry Best Practice Framework of Standards, covering the promotion of services, processes for sign-up, opting-in, subscribing, unsubscribing, billing and customer service, all in conjunction with the regulator.

To get involved in this crucial project, contact Miranda or MEF Asia General Manager Linda Ruck directly. Keep checking the MEF website for further updates.

Join the MEF AGMs and Board Elections for the Americas in Miami

2011-11-01T05:04:00.000-07:00

MEF Americas 2011: Mobile Content & Commerce, to be held in Miami at the end of the month isn't all about exciting keynotes and fantastic speakers. It's also not just about relaxing in the splendour of the luxurious Fontainebleu resort while waiting for the next fantastic keynote to begin. No before all that, before the essential gathering has even kicked off properly, another event of huge importance occurs, the MEF LatAm AGM & Elections. The North America AGM & Elections are held the following evening, both represent a significant opportunity for MEF members.

As you will know, MEF plays an essential leadership role in creating a sustainable environment for, and accelerating the uptake of mobile content & commerce. Today, with the rapidly changing landscape and scope of the mobile environment, there has never been a better time to add your voice to the shaping of the industry by standing for a position on one of these prestigious boards. This year there are 12 open seats on the MEF LatAm board, and 5 open seats on the North American Board.

All MEF members are welcome to attend both AGMs. Full MEF members may vote and stand as a candidate for these prestigious boards and create thought leadership, share knowledge and address the critical issues facing the mobile commerce and content industry.

About MEF LatAm

In the two years since its launch, MEF’s LatAm chapter has become a leading voice for the mobile content and commerce industry in the region. In 2010, a MEF initiative led to the creation of a Unified Code of Conduct for mobile content subscription services and advertising in Brazil which has been endorsed by all four of the major network carriers and the regulator Anatel. In 2011, MEF is again taking the lead in producing a set of guidelines to define the standards for consistent application of the Code and its sanctions. MEF LatAm is also promoting the M-Commerce market in the region with the recent launch our M-Commerce Initiative. With a focus on micro-payments and the virtual goods market, MEF LatAm is at the forefront of educating network carriers, games publishers and social networks on the potential of mobile payments.

The MEF LatAm AGM & Elections take place Monday, November 28th at 5pm at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Please contact Priscila Grison for more information on how run for the board. To register your attendance, please click HERE.

About MEF North America

MEF North America has been at the forefront of the mobile entertainment market since its launch in 2002, with strong ties to its members across the region and an established track record of shaping the industry with groundbreaking initiatives. With MEF’s expanded mission to represent the global community for mobile commerce this trend is set to continue in 2012 and beyond with our M-Commerce Initiative, working with ASC X9 to define industry standards for the privacy and security of mobile transactions, recently highlighted in our Global Consumer Survey as the greatest barrier to more widespread adoption of m-commerce. MEF North America is firmly in the driving seat in establishing the consumer and merchant confidence necessary for the mobile platform to become the premier device to enable commerce across North America and Canada.

The MEF North Americas AGM & Elections take place Tuesday, November 29th at 5pm at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Please contact Georgia Aarons for further information on how to run for the board. To register your attendance, please click HERE.

Be a part of MEF’s Second Dedicated Industry Survey focusing on the Middle East

2011-10-17T04:21:00.000-07:00

Another survey of import was launched by MEF this week, the second MEF Middle East Content & Commerce Survey. This one focuses squarely on the Middle East and is part of a series of investigations into the state of the Mobile content & commerce market in the region. MEF is inviting all companies with activities in the region to take part, regardless of where they're headquartered, or how long they've been in the mobile space.

The first survey, published in August 2011, showed an overwhelmingly positive outlook of businesses in the value chain, with 35.6% of mobile content and commerce players anticipating better than expected revenues with growth predicted to be 32.9% on average. This confidence extended to all mobile content and commerce categories featured in the survey, with Mobile Social Networking and Applications achieving the highest growth expectations.

The survey is being conducted in association with KPMG, ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of the results, and is distributed in partnership with GITEX, widely recognised of course as one of the largest and most important ICT events in the Middle East and indeed, the world.

Said Rimma Perelmuter, MEF Executive Director: “As the first mobile focused trade body with a dedicated presence in the Middle East, MEF is committed to supporting growth and innovation in this strategic territory. Last week, MEF organised a dynamic showing at GITEX, one of the region’s top annual gatherings and ran a successful MEF Connects networking event with InMobi. The findings from the second MEF survey will contribute to a vital time-series and provide a comprehensive overview of the Middle East’s mobile content & commerce market and where it is headed. We invite all active companies investing in the region to take part.”

Companies interested in sharing their thoughts can do so here. The survey closes November 10, check out the MEF website for more details.

MEF unveils Global Consumer Survey exploring habits of mobile phone users across five continents

2011-10-11T05:22:00.000-07:00

The changing role of the mobile phone in everyday life from simple communications device to the indispensable multi-purpose tool we are familiar with today has been well documented. What the mobile device today is actually being used for by real consumers globally however remains less clear, and is explored in minute detail in The MEF Global Consumer Survey released in full today, which provides a fascinating insight into what kind of activities we are using our phones for.

From trends in accessing the internet via the mobile device to the dissection of mobile shopping and banking, the report explores the consumer habits of over 8000 mobile phone users surveyed from nine countries across five continents, giving unprecedented insight into the behaviour of consumers around mobile engagement across a variety of contrasting markets.

Said Rimma Perelmuter, MEF Executive Director; “MEF’s GCS report provides invaluable insights to both mobile specialists and new entrants to the wider ecosystem looking to gain a deeper understanding of the evolving mobile habits of consumers across developed and developing markets.” - read the full press release here.

The Full report and the nine Country Data sets are available for MEF members to download in their entirety for free. For non-MEF members the full report is on sale for £1999. The Executive summary is also available for free for members and non members alike.

Free access to such reports are just one of the benefits of being a MEF member, for more information check out the MEF website, or contact Rupen Patel.

For a brief roundup of some of the key findings from the report - hit the link below..

Mobile is increasingly the dominant platform for accessing the Internet

The Global Consumer Survey reveals fascinating insight into the way consumers globally choose to access the internet, showing that mobile is increasingly becoming the primary platform for internet usage. 72% of respondents worldwide reported using the mobile internet daily, 18% of whom reported that they no longer accessed the traditional “fixed line” internet via laptop or computer whatsoever. This was found in developing markets where fixed line internet access is limited, but also in developed markets such as the UK and US.

Mobile Commerce shows real scope for growth

The report explores in detail the habits and motivations of consumers buying products using their mobile phones, providing valuable insight into the kinds of physical and digital goods and services being purchased, the various ways in which consumers pay for them, as well as where within the mobile ecosystem purchases are made. An astonishing 82% of consumers surveyed reported using their mobile phone to research or purchase a retail product and findings across the regions concur that the vast majority of respondents are actively using their mobile in some form or another in the purchase of goods and items.

Security fears top list of barriers to uptake

The report also explores the barriers to m-commerce preventing further and faster expansion of the markets across the nine countries. Concerns around security remain the most widely cited reason for not using mobile to make purchases more widely with 27% of consumers stating they would use mobile to make purchases more often if security was addressed. MEF Global Board Chairman, Andrew Bud cited this as a wake up call for the industry, commenting "the need to build trust further in order to satisfy growing consumer demand is a clear industry call to action. There is work to be done, and MEF’s Global M-Commerce initiative is already addressing the issue of security as a core focus. We invite all forward-looking companies to take part.”

You can find out more about the M-Commerce initiative on the MEF website.

Mobile Banking becoming widespread

The role of banking in the mobile space is revealed to be making great strides, with 57% of respondents having used some form of mobile banking, while a remarkable 10% reported having paid a bill via mobile. The report explores the trends of usage across the different regions and uncovers some surprising consumer behaviours in the mobile banking space which may provide valuable insight to parties in the financial sector.

Again, the full report and the nine country data sets are available for MEF members to download in their entirety for free. The countries surveyed were Brazil, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, UK and the US.

MEF Partners with CTIA to take centre stage at CTIA Enterprise & Applications 2011

2011-10-07T05:15:00.000-07:00

In North America next week from 10-13th, MEF will be in attendance at CTIA Enterprise & Applications in San Diego, and is thrilled to be CTIA’s partner for the mCommerce Pavilion & Showcase, a unique area of the CTIA floor space focusing on the boundless capabilities of mobile commerce and showcasing companies providing the platforms and applications key to mobile commerce.

Programmed by MEF and with significant benefits for MEF members, this is a must attend part of the show for mobile network operators, retailers, financial institutions, media and entertainment companies interested in the digital transfer of money mobile technology.

MEF will also be hosting an M-Commerce Panel at CTIA - Which M-Wallet? - to be held on Wednesday the 12th on the CTIA Exhibit Innovations stage.
MEF’s M-Commerce initiative has focused on bringing together brands, financial institutions, content owners/producers, carriers and retailers to create greater transparency while increasing consumer confidence in mobile transactions. MEF has assembled an expert panel to delve into the complex privacy, security and transactional issues surrounding m-commerce, while providing practical advice to assist brands, financial institutions, and content owners/operators to best utilize new and old forms of payment. Make sure you don't miss this one.

For more information on MEF's involvement at CTIA - contact North America General Manager Marjorie Daleo.