Consumer Electronics And Their Uses
Conway said the challenge would be to "use mobile to connect the 'unbanked' and the 'underbanked' around the world," noting that to send 50 pounds from England to India can cost 12 pounds using the traditional banking system. "Mobile remittances also resonates with governments, as you can create transparency," he said, adding that for operators it can reduce churn, the industry term for when users transfer to rival operators.
Conway said the programme will complement existing local remittance channels and make transferring money internationally significantly more affordable.
Nineteen mobile operators representing more than 600 million users are participating in its programme, while the pilot project is being conducted in association with mobile operators in India and the Philippines.
In another mobile-finance initiative announced last week, the association detailed plans to use a new technology called Near Field Communications (NFC) to link mobile devices with payment systems. The Pay-Buy Mobile scheme would make use of embedded technology in the SIM card for credit and debits, and already has 14 operators signed up to take part.
While many mobile payment schemes have been proposed over the years, Conway believed this one would succeed as it is the "first truly global approach" and would leverage existing technologies being introduced by the major credit card companies.
A trial will be done in Korea later this year, led by mobile operator KTF and including all key participants such as banks and credit card providers, retail outlets and handset manufacturers.
Get ready for ads
Also on the horizon, according to many in the industry, is mobile advertising. While that's not necessarily the mobile content that the average consumer was looking for, it will most likely come on an "opt-in" basis, according to Conway.
As well as overcoming potential user resistance, he said that a key requirement for mobile advertising would be standardisation and a code of conduct for the industry. As a result, the association recently set up a Mobile Advertising Forum that would address such issues.
If operators can agree on things such as common formats for mobile ads, there is a lot of potential, according to Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin. "We are clearly in a good environment to monetize what we can get from advertisers," Sarin told delegates, although he also warned that the industry needs to work together. "We need to seize the moment and if we don't we'll have a fragmented media and a fragmented user base," he said.
Another company that sees potential in mobile advertising is Yahoo, which last week launched its mobile display advertising platform on the Yahoo! Mobile Web service (http://m.yahoo.com) in 19 countries _ including here in Thailand. The advertisements will run near the top of the Yahoo mobile homepage and will allow users to directly call the advertiser or access more information.
Initial advertisers that have been signed up include Hilton's Embassy Suites, Infiniti, Intel, Nissan, Pepsi, Procter & Gamble Asia Pacific and Singapore Airlines.
However, mobile advertising platforms from major Internet players such as Yahoo and rival Google also have the potential to by-pass the operator, cautioned analyst firm Analysys, which said that mobile carriers needed to use their detailed customer databases to gain a significant share of advertising revenues.
What are we waiting for? .
