Native Mobile Monthly Report - December 2012

MOBILE REPORT / DECEMBER 2012

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A MONTHLY

SNAPSHOT OF

MOBILE NEWS,

VIEWS, EVENTS &

DEVELOPMENTS

LOCALLY AND

ABROAD

2 MOBILE REPORT/DECEMBER 2012

HOW TO USE THIS REPORT

MOBILE REPORT/DECEMBER 2012 3

» This report is intended as an easy-to-reference tool

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

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY


1. Looking back to forge ahead, NATIVE’s Mobile Report Retrospective looks at some of the highlights experienced over the past year, counting down the 12 trends of 2012, and how they will affect changes for 2013

2. December was the 20th anniversary of the first SMS. According to Tomi Ahonen, SMS is still the most used mobile service in the world, followed by voice. 1 in 6 people have a mobile phone are are connected to a mobile network

3. December is the time for industry predictions and forecasts for the next year. We look at some of the mobile marketing and consumer trends by analysts in the industry

4. World Wide Worx estimates that a million tablets may have been sold in SA by the end of 2012. The research house also reveals new data showing that broadband access in South Africa has doubled, with growth of 128%

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY


6. Standard Bank makes a big move in the adoption of contactless payment technology. It will begin to roll out NFC enabled credit and cheque cards allowing South African customers to use the “tap-and-go” method of payment

7. South Africans can now not only access music on Apples iTunes store but account holders can now also rent or buy movies, with many eagerly awaiting TV series and games to become available

8. MTN appoints a new group officer, Pieter Verkade, who will be responsible for the innovation, products and services strategy, and marketing across the group

9. 8ta, has been boosted by American telecoms giant AT&T, who has been given permission to purchase spectrum in a key frequency band

10. Cell C joins the ranks of Vodacom, MTN and 8ta with its trial launch of its LTE service with a select group of heavy data customers that fall within the company’s coverage areas

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY


11. The first African designed smartphone launched by a Congolese inventor Verone Mankou, who also designed what was billed as Africa's first tablet computer last year

12. LinkedIn confirms that the South African user base how now reached 2 million users

13. In an attempt to take on BBM’s instant messaging market, Facebook makes its messaging

application available without an account in a select number of countries including South Africa

14. According to Social Bakers, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa are the top 3 African countries on Facebook

15. Mxit announced the retrenchment of 41 employees, a move the company says will refine it’s business strategy and double its user base in 2013

16. Instagram updates it privacy policy, solidifying it’s information-sharing relationship with Facebook. In response, its users, including many high profile celebrities threatened to leave the photo-sharing service

CONTENTS

7

» Section 1: NATIVE’s Retrospective Look at 2012……... 8

» Section 2: Mobile Landscape ………………………………….. 21

» Section 3: Mobile Handsets & Operating Systems…… 38

» Section 4: Mobile Networks…………………………………..... 42

» Section 5: Social Networks……………………………………... 52

» Section 6: Summary & Contacts…………………………….... 62

MOBILE REPORT/DECEMBER 2012

SECTION 1

8

NATIVE'S RETROSPECTIVE

LOOK AT 2012


12. MXIT’S

ROLLERCOASTER

YEAR

Their numbers are still impressive and their platform is opening up to developers, but there were bigger things at play.

It’s transition from the Naspers stable to the World of Avatar world was the first big news, then came the ‘we have one year to get it right’ speech from Alan Knott-Craig Jnr and the great talent acquisition when they bought Motribe.

The biggest surprise was the boardroom wrangling that ended in AKC Jnr leaving when the shareholders needed more clarity and structure in the businesses future and its path to providing a return.

http://www.techcentral.co.za/one-year-to-get-it-right-says-mxit-boss/29368/

http://memeburn.com/2012/11/the-mxit-mix-up-and-the-rise-and-fall-of-alan-knott-craig-jnr/

11. FIRST GRAND PRIX &

LOERIE FOR A MOBILE-

LED CAMPAIGN

Carling Black Label’s Be the Coach campaign developed by Ogilvy CT was the first predominately mobile campaign to win a Grand Prix Award at the Loeries. The idea was great and the execution excellent. The results were even better.

South Africa needs more mobile campaigns like this one.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etmzOOtNCIk

10. PLUMMETING

DATA COSTS

Data costs have been steadily declining over the past few years, particularly since the arrival of Seacom and the other undersea fibre cables.

However, mobile data costs took a big step in the right direction in early August with the move to 15c/MB for both in and out of bundle usage. At the larger bundle sizes, 8ta costs as little as 13c/MB. Good showing by the smaller networks.

MTN and Vodacom on the other hand, are still significantly more expensive according to their own websites.


http://technology.iafrica.com/news/technology/808887.html

http://www.mtn.co.za/FINDAPLAN/Pages/DataBun.aspx

http://www.vodacom.co.za/personal/phonesandpackages/datapriceplans?packageTypeId=4

9. BANKS AND

THEIR APPS

2012 was a great year for South Africa’s banking customers with mobile banking applications being launched and enhanced mobile transactional capabilities being more broadly enjoyed.

FNB’s App added a smart feature that allowed geo-fenced payments to be made to people in close proximity.

Standard Bank and Nedbank both launched solid apps to their customer bases – with both apps being well received by the market.

2013 is going to be an interesting year in this space. Absa has been slow to respond, with a 2013 launch planned.


8. MOBILE-FIRST APPS

AND VISUAL SOCIAL

NETWORKS

Mobile technology and social networks collided spectacularly in 2012 with a huge shift to visual content from native mobile applications. This was particularly evident with the huge growth in popularity of photo sharing and filter-effect application Instagram, which is now claiming more daily users than Twitter in the US. This growth and dominance of a social niche led to the $1bn acquisition of the 11-person strong company by Facebook. Not bad for 24 months of hard work for the founders.

Decent bandwidth, amazing screens, touch devices and much better browsers have all facilitated a move towards more visual content. Nowhere is this more evident than in the explosion of Pinterest in 2012 – to the point that it is the 4th largest driver of internet traffic. Eye-candy everywhere.


//localhost/. http/::techcrunch.com:2012:09:06:report-pinterest-beats-yahoo-organic-traffic-making-it-4th-largest-traffic-driver-worldwide:

7. CONTRAST OF NOKIA AND

BLACKBERRY’S FORTUNES IN SA

VS. THE REST OF THE WORLD

Nokia fleeing from the Symbian platform at the beginning of 2011 and their subsequent delay in launching their Windows Phone devices has meant that they have slid out of the top 6 smartphone manufacturers, however, they still dominate the feature phone market – especially in Africa and South Africa. Nokia maintains a 50% market share in South Africa.

Similarly, Blackberry has taken a pounding internationally with its operating system not being comparable to Android and iOS, however, the much-anticipated launch of Blackberry 10 in early 2013 may change this. In contrast to this, Blackberry has had an exceptional year in South Africa with its market share growing from 4% to 18%.


http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/08/nokia-ceo-stephen-elop-rallies-troops-in-brutally-honest-burnin/

http://www.worldwideworx.com/nokia-blackberry/

6. FACEBOOK REACHES

1BN AND ITS REFOCUS

ON MOBILE

Facebook acquired J2ME developer Snaptu in 2011 in order to fast-track and control the development of a better Facebook experience on feature phones. This, along with the complete redevelopment of the iOS and Android apps from HTML5 versions to native code-bases, reinforced their investment in their mobile user base, of which there are now 540 million mobile app users.

This has meant that there has been intense focus on monetizing the mobile base by launching a number of different ad types for mobile users. Zuck thinks a lot about mobile, and I’m certain that they will get this one right.

2012 was also the year that Facebook broke the 1 billion user mark, meaning it reaches 1/7th of the world’s entire population and 40% of all internet users.


http://www.analysysmason.com/About-Us/News/Insight/Facebook-long-term-value-Sep2012/).

http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/facebook-takes-mobile-app-native-for-spe/240006155

http://sproutsocial.com/insights/2012/09/facebook-mobile-advertising-predictions/

5. AFRICA’S MOBILE

EXPLOSION

It is no secret that increased mobile penetration has made a major difference to African economies, small businesses, and to the lives of nearly 500 million Africans who now have mobile connectivity. There has been a lot of focus on this change in 2012, which is probably best reflected in this video by the Praekelt Foundation.

Africa is now the next big market for smartphones, with Google’s Ideos – an $80 Android-powered Huawei-built phone, proving highly popular in East Africa. Nokia has over 60% of the total handset market share in Africa, but have been slow to release their Asha range of low to mid-level smartphones. It’s going to be an Android continent if Asha doesn’t arrive in large numbers, soon.


http://youtu.be/0bXjqx4J0C4

4. APPLE VS SAMSUNG

IN THE MARKET AND IN

COURT

Samsung and Apple are leading the smartphone market. By far. The release of the Galaxy S2 and then particularly the S3 has put Samsung smartphones onto the map in a real way. This surge has meant that Samsung has powered way ahead of Apple in smartphone sales, outselling them by 2-to-1.

Then there was the legal battle that resulted in an August court ruling that Samsung was ordered to pay more than $1bn in damages to Apple, after Apple accused Samsung of violating several of its patents. There were also threats of Samsung sales being stopped in the US.


http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57540923-94/samsung-outdoes-apple-2-to-1-in-smartphones-nokia-falters/

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57491403-37/heres-apples-original-copying-presentation-to-samsung/

3. RACE TO LTE WITH VC

GETTING THE JUMP

LTE, which stands for Long-Term Evolution, is the next generation of mobile standards that will provide super-speed broadband connectivity. Sometimes its called 4G, which is also okay for general use.

Thankfully, the South African mobile network operators have been quick to invest and roll out their LTE networks in SA. Most had indicated that 2013 would be when these services would be publically available, but Vodacom changed all this by getting the jump on its competitors with its October LTE launch announcement at the MyBroadband Conference.

MTN, Cell C and 8ta have all either gone live with commercial services or are running LTE trials with selected customers.


http://www.techcentral.co.za/time-for-a-4g-reality-check/35446/

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/cellular/61756-vodacom-launches-lte-in-south-africa.html

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/cellular/60639-more-mtn-lte-network-plans-revealed.html

http://www.techcentral.co.za/cell-c-goes-live-with-first-lte-sites/36562/

http://www.techcentral.co.za/8ta-to-offer-free-broadband-in-lte-trial/35330/

2. DECLINE OF TELKOM

AND THE 8TA DRAIN

Management challenges, at Telkom, its poor financial performance in 2012 the global trend of people moving away from relying on fixed-line installations, down from 4,1 million to 3,9 million in the past year, the R471 million write-off from its pay-TV attempt, Telkom Media, and for exiting a confusing/promising yet aborted deal with South Korea’s KT Telecom (phew) have all made 2012 a difficult year for Telkom.

8ta managed to get to only 1,4 million subscribers, in a market of nearly 60 million subscribers. Their startup costs have also ballooned to R2,2 billion – a lot when their subscriber numbers are still so low. Cell C’s successes in 2012 have given rise to rumours of a Cell C-8ta hookup. An interesting thought for both.


http://www.techcentral.co.za/deon-liebenberg-quits-telkom/36106/

http://www.techcentral.co.za/deon-liebenberg-quits-telkom/36106/

http://www.moneyweb.co.za/moneyweb-technology-news/telkoms-result-highlights-8ta-grows-market-share

http://www.moneyweb.co.za/moneyweb-technology-news/telkoms-result-highlights-8ta-grows-market-share

http://www.techcentral.co.za/consumers-shun-telkoms-fixed-lines/36345/



http://www.techcentral.co.za/cell-c-8ta-da/35619/).




1. ALAN KNOTT-CRAIG’S

MOVE TO CELL C & THEIR

RETURN TO RELEVANCE

There was a fair amount of surprise when in January, Cell C announced that ex-Vodacom CEO Alan Knott-Craig would be joining them as CEO to fill the gap left by Lars Reichelt. He didn’t waste any time before making some significant decisions and changes including the about-turn on ad agency appointments, bringing the iPhone to Cell C, cutting the costs of least-cost routing, bringing in former Vodacom execs (I wonder if Mr Uys will be one for the future), significantly cutting in and out-of-bundle data costs to an impressive 15c, launching the 99c per minute call costs for prepaid and 99c/min international calls to some destinations – and then 85c to 50 destinations announcement, raising R1,5 billion from shareholders, launching simplified, variable length contracts for post-paid subscribers, the decision to consolidate the company’s physical presence in a single campus in Buccleuch, its ongoing tiffs with Vodacom over tariffs and special offers, their entry into the 4G market and its general improvement in market share and market sentiment.


SECTION 2

21

MOBILE LANDSCAPE


SMS TURNS 20 IN 2012


» The first SMS message – “Merry Christmas” was sent 20 years ago on 3 December 1992 by British software engineer Neil Papworth, via the Vodafone UK’s GSM network and was received on an Orbitel 901 handset

» Mobile phones at that time did not have keyboards, so he types out the message on a computer keyboard

» Papworth said that no one realised then how it would change the culture of communication

» “They thought it would be used as an executive pager so that secretaries could get hold of their bosses while they were out and about and they could send them messages and tell them what to do and where to go” Papworth told BBC radio

The Age, 4 December 2012

SMS MESSAGING STILL

GOING STRONG


» According to Tomi Ahonen, the 'mobile phone' or 'cellphone' - is no longer primarily a 'portable telephone' - our mobile today, globally, is first and foremost a messaging device, with voice calls a highly used optional extra

» Globally, SMS is the most used mobile service and used by 83% of the mobile phone subscribers. Voice calls come in second, at 5.4 Billion users and 81% of all mobile users

» Mobile phone subscriptions: 94% penetration rate for planet per capita. With duplicates removed, it’s up to 4.3 billion unique humans. So 61% of the planet's population does have a mobile phone in their pocket, connected to a mobile network

» The average mobile phone user has 1.23 handsets

Tomi Ahonen Almanac 2013, 19 December 2012

MOBILE DATA TRAFFIC WILL DOUBLE

WITH SMARTPHONE UPTAKE


» The latest Ericsson Mobility Report, formerly known as the Ericsson Traffic and Market Report, reveals that approximately 40 percent of all phones sold in Q3 were smartphones

» Data traffic doubled between Q3 2011 and Q3 2012, and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of around 50% between 2012 and 2018, driven mainly by video

» LTE is the fastest-developing system in the history of mobile communications in terms of buildout and uptake. Within 5 years, more than half of the world population is expected to benefit from LTE coverage

» The report and infographic is available for download here

Ericsson, 21 November 2012

http://www.ericsson.com/ericsson-mobility-report

JWT’S 10 TRENDS THAT WILL

SHAPE OUR WORLD IN 2013


» JWT has released its 8th annual forecast of key trends that will drive or significantly impact consumer mind-set and behaviour in the year ahead

» According to the forecast, we'll see everyday objects become smarter as technology gets embedded into everything from eyeglasses to socks to bikes, helping us to measure, navigate and augment the world

» At the same time, our smartphones will become de facto fingerprints as they evolve into wallets, keys, health consultants and more - our identity all in one place

» The "10 Trends for 2013" report is available at JWTIntelligence.com

Bizcommunity, 18 December 2012

http://www.jwtintelligence.com/

MOBILE MARKETING IN 2013

PREDICTIONS FROM THE MMA


» The Mobile Marketing Association has put together a collection of predictions from the MMA EMEA Board of Directors for mobile marketing in 2013

» These predictions come from people at the forefront of the mobile marketing industry today

» Some of the predictions include:

– “There’s going to be a lot of focus on location-based strategies next year” - Kim Siler Mobile Brand Strategy, Global Interactive Marketing The Coca-Cola Company

– The biggest change will be the volume of investment in mobile by brands”- Steffen Krabbenhøft Mobile Director Mediacom

– “I expect 2013 to be the year of mobile for retail as opportunities increase for the channel to help grow retailers’ bottom line. “ - Benoît Corbin President MMA France

– “The presentation is available here

MMA, 20 December 2012

http://www.slideshare.net/pauldb18/emea-2013-predictions-slides-final

MOBILE MARKETING IN

2013 PREDICTIONS


» This infographic by Statista illustrates the performance of selected tech companies in 2012. The chart compares companies such as Apple, Google and Facebook regarding their profit, revenue growth and stock performance.

» While Apple and Samsung blow the competition away in terms of net income, LinkedIn is the golden child in terms of year-over-year growth

» The social network for professionals continued to post impressive revenue growth while returning to profitability, with a whopping 89% revenue increase

Mashable, 20 December 2012

http://www.statista.com/topics/951/linkedin/chart/778/tech-companies-in-2012---scoresheet/

http://www.statista.com/topics/951/linkedin/chart/778/tech-companies-in-2012---scoresheet/

HOW WE’LL USE TECH

IN 2013


» The Hot consumer trends for 2013 report has been released by networking giant Ericsson’s ConsumerLab group

» According to Michael Björn, Head of Research at ConsumerLab , people are more likely to increasingly buy devices based on how well they integrate with all their other gadgets. Being able to access all your business documents, no matter what device you’re on is also important, although nowhere near as fun

» People are also increasingly use our smartphones for shopping, merging the online and offline shopping experiences. We trust our personal networks, and would much rather use them for advice on shopping and job-hunting than a traditional agency or review guide

Memeburn, 13 December 2012

http://www.ericsson.com/res/docs/2012/consumerlab/10-hot-consumer-trends-2013.pdf

http://www.ericsson.com/res/docs/2012/consumerlab/10-hot-consumer-trends-2013.pdf

JOZIHUB: JO’BURG TO GET

OWN TECH HUB


» Despite Johannesburg’s position as South Africa’s economic hub, Cape Town is often considered the country’s technology start-up capital. A new technology hub in the city of gold, called JoziHub, may help in changing that

» JoziHub is intended as a shared work and collaboration space for entrepreneurs and innovators who want to share ideas and resources and get access to mentors

» Funded by the Praekelt Foundation and Google for Entrepreneurs, the project is being managed by local engineering consultancy Venture Solutions

» According to it’s website, JoziHub wants to be Africa’s “leading technology and social business incubator” by 2015 and to be “recognised worldwide as a pioneer of and advocate for collaboration and innovation”

TechCentral, 7 December 2012

BROADBAND IN SA

DOUBLES IN TWO YEARS


» Broadband access in South Africa has more than doubled in the past two years, as mobile operators slashed the cost of data and network roll-out accelerated

» This is revealed in new data contained in the final version of the “Internet Access in South Africa 2012” study conducted by World Wide Worx, with backing from online portal Howzit MSN

» The number of broadband subscriptions grew from 3,6m at the end of 2010 to an expected 8,2m by the end of 2012 — representing growth of 128%

» The study found that many users have multiple forms of broadband access — such as a digital subscriber line (DSL) account as well as 3G mobile — while many hop between operators to take advantage of promotional offers. As a result, the number of individual broadband users is substantially lower, but also more than doubling in the past two years. The number has grown from 2,8m to 6,7m — 140% growth in two years TechCentral, 6 December 2012

http://www.techcentral.co.za/tag/world-wide-worx

http://www.techcentral.co.za/tag/world-wide-worx

MOBILE MARKET-PLACES

IN SOUTH AFRICA


» Apple recently made its iTunes music store available to South Africans, joining Nokia as the only other smartphone maker to offer a digital music shop to its users

» Nokia Music and iTunes aren’t the only digital music services available in South Africa, but they are the only well-stocked and widely available ones from within a smartphone or tablet ecosystem

» Examples of other types of online music services include the recently launched Simfy and Rara, which offer streaming of any number of songs from their catalogues for a fixed monthly fee

» Not all smartphone ecosystems let South African developers charge for their apps either. In particular, Google only lets South African app developers offer their software for free

MyBroadband, 6 December 2012

ITUNES MOVIES

NOW IN SA


» Users of Apple’s iTunes service with South African accounts can now rent or buy movies. This comes after Apple recently enabled support for iTunes Music in South Africa

» Enthusiasts browsing through the iTunes Store have commented that the selection of films on the local service is still limited compared to its US counterpart

» South Africans also don’t have access to TV series yet and the “Games” category is still not available from the App Store

» Rental prices as low as R30 and as high as R40 for new HD releases have been spotted. SA iTunes users can also buy movies from R90. A new HD release such as Brave costs R150


MOBILE MUSIC STREAMING

WITH DATA BUNDLE FOR SA


» A new content streaming player, Spice VAS Africa, has revealed its plans to enter the South African market, and CEO Arun Nagar explained that they want to offer something different to users

» Soul Candi, a local record label, will be the first portal to go live, Nagar said, with plans to add more portals from January 2013

» To provide the data along with its subscription, Spice Africa had to enter into reverse-billing agreements with South Africa’s mobile network operators

» Users will be able to access content from a mobi site or an app. Their Android and iPhone apps are being tested and they are working on BlackBerry and Windows Phone apps, Nagar added


STANDARD BANK IN MASS

NFC ROLL-OUT


» Standard Bank will begin including contactless payment technology in new credit and cheque cards, allowing customers to make payments using the “tap-and-go” method, rather than them having to have their cards swiped or inserted into a chip reader

» All new gold and titanium credit and cheque cards from Standard Bank will be equipped with the technology, with the bank telling TechCentral it’s using near-field communication (NFC)-based technology provided by MasterCard

» The cards are linked to clients’ bank accounts, allowing for funds to be deducted directly from their accounts, says Standard Bank’s head of personal markets, Sugendhree Reddy, “Unlike many systems currently available, customers don’t have to pre-load cards with money to use this method of payment.”


FREE WI-FI ON

MANGO FLIGHTS


» Passengers using low-cost airline Mango to fly between Johannesburg and Durban between now and 31 January will be able to use the G-Connect in-flight Wi-Fi service for free. And it’s all part of a plan to beat a world record

» Mango CEO Nico Bezuidenhout says that although around 8% of passengers on average have been using the service, he hopes that this initiative will result in a fifth of flyers connecting. Should Mango manage this, it will be the highest Wi-Fi usage ratio ever achieved on any route worldwide

» Mango and G-Connect plan to introduce on-demand entertainment, live television and limited games across its in-flight Wi-Fi network in 2013. Mango also plans to offer an iPad application for bookings and payments to complement its existing mobile site— (c) 2012 NewsCentral Media


FIRST AFRICAN-DESIGNED

SMARTPHONE LAUNCHED


» A Congolese inventor has unveiled what he says is the first African-designed smartphone

» Verone Mankou, 27, told AFP that the so-called Elikia, which means “hope” in the local language, went on sale the day before in the Republic of Congo

» Though the phone is Congolese by design, it is manufactured in China. It costs about 130 euros ($170) — a considerable sum in this central African nation

» The phone has a 3.5-inch touchscreen, 512 megabytes of RAM and a 650-Mhz processor. Its camera is five megapixels, and it also comes with GPS and Bluetooth

BusinessTech by MyBroadband, 30 December 2012

COCA-COLA FOCUSES ON

MOBILE GAMING


» Coca-Cola is going after mobile gamers with an application that lets users challenge their friends and family through levels of branded activities

» “Mobile gaming will continue to grow significantly as consumers are spending more time playing games on mobile than any other app activity,” said Matt Shea, executive vice president of product development at WildTangent, Redmond, WA

» Most recently, Coca-Cola rolled out an app as part of its partnership with the nonprofit (RED) to drive donations and awareness

» Last year, Fanta rolled out a similar app that combined mobile and social for its European market

Mobile Marketer, 24 December 2012

SECTION 3

38

MOBILE HANDSETS &

OPERATING SYSTEMS


TABLET MARKET IN

SOUTH AFRICA


» By the end of this year, a million tablets may have been sold in South Africa

» Total sales up to the end of September, well before the arrival of either Windows 8 or the iPad mini and iPad with Retina Display, had reached 788 000

» This number includes around 20 000 “grey market” iPads sold during 2010, but the rest represents sales since January 2011

» Apple is by far the largest player in the tablet market, with 50% market share. Samsung comes in a distant second with 33%, and Huawei an even more distant 7.5%. The rest of the market barely makes up 10% tablet share

» The estimated number of tablets sold in South Africa is based on interviews with retailers, distributors, and marketing representatives of major brands

»

Gadget, 21 December 2012

GOOGLE MAPS RETURNS

TO APPLE’S IPHONE


» Google Maps is in Apple’s App Store, available for both the iPhone and iPad, bringing hope to those who have been having trouble getting around since the Apple mapocalypse

» Unlike Apple’s maps app, Google’s navigation feature isn’t integrated with Siri. But it’s also much less likely to direct you into the Pacific ocean

» Other differences include: Google Maps uses Zagat listings, and Google’s own local search, for charting and rating restaurants and retailers, while Apple uses Yelp. And if you have a Google account you can sign in to sync searches, directions, and favorite places between your iPhone, iPad and other computers

WIred, 13 December 2012

https://itunes.apple.com/app/id585027354?mt=8

IPAD MINI, PRICED

TO GO


» Apple’s smaller, 7,9-inch iPad has landed on South African shores, along with the new full-sized, fourth-generation iPad

» The iPad mini, as the smaller variant is called, starts at just R3 399, which is particularly well priced given the product costs $329 in the US and the rand has weakened substantially against the dollar in recent months

» The product is competitively priced next to Google’s new Nexus 7 tablet, which retails for R2 999, and Samsung’s 7-inch Galaxy Tab 2, which starts at about R4 000

» The fourth-generation 10-inch iPad is available from this weekend. Wi-Fi-only 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions cost R5 199, R6 399 and R7 399 respectively. The same models, with mobile broadband, cost R6 499, R7 499 and R8 599. — (c) 2012 NewsCentral Media


SECTION 4

42

MOBILE NETWORKS


CELLULAR NETWORK ANALYSIS IN

SOUTH AFRICA – PREPAID TARIFFS


» The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) recently argued in parliament that the cost to communicate has come down in South Africa, even though the prepaid pricing advertised by operators doesn’t seem to indicate this

» ICASA’s presentation showed the least and most expensive prepaid tariff trends over the last 3 years and indicate roughly whether operators compete closely or not

» For the cheapest prepaid tariff plans, ICASA’s analysis puts Cell C firmly ahead, no doubt due to the operator’s new 99c per minute on per second billing offering

» 8ta noses ahead of Cell C when comparing their most expensive prepaid tariffs, though the two remain close together with Vodacom and MTN trailing far behind


VODACOM APP

LAUNCHED


» The “My Vodacom” app for BlackBerry, iOS, Android, and Windows Phone has, over the last few weeks, been quietly rolled out to the relevant app stores for the various platforms

» According to Vodacom, the app lets users view their account summary and balances, as well as purchase and transfer data bundles, transfer airtime, and view their PUK

» Users will have to register an online account to use My Vodacom services, which the network said will be possible to do from the app itself

» The app is a free download, but Vodacom warns that downloading and using the app will consume data which will be charged at standard data rates


MTN INTRODUCES

FREE MOBILE APP


» MTN has introduced MTNza KeyPad for tablets, an application that allows users to check their airtime balance, buy Internet bundles and recharge with airtime

» The app, says MTN, also allows users to purchase other MTN Internet services

» Mapula Bodibe, GM of consumer segments at MTN SA, says up to now, tablets have been unable to use USSD codes. “This made it a tedious and lengthy process for our customers to check their balances, recharge with airtime and purchase Internet bundles because it required them to insert their tablet SIM cards into a mobile phone to do this.”

ITWeb, 12 December 2012

MTN NAMES NEW GROUP

CHIEF OFFICER


» MTN has named Pieter Verkade, currently CEO of MTN Cyprus, as the group’s new chief commercial officer, effective from February 2013. Verkade will replace Christian de Faria, who retires in January after six years with the mobile telecommunications group

» In his new role, Verkade will be responsible for the strategic direction of the innovation, products and services strategy, as well as marketing across the group. “His appointment comes at a critical point for MTN, as our operating environment is changing quite rapidly,” says group CEO Sifiso Dabengwa in a statement

» “We have entered a phase where network operators have to compete on more than just products and services”


MTN LAUNCHES CLOUD

PILOT PROJECT FOR SMES


» MTN Business has launched a pilot project for its MTN Cloud bouquet of services, claiming to be the first mobile network operator in Africa to adopt the Cloud Service Brokerage model

» Executive for enterprise business at MTN Group, Farhad Khan, says the pilot project will be carried out in six of MTN’s key markets in Africa, including Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda and South Africa

» MTN said it will target small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and has identified a number of these enterprises in these markets to trial its cloud services and product


AT&T BOOST FOR 8TA


» In a move that will be seen as a boost for Telkom’s mobile operator, 8ta, the US Federal Communications Commission has given AT&T permission to purchase spectrum in a key frequency band in which the telecommunications giant wants to deploy next-generation wireless broadband

» AT&T has been granted access to a number of bands, one of which involves spectrum around 2,3GHz. This is the same spectrum band 8ta intends using to roll out a national broadband network using fourth-generation long-term evolution (4G/LTE) technology

» 8ta, which is currently running a pilot 4G/LTE network, plans to launch commercial services in 2013. — (c) 2012 NewsCentral Media


CELL C TAKES WRAPS OFF

LTE TRIAL


» Mobile operator Cell C has finally launched its trial of its next-generation mobile broadband network based on long-term evolution (LTE) technology

» The company says that a “select group of heavy data customers that fall in coverage areas have been identified to form part of Cell C’s free trial LTE service”

» “Once we have feedback on the service from these customers, we will expand the service to other customers,” says CEO Alan Knott-Craig

» In addition to the free trial, Cell C plans to offer “up to” 800 customers with the “opportunity to purchase an LTE dongle with an LTE-enabled Sim”. This Sim will be loaded with 100GB of data, which will be valid for 365 days, for a once-off fee of R2 999


VODAFONE’S FIRST APP

STAR CHALLENGE


» The winners of the inaugural Vodafone App Star Challenge were unveiled at Vodacom World in Midrand today. The international challenge included top winners from six countries across the Middle East and Africa, bringing out the best from the developers in each country

» 1st prize: Gerald Kibugi from Kenya designed the Tough Jungle app, an action adventure game that introduces Kenya’s culture, history and the destination in an engaging and interactive manner

» 2nd prize: Gilbert Rono also from Kenya won for designing the Eureka app, which is an educational app that solves mathematics problems such as Calculus and Algebra

» 3rd prize: Rudolph Joubert from South Africa who designed the Ster-Kinekor app which helps movie fans to book movies and choose seats from their mobile device

Engineering News, 13 December 2012

MOBILE SERVICE

COMING TO GAUTRAIN


» All four South African mobile network operators have agreed to ensure full network coverage for voice and data services on the Gautrain rapid rail system by July 2014

» Gauteng MEC for roads and transport Ismail Vadi met recently with representatives of the networks and officials from the Gautrain Management Agency and the Bombela Concession Company to discuss the urgent need to provide services on the train network

» The first phase will ensure voice services are provided at all underground stations by June 2013. The second will increase coverage to include the 15km tunnel section of the Gautrain system by December 2013

» — (c) 2012 NewsCentral Media


SECTION 5

52

SOCIAL NETWORKS


NIELSEN STATE OF THE MEDIA:

THE SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT 2012


» Since the emergence of the first social media networks some two decades ago, social media has continued to evolve and offer consumers around the world new and meaningful ways to engage with the people, events and brands that matter to them

» Now, years later, social media is still growing rapidly, becoming an integral part of our daily lives. Social networking is now truly a global phenomenon

» This report reveals insights such as:

– What's driving the continued growth of social media?

– How is consumer usage of social media evolving?

– How is social media impacting marketing?

– Who is using Pinterest?

Nielsen, 3 December 2012

LINKEDIN SIGNS

UP 2M SA USERS


» LinkedIn, the online network for business professionals, says it signed up its two millionth South African user out of a total of 187m members in more 200 countries

» It says the three biggest industries represented on LinkedIn in South Africa are IT, financial services and accounting. The three South African companies with the most employees on LinkedIn are Absa, Eskom and Standard Bank

» Not surprisingly, Johannesburg has the most South African LinkedIn users, followed by Cape Town and Durban

» The top three universities represented are the universities of Johannesburg, Pretoria and South Africa. The top three groups by membership are the South African Business Network, the Johannesburg Business Club and South African Engineers and Expats


FACEBOOK TO

CHALLENGE BBM IN SA


» In a move sure to worry BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, Facebook has removed the need to have an account when using its messaging application, Messenger, for Android, BlackBerry and iPhone

» The app, which resembles Apple’s iMessage, ties in with users’ Facebook inboxes, allowing them to send instant messages to one another using their phones

» The application has been rolled out to Android users in Australia, India, Indonesia, Venezuela and South Africa first, with other regions set to follow

» There is no doubt the move is intended to extend the appeal of the service. The app is free and doesn’t display any advertising

» Facebook is also planning to launch the service on more basic feature phones, a move that could see it enjoying enormous uptake in emerging markets


FACEBOOK’S POKE

DISPLACES GOOGLE MAPS


» Facebook released a Snapchat-like app called Poke, which allows users to send private messages that expire after 1, 3, 5 or 10 seconds. In less than 24 ours, it was the number one most downloaded app on Apple’s marketplace

» While we don’t necessarily expect Poke to remain as number one, it’s clear that the Facebook effect is still going strong

» While it was not expected to remain as number one, it’s clear that the Facebook effect is still going strong

The Next Web, 22 December 2012

TOP 50 AFRICAN COUNTRIES

ON FACEBOOK


» Socialbakers.com is a leading social media analytics platform which offers solution that allows brands to measure, compare and contrast the success of their social media campaigns with competitive intelligence. The website provides daily updated Facebook statistics for over 200 countries. The statistics as at 29th December 2012 shows that Egypt still has the most users with 12,359,440 showing 15.36% penetration rate, this is followed by Nigeria at 6,637,580 users which is almost half of Egypt with a very low penetration rate of 4.3%, closely followed by South Africa at about 6.5 million and Morroco at 5.1 million

Tech Talk Africa, 29 December 2012

http://socialbakers.com

SOCIAL MEDIA

OVERVIEW IN 2012


» Facebook managed to maintain its top spot in the social media world, according to a report from Nielsen

» This study in 2012 shows the top 10 social networks, with Facebook, Blogger, Twitter, WordPress, and Linkedin topping the list, although Facebook held nearly three times the amount of unique PC visits over its first competitor, Blogger

» On the mobile front, Facebook remains in the lead, while Twitter takes over Blogger and Pinterest lands in the fourth spot

» For users using apps to access social media, Facebook still dominates, while Twitter, Foursquare and Google+ follow. Pinterest sits in fifth place, but has made an impressive 1,698 percent change from 2011


MXIT

RETRENCHMENTS


» Mxit has announced that it will be retrenching 41 employees as the social network moves to refine its business strategy and aims to double its user base in 2013

» Francois Swart who has taken over control of the company, has been tasked with pegging a new strategy for the social network

» Looking ahead, the R100-million investment Mxit secured in October, as well as the savings from company-wide costing cutting, is to be channeled into key growth areas, the company said

» This includes self-service community creation tools, developer support, technology innovation, advertising partnerships and collaboration with key companies and brands


INSTAGRAM WILL SHARE USER

DATA WITH FACEBOOK


» It’s been clear from the beginning that Facebook’s Instagram buy was more than just about acquiring a photo-sharing service: Instead, Facebook was acquiring another data point

» Instagram is making that even more obvious today with its latest privacy policy update, which will solidify the information-sharing relationship between the two social networks when the sharing goes into effect on January 16

» “As part of our new collaboration, we’ve learned that by being able to share insights and information with each other, we can build better experiences for our users,” the company said

VentureBeat, 17 December 2012

SOUTH AFRICA’S TOP TEN MOST POPULAR

YOUTUBE VIDEO ADS IN 2012


» YouTube has released a list of South Africa’s top ten most popular YouTube video ads of the year. These are the South African ads which achieved the largest number of views from people in South Africa. Ranked in order they are:

1. OLX Motorbike Advertisement

2. Nando’s Diversity Campaign

3. Gumtree Property Advertisement

4. Nando’s: Last dictator standing

5. OLX Treadmill advertisement

6. Tropica: You’re a sip away from Jamaica – Flash Mob

7. Walka Handheld TV

8. Santam “Back at ya” Advertisement

9. Gumtree Kitchen Advertisement

10. Liquid Capital TV Advertisement

Marklives.com, 13 December 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-18esnhtRw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R7vu9SuxaQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq463LIht18

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1EX--vdxh4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9APVsIHQrc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FieQnadJtY




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os4gBLm4QI0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUAKjzEzeq8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzLm7_d3JuA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sDlUtbTqrc

SECTION 6

62

CREDITS AND CONTACTS


CREDITS

63

» Bizcommunity

» Engineering News

» Ericsson

» Gadget

» ITWeb

» JWT

» TechCentral

» Tech Talk Africa

» Marklives.com

» Mashable

» Memeburn

» Mobile Marketing Association

» Mobile Marketer

» Mobile Marketing Watch

» MyBroadband

» MyBroadband BusinessTech

» NewsCentral Media

» Nielsen

» Social Bakers

» Statista

» The Age

» The Media Online

» The Next Web

» Tomi Ahonen Almanac

» VentureBeat

» Wired

» World Wide Worx


INSERT VIDEO HERE

64

CONTACT US

Vuyisile Sisulu | Mobile Technologist [tel] +27 (11) 555-3800 [cell] +27 (82) 679 5415 [fax] 0867210884 [email] [email protected] [twitter] @Vuyisile_Sisulu

Tracy Aberman | Mobile Strategist [tel] +27 (11) 555-3800 [cell] +27 (82) 754 6111 [fax] 0867210884 [email] [email protected] [twitter] @TracyInSA

Angus Robinson | Director: Mobile, Content, Community & Media [tel] +27 (11) 555-3800 [cell] +27 (83) 635 4400 [fax] 0867210884 [email] [email protected] [twitter] @angusrobinson

Should you have any mobile insight, strategy, campaign or solutions requirements please contact any one of us.


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Native Mobile Monthly Report - December 2012

Technology

Transcript of Native Mobile Monthly Report - December 2012