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2 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
3. HOW TO USE THIS REPORT
» 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
3 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
4. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. The mobile landscape gives an idea as to what we can expect in the next decade- from the
future of digital and how this will affect traditional media, the Internet of Everything (IOT), to the
app economy where free apps are likely to represent 91% of all downloads
2. Several reports have been released giving insights into mobile broadband, data usage, the
Internet population in South Africa, and hear local industry players give their opinions on
mobile marketing
3. Many industry award ceremonies took place in November including the Bookmarks Awards,
CSSA Awards, Assegai Awards, and Africa Com Awards
4. Mobile innovation in SA is expanding with the launch of the Pick n Pay and MTN mobile bank,
Shoprite Checkers mobile coupons, and the Young Africa Live mobile HIV service. Absa moves
up with the soft launch of its mobile app and Pebble, and the reveal of NATIVE’s Inventions and
it’s Mxit apps launch
4 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
5. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
5. Africa is the 2nd largest mobile phone market in the world, and its biggest handset rivals Nokia
and Samsung plan to meet the markets most crucial needs like built-in radio’s and home
language support
6. The most recent Vodacom results show Blackberry still holds major share of the smartphone
market in South Africa while its active data user base continues to grow rapidly
7. South African’s can finally buy from the iTunes music store and iPhone 5 is expected to be
launched in South Africa on 14 December 2012
8. We take a look at the ongoing network price wars that have resulted in cheaper voice rates,
data rates, and the ongoing race to launch and grow LTE networks by Vodacom, Cell C and MTN
continue
9. If you are looking for the latest 2012 social media stats for your next presentation, the famous
Socialnomics YouTube video is out and social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn continue to
roll out mobile features
5 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
6. CONTENTS
» Section 1: Mobile Landscape ……………………………….. 7
» Section 2: Mobile Events and Happenings ….…………….. 19
» Section 3: Mobile Innovation and Campaigns …………..… 30
» Section 4: Mobile Handsets & Operating Systems ..……… 45
» Section 5: Mobile Networks ………………………………..... 58
» Section 6: Social Networks ……………………………….…. 69
» Section 7: Summary & Contacts …………………………..... 78
6 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
7. SECTION 1
MOBILE LANDSCAPE
7 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
8. THE FUTURE OF
DIGITAL IS MOBILE
» BI Intelligence is a new research and analysis service
focused on mobile computing and the Internet. The
current trends in digital media include:
» With just over 2 billion people online, there is still 2/3’s
of the world left to go. In the past year, smartphone
sales have blown past PC sales and tablets are now the
growth drivers in the PC market
» Digital content revenues are exploding as news
consumption moves online. Google now generates as
much US ad revenue as newspapers and magazines
» Digital video advertising is on the rise, which is
expected to disrupt TV production and media budgets
» The slide deck is available here
Business Insider, 27 November 2012
8 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
9. WHAT WILL THE NEXT DECADE
OF THE INTERNET BRING?
» From the Internet of Things (IoT), where we are today,
we are just beginning to enter a new realm: the
Internet of Everything (IoE), where things will gain
context awareness, increased processing power, and
greater sensing abilities
» Add people and information into the mix and you get
a network of networks where billions or even trillions
of connections create unprecedented opportunities
and give things that were silent a voice
» Cisco defines IoE as bringing together people,
process, data, and things to make networked
connections more relevant and valuable than ever
before
Cisco, 7 November 2012
9 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
10. THE DECADE OF
350 BILLION APPS
» Between 2008 and 2017, Google Play and Apple’s App
Store will be responsible for a mind-blowing number
of mobile app downloads: 350 billion
» According to the new Strategy Analytics App
Ecosystem Opportunities (AEO) forecast – Mobile Apps
Download Forecast: 2008 – 2017 – paid downloads will
generate more than $57 billion globally within the
time frame projected
» The report, however, does show that paid apps begin
to decline as free apps come to represent more than
91% of all downloads. This will be the reality by 2017
» Newer platforms such as Windows 8, BlackBerry 10,
Tizen and Firefox are building their operating systems
and storefronts, which have the potential to become
“attractive to developers and end users.”
Mobile Marketing Watch, 19 November 2012
10 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
11. TRENDWATCHING PREDICTS
‘MOBILE MOMENTS’
» For those wondering where ‘mobile’ will head next, one
behavioural insight should give you plenty to run with:
in 2013, consumers will look to their mobile devices to
maximise absolutely every moment
» Hectic, urban lifestyles mean that no amount of (micro)
time will be too fleeting, or activity too absorbing, to
cram in more content, connection, consumption or
simply more fun
» All of which means the next 12 months will see an
explosion in MOBILE MOMENTS: products, services
and experiences that will enable mobile-loving
consumers to embrace (seamless) lifestyle multi-if-
not-hyper-tasking
» More Crucial Consumer Trends for 2013 here
Trendwatching, 28 November 2012
11 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
12. ERICSSON’S MASSIVE
MOBILE REPORT
» Telecommunications giant Ericson has released a
massive report on the state of the mobile world
» China, the rest of Asia, and Africa together accounted
for 75% of new mobile subscriptions in the 3rd quarter
of 2012, with 38 million in China, 31 million in the rest
of Asia, and 25 million in Africa
» Ericsson, says, those 6.4 billion subscriptions are
spread over only 4.3 billion people, meaning that many
people have more than one plan … for example, a
phone and a tablet, both with a cellular connection,
which leads to a penetration percentage of well over
100% in some areas
» The report can be found here
VentureBeat, 23 November 2012
12 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
13. MOBILE BROADBAND TO
BOOST SA ECONOMY
» The ‘State of Broadband 2012: Achieving Digital Inclusion
for All’ report evaluates the roll-out of broadband around
the world
» South Africa performed well when it came to mobile
broadband. With 19.8 active mobile broadband
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, South Africa ranks at
number 47 out of 177 countries.
» South Africa ranks at number 64 out of 127 developing
countries for households with Internet access
» According to the report, wireless broadband and related
industries in South Africa could generate 1.8% of GDP
(R72 billion) by 2015, and about 28,000 jobs
» Watch the video here
BusinessTech by MyBroadband, 2 November 2012
13 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
14. MOBILE & SMARTPHONE
USAGE IN AFRICA
» The infographic by Expat Forum shows the usage of
mobiles in Africa, giving insight into mobile
penetration, subscriptions, smartphones and mobile
commerce in Africa and other regions across the globe
» Some of the highlights from the infographic include:
– Africa is ranked in the top 4 regions for mobile
subscriptions at 610 million
– The Africa/Middle East region is the fastest
growing in terms of smartphone ownership
– The most common m-commerce service across
Tanzania, Ghana and South Africa is buying
airtime
» The full infographic is available to download here
Expat Forum, 12 November 2012
14 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
15. MOBILE DATA
LANDSCAPE IN SA
» In recent years it seems as if there has been an
explosion of mobile technology with Blackberry,
Samsung Galaxy, iPhone 5, iPad, notebook, and
mobile apps
» Our cell phones have become more than just devices
with which we make calls to each another
» The infographic created by MoneySmart gives facts
about mobile data in South Africa, showing that:
– 80% of the population uses prepaid accounts
– 7.9million South Africans access the internet via
mobile phones
– The average users spend for voice has gone
down while data continues to grow
» The full infographic is available here
Web AddiCT(s), 7 November 2012
15 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
17. GOOD NEWS & BAD NEWS ABOUT
MOBILE MARKETING IN AFRICA
» Justin Spratt of Quirk has very definite ideas about
mobile and which mobile marketing channels will
succeed in reaching the masses, in South & Sub
Saharan Africa
» Some of his views include:
– The price of the device does not affect the
adoption of smartphones
– There is a stronger demand for Android devices
in Africa
– Good interactive design can overcome literacy
– Data costs are are still a challenge as we wait
for networks to come to terms with lower
ARPU’s
» The video is available here
Adlip, 14 November 2012
17 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
18. MOBILE MARKETING TACTICS
FOR FEATURE PHONES
» Nic Haralambous (the guy who just sold Motribe
to Mxit) gives his view on why clients need a
feature phone strategy:
– Less than 1% of Africa has an iPhone
– 65% of the African market uses a Nokia
– Nokia Xpress Music and the Samsung e250
are the biggest selling handsets in Africa
and South Africa
– Only when mobile phones come with a QR
code reader built into the camera, then QR
codes will be a killer technology, but right
now they are not.
» The video is available here
Adlip, 14 November 2012
18 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
19. SECTION 2
MOBILE EVENTS &
HAPPENINGS
19 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
20. BOOKMARKS AWARDS 2012
REWARDS EXCELLENCE IN DIGITAL
» South Africa’s most prestigious digital awards event
of the year, The Bookmarks Awards honoured
digital champions in driving the growth of the
digital industry in SA
» NATIVE took home six of the coveted Bookmarks
pixels. In addition, these wins saw the agency being
ranked second overall in the Finweek Bookmarks
Agency Ranking, ahead of most of the major
players in the market
» The agency received 3 silver and 1 bronze award for
the #CloseTheTap campaign while Best Media
Planner and Best Account Manager titles were
awarded to two of the agency’s own Jarred Mailer
and Leanne Godden
» Jason Xenopoulos of Native, speaks to Adlip about
the winning #CloseTheTap campaign here
DMMA, 2 November 2012 Adlip, 12 November 2012
20 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
21. CSSA AWARDS NAMES 2012
IT PERSONALITY
» Congratulations go to Rob Stokes, Quirk
founder and CEO, who scooped this year's IT
Personality of the Year award, and Sello
Mmakau, CIO of the Department of Home
Affairs, has won the Visionary CIO title
» Stokes' love of technology and constant search
for innovative and fresh ideas helped him win
the award, which recognises a person who has
made an outstanding impact on the South
African ICT industry and a significant
contribution to the ICT profession
» Quirk also took home Digital Agency of the Year
at the Adfocus 2012 awards
ITWeb, 8 November 2012
21 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
22. ASSEGAI INTEGRATED
MARKETING AWARD WINNERS
» The winners for the 2012 Assegai Integrated Marketing
Awards were announced, recognising excellence in
direct and interactive marketing
» Each year an analysis of the entries reveals a telling
story - more and more businesses, from small
entrepreneurial outfits right through to the largest
blue chips, are investing in direct and integrated
marketing
» NATIVE received the bronze award in the Mobile Media
category for its 'Pass the Parcel' campaign created for
the launch of Nedbank’s banking product, 4Me
– The case study can be found here
Bizcommunity, 7 November 2012
22 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
23. 2012 AFRICA COM
AWARD WINNERS
» The winners of the 2012 Africa Com Awards were
announced this month, which included Cell C CEO Alan
Knott-Craig being named the industry personality of the
year
» The awards received more entries than ever before. “All of
an extremely high calibre, this is a clear tribute to the
exciting and innovative work that’s taken place in Africa over
the past 12 months,” according to Africa Com and included:
– Best Smart-Device for Africa – Etisalat Misr – Smart
Device
– The 2012 Mobile Data and Social Media Award – Bozza
Mobile – The Bozza.mobi App
– Best Smart Phone App: Prezence Digital – Ster-
Kinekor mobile app
– Best Feature Phone App: biNu
MyBroadband, 15 November 2012
23 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
24. MOBILE INSIGHTS FROM
MOBILE WEB IN AFRICA 2012
» The Mobile Web in Africa 2012 conference took place,
with the title “Mobile Marketing Africa Focus”. Some
of the discussions included:
» Shinka’s (part of World of Avatar group) Paul
Stemmet believed the Nokia Express mobile phone to
be eclipsing the Samsung E250 as South Africa’s the
“AK-47 of mobile “
» Vincent Maher touched on the sensitive issue about
the resistance of brand owners/decision makers to
feature phones because they don’t personally use
them
» PriceCheck and Junk Mail provided insights on
mobile shopping on the web
» Mobile innovations like eZapp and Funda.ac in Africa
were profiled
HumanIPO, 28 November 2012
24 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
25. GOOGLE+ HANGOUT WITH
FOUR OF SA’S DIGERATI
» The first Quirk Digital Forum was held via a live
Hangout on Google+
» The Forum presented an opportunity for some of
South Africa's digital elite to discuss the efficacy of 4
award-winning digital campaigns in the country:
– NATIVE - Close The Tap
– Ogilvy Cape Town - Volkswagen Street Quest
– Cerebra - Toyota properties
– Quirk - Savanna Dead Funny Videos
» Watch it here
NATIVE, 21 November 2012
25 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
26. ‘GOOGLE NOW’ WINS
INNOVATION AWARD
» Google Now has won Popular Science’s Innovation
of the Year, putting it in the company of past
winners such as the Large Hadron Collider, the
Toyota Prius and the Mars Curiosity Rover
» In giving the award, the magazine calls Now “the
first virtual assistant that truly anticipates your
needs”
» Now incorporates elements of Knowledge Graph,
but also acts as a personal assistant. It tells you
the day’s weather, how much traffic to expect on
your way to work, and can give you live sports
scores
» Some of the more recent updates include the
addition of a pedometer and public safety alerts
Memeburn, 23 November 2012
26 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
27. BLACK FRIDAY TO
CYBER MONDAY
» Estimates of Cyber Monday, the biggest online shopping
day of the year for the US, showed a growing portion
coming from the pockets of a record number of mobile
shoppers
» Payment system PayPal had a 196% increase in mobile
payment volume on Cyber Monday 2012 than Cyber
Monday 2011. On Black Friday, the increase in the
number of people shopping on their mobile devices was
stark for PayPal as well as auction site eBay, which owns
PayPal. On Friday, there was a 153% increase in mobile
volume transactions compared to Black Friday last year.
PayPal's volume increased almost three-fold, 193%,
compared to last year's Black Friday
» The annual event is increasingly becoming Cyber Week
instead of a one-day event, and is beginning to be
adopted worldwide
ABC News, 26 November 2012
27 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
28. TECH GURUS ON NEW
TELEVISION SHOW
» A tech show with a smack of humor and 2 of the
country’s best-known tech journos agreeing to
disagree on just about everything. That’s the
formula for an offbeat new series, Tech on Tap,
launched on Summit TV and hosted by
broadcaster Aki Anastasiou and Stuff editor
Toby Shapshak
» In partnership with Microsoft Windows 8, Tech
on Tap is a 15-minute infotainment series
focusing on the world of gadgets and gizmos.
It’ll bring you up–to-date technology news, the
latest IT trends, as well as reviews of the best
software, hardware, web and even mobile
applications
» Tech on Tap airs weekly on DStv Channel 412
MyBroadband, 1 November 2012
28 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
29. NEW LOCAL TREND-WATCHING
ONLINE PORTAL
» Leading industry editors and publishers, Louise
Marsland and Herman Manson have joined forces
to launch TREND. – a trend-watching, market
intelligence and research online portal and free
resource for the media, advertising and marketing
communications industry in South Africa
» The focus will be on consumer and media data,
consumer and industry trends and market
intelligence, across retail, media, marketing,
digital innovation, and so on
» Content partnerships with agencies and research
houses will see TREND. providing exclusive
research and predicting trends, as well as
reporting on them
Marketing Update, 1 November 2012
29 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
30. SECTION 3
MOBILE INNOVATION &
CAMPAIGNS
30 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
31. PICK N PAY AND MTN
LAUNCH MOBILE BANK
» Mobile telecommunications group MTN and retailer
Pick n Pay are launching a mobile money banking
system, a groundbreaking offering that has the potential
to be South Africa's answer to Kenya's M-Pesa
» Called Tyme Capital, the service will allow cellphone
users to set up an account from their phones and send
money to any other South African with a phone. Cash
deposits and withdrawals will be done through Pick n
Pay’s chain of 775 retail outlets, as well as its Boxer
Superstores
» Tyme Capital hopes to make mobile money transfers
and mobile banking commonplace in South Africa,
where consumers have to date failed to embrace similar
offerings en masse
iAfrica, 22 November 2012
31 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
32. SHOPRITE CHECKERS OFFERS
MOBILE COUPONS
» Shoprite Checkers have launched a system that
enables all South African consumers to get
instant shopping discounts on their cellphones,
which can be redeemed at the Group's stores
» The mobile coupons, EeziCoupons, are reportedly
set to revolutionise outdated paper coupons
» Getting the mobile coupons is easy; consumers
simply view coupons on their cellphones,
purchase those products in store and enter their
one unique code, called a WiCode at the till's pin
pad in the store
» Eezi Coupons are available on a number of the
Group's other digital channels including USSD,
mobisites, websites, Facebook and a Checkers
smartphone app for iPhone and Blackberry users
Bizcommunity, 27 November 2012
32 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
33. MOBILE HIV SERVICE LAUNCHES
ON WORLD AIDS DAY
» Praekelt Foundation and info4africa announced
a new feature that will provide YoungAfricaLive
(YAL) youth focused mobile social network
users information on HIV testing sites across
South Africa
» The service, which went live on World Aids Day
(1 December) this year, includes what the
organisations say is “the most complete
database of HCT (HIV Counselling and Testing)
sites in South Africa”. This they say means that
YAL users will be able to search for, and find
their nearest HIV Counselling and Testing site
anywhere in South Africa
Memeburn, 27 November 2012
33 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
34. NATIVE INVENTIONS
UNVEILED
» NATIVE Inventions, the innovation and product development
division of NATIVE is the first step in its mission to pioneer
new mobile apps and platforms in the market
» Levon Rivers, Head of NATIVE Inventions says: “This division
is our way of investing our creativity and technical skill in
exploring additional revenue streams for NATIVE. It’s
amazing work, and I’m proud to be heading it up.”
» NATIVE Inventions operates as a start-up within the agency,
with range of activities including product development,
prototyping new technologies, establishing and managing
relationships with technology partners such as RSAWeb and
Everlytic, and expanding knowledge in the agency through
TED-like Axe Sharpener Sessions
» The first batch of mobile products seek to bring smartphone
capabilities and experiences to feature phone users. Mxit
was selected as the first technology partner
NATIVE, 28 November 2012
34 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
35. NATIVE INVENTIONS
MASSIVE MXIT LAUNCH
» The NATIVE’s Inventions unit has launched with
Mxit partnership, 10 new apps live on the platform
» The apps range from the useful to the comical.
Examples are a directions app using the Google
Maps API called GetThere and a meme generator
called MakeAMeme. The success of the
applications has been significant, for example in
less than two months Mxit users had created over
20 000 memes and generated over 500 000 page
views with MakeAMeme.
» Andy Volk, VP of Developer Relations at Mxit, says,
“It’s truly inspiring to see the amount of innovation
in NATIVE's new apps. They’re exactly the kind of
developer that we want on the Mxit platform."
35 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
36. SA SCHOOL BOOKS
HEADED TO IPAD
» With more than 200 schools in South Africa that
use iPads, Apple in Education, computer maker
Apple’s educational arm, will launch a digital
textbook store in South Africa in late January
offering interactive textbooks for all of South
Africa’s primary and secondary school subjects
» Core Group communications manager Taryn
Hyam says the store is a Core Group initiative
that is intended to ensure South African school
pupils have access to local content
» The textbook store, called ZABooks, will be
available as an application from the App Store
and will offer 400 textbooks at its launch, with
additional titles to follow later
TechCentral, 28 November 2012
36 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
37. ABSA APP SOFT LAUNCH
» Absa might be late out of the blocks to get its
banking app to market, but Arrie Rautenbach, Absa
head of retail markets, promises that it will be better
than whatever is out there at the moment
» In an interview with Moneyweb Rautenbach revealed
that the app will be launched to Absa’s staff in
November and that it will then be available to clients
in the first quarter of next year
» When asked about Absa’s digital strategy, given that
all the other big banks have already launched their
apps to their clients in a drive to get them to migrate
to cheaper digital platforms, Rautenbach explained
that under the bank’s retail banking strategy,
nothing is ever done in isolation
MyBroadband, 4 November 2012
37 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
38. ABSA UNVEILS ‘PEBBLE’
» Absa has launched technology capable of
accepting payments from chip-and-pin or
magnetic credit and debit cards using a mobile
phone, tablet computer or PC
» Dubbed the ‘Pebble’, the tech comes with
mobile applications for Apple’s iOS, Google
Android and BlackBerry devices
» The retail bank has partnered with local
technology company Thumbzup to roll out the
offering that works with Visa or Mastercards
» The device is targeted at small businesses,
entrepreneurs and anyone else who wants to
accept mobile payments in real time
ITWeb Africa, 29 November 2012
38 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
39. TABASCO LAUNCHES LOCAL
INTEGRATED CAMPAIGN
» Aimed at increasing Tabasco brand relevance and
growing the local consumer base, the new
integrated campaign, conceptualised by Volcano,
includes strong digital and social media elements
and radio supported by eye-catching in-store
activations and elements
» The digital campaign, entitled 'Campaign for
Change', mimics that of a political election and
sees Red Tabasco and Green Tabasco embattled in
a campaign for superiority
» Fans are encouraged to vote for their favourite, as
'Red' and 'Green' campaign for their vote,
promising fun online engagement and the
opportunity to change perception of Tabasco
usage forever.
Bizcommunity, 27 November 2012
39 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
40. SURE TRAVEL GETS
AN APP
» The Sure Travel app offers streaming travel
news, the latest travel packages and an agency
locator using iPhones and Android handsets'
GPS capabilities.
» Abigail Pires, solutions optimisation manager
for Sure Travel, says that next version of the app
may also offer commercial and transactional
services
» He says future possibilities for the app could
include cardless loyalty schemes
» The company is also developing a BlackBerry
version, given the platform's continuing
popularity in South Africa
Bizcommunity, 27 November 2012
40 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
41. EXPAT DEVELOPS
BRAAI APP
» Kacper Saar, who has been living in the UK for over 10
years, developed 'Let's Braai' app for iPhone
» Saar still finds every opportunity to braai and decided
to develop an app for all South African braai masters,
both local as well as those living abroad
» It helps avid braai-ers:
– Check the weather at the braai location, with a
full five day weather forecast
– Find the nearest butcher and soon the bottle
store for 'chop 'n dop'
– Learn new techniques and get safety
information
– Access braai recipes or share your best ones
with friends and the Let's Braai community
Bizcommunity, 27 November 2012
41 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
42. MONTBLANC GLOBAL MOBILE
IMAGE SHARING CAMPAIGN
» Montblanc, a maker of writing instruments and
watches, is tapping consumers’ interest in mobile
image sharing by inviting them to participate in a
project centering on photographs taken at the exact
same moment
» The “Montblanc Worldsecond” mobile application-
based campaign and contest is available to IPhone
and Android users who will be prompted to take an
image at the exact same time, which the brand will
curate on a microsite
» 60 different Worldseconds , consumers can
automatically take an image at the exact same time
as other users. The app shows a countdown to the
moment when the image will be captured
Luxury Daily, 1 November 2012
42 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
43. ADIDAS INTERACTIVE
WINDOW SHOPPING
» The new Adidas window shopping campaign in
Germany is a completely interactive in-window
experience that lets customers flick through clothing
racks, individual garments and play with a model
(getting them to try on every item) to see exactly how
the clothes look, no matter the position/stance of the
model
» The best feature is being able to connect your phone
to the installation and drag everything into a shopping
bag that transfers the items to your phone with no app
required
» The video is available is here
Digital Buzz Blog, 21 November 2012
43 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
44. INSTAGRAM APP JOINS THE
‘DESKTOP WEB
» Instagram, the photo-sharing app that was created
for mobile phones, is expanding to the Web
» Previously, users’ profiles existed only on
Instagram’s mobile applications accessed on the
iPhone or Android devices. Now, users will have a
website with a profile photo, bio and a selection of
the snapshots they’ve recently shared on Instagram
» Users will have a large cover image that’s a collage
of their old Instagram shots. Their profile photo is on
the right side and their snapshots cascade down the
page
The Globe and Mail, 6 November 2012
44 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
45. SECTION 4
MOBILE HANDSETS &
OPERATING SYSTEMS
45 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
46. AFRICA 2ND LARGEST MOBILE
PHONE MARKET
» According to Business Day, VP and COO, Samsung
electronics Africa, George Ferreira, announced that
after moving from an accounted sales of 90 million
mobile phones in 2005 to an estimated 450 million in
2012, Africa has now become the world’s second
largest mobile phone market after China
» Major brands like Nokia and LG keep shipping
millions of cellphones to Africa adding functional
features like in-built radio and torchlight to products
moving to the electricity-starved continent
» Samsung said from January 2013 it would begin
integrating African content, including languages on
its phones, in an effort to appeal more to the market
responsible for about 40% of its phone sales
Ventures Africa, 5 November 2012
46 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
47. BLACKBERRY VS. IPHONE VS.
ANDROID IN SOUTH AFRICA
» Vodacom revealed that they currently have 2.7
million BlackBerry smartphones on its South
African network
» The number of BlackBerry users is significantly
higher than the number of Android users (700,000)
and the number of iPhone users (500,000) on the
Vodacom network
» This number of Blackberry’s on the Vodacom
network has grown by around 300,000 over the last
three months. The number of Android users grew
by 200,000 and the number of iPhone users
increased by around 250,000 over the same period
MyBroadband, 14 November 2012
47 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
48. NOKIA LUMIA 920
LAUNCHED IN SA
» Nokia has launched its highly anticipated new flagship
smartphone, the Lumia 920, in South Africa
» The phone, seen by analysts as the Finnish firm’s best
chance to date of reversing its punishing loss in
smartphone market share, is the first from Nokia running
Windows Phone 8
» The Lumia 920, which supports fourth-generation long-
term evolution (4G/LTE) broadband speeds of up to a
theoretical 100Mbit/s
» It also comes with Nokia City Lens, which uses
“augmented reality” technology to overlay information
about restaurants, shops, hotels and other venues on the
surfaces of buildings when viewed through the camera
lens. The technology has full localisation for the South
African market
TechCentral, 16 November 2012
48 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
49. JELLY BEAN COMES TO
GALAXY SIII
» Jelly Bean, the latest iteration of Google’s Android
operating system, has finally begun downloading
onto Samsung Galaxy S3 handsets in South Africa
with some users on the Vodacom network have
reported that the update is now available for
download
» News of the updates comes weeks after operators in
parts of Asia, Europe and North America began
pushing out the update to their customers
» Unlike Apple, which pushes updates to its iOS
operating system directly to end users, Android
updates are made available by handset
manufacturers to telecommunications operators for
testing before they then release the updates to their
clients
TechCentral, 20 November 2012
49 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
50. MICROSOFT OFFICE FOR
IOS AND ANDROID
» After many rumours over the last year, it seems that
Microsoft Office for Android and iOS will be a reality.
According to reports the Redmond giant will release
its versions for its main rivals early in 2013. Office for
iPad has already been a lingering rumour for a while
» Office will be available for iOS first in late February or
early March, with an offer to purchase an Office 365
subscription within the app, and allows for basic
editing. Versions for Android will be available
sometime in May
» Office Mobile will allow Android and iOS users to view
and to a limited degree edit Microsoft Office
documents with Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
document support
Memeburn, 8 November 2012
50 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
51. STEVEN SINOFSKY LEAVES
MICROSOFT
» Steven Sinofsky, President, Windows Division, is
leaving the company, effective immediately. The news
is being characterised as a mutual decision
» The news comes just after Microsoft put its latest
release of its operating system, Windows 8, on the
market – a groundbreaking new product for the
company that Sinofsky has played a lead role in
engineering and demonstrating onstage at various
Windows events
» Sinofsky has been with Microsoft for 23 years, having
most recently served as president of the Windows
Division from July 2009 to November 2012
TechCrunch, 12 November 2012
51 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
52. BLACKBERRY 10 LAUNCH
CONFIRMED
» Research In Motion (RIM) announced that it will hold
its BlackBerry® 10 launch event on January 30th,
2013 and will happen simultaneously in multiple
countries around the world
» This day will mark the official launch of its new
platform – BlackBerry 10, as well as the unveiling of
the first two BlackBerry 10 smartphones
» Some key features of the new BlackBerry 10 devices
already unveiled recently include:
– BlackBerry Flow and BlackBerry Hub
– BlackBerry Keyboard
– BlackBerry Balance
Advantage Magazine, 13 November 2012
52 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
53. RIM INTEGRATES APP
WORLD BILLING
» RIM has started implementing integrated carrier
billing on the BlackBerry App World storefront
» More than 50 carriers including Vodacom – have
already implemented carrier billing
» Integrated carrier billing enables customers to
purchase apps or digital goods on their BlackBerry
smartphone, and have the purchases put directly on
their regular monthly bill from their carrier
» RIM says carrier billing is also integrated with the
BlackBerry Payment Service, which enables
developers and content providers to offer in-app
purchases (such as additional levels in a game), as
well as supporting one-off and recurring
(subscription-based) purchases, without
interrupting the customer’s app experience
ITWeb, 27 November 2012
53 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
54. BBM 7 BETA ADDS FREE
VOICE CALLING OVER WIFI
» RIM has announced BlackBerry Messenger (BBM)
version 7 – a free update for BBM users which will
allow users to make free voice calls to other BBM
customers around the world over a Wi-Fi connection
» BBM version 7, with the new BBM Voice feature, is
currently available in beta
for BlackBerry smartphones running the BlackBerry
6 OS or higher
» It is likely that South African operators will support
the BBM Voice over Wi-Fi feature, but it is understood
that there are concerns that RIM may enable the BBM
Voice feature for 3G as well
MyBroadband, 14 November 2012
54 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
55. RIM BRINGS BLACKBERRY
CLOUD TO SA
» Research In Motion (RIM) has announced BlackBerry
Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365 is
now available to South African enterprise customers
» The cloud solution extends Microsoft Exchange Online
to BlackBerry smartphones and allows customers to
manage their BlackBerry deployments in the cloud.
The service works with BlackBerry smartphones on
business or consumer data plans
» RIM says the cloud-based option makes it easy and
cost-effective for customers to support mobility
across their organisations, manage devices, and
secure their BlackBerry deployments. “It offers all
the advanced administration and flexible self-service
features that allow an organisation to manage its
BlackBerry deployment in the cloud.”
ITWeb, 26 November 2012
55 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
56. IPHONE 5 GETS A LAUNCH
DATE IN SA AND AFRICA
» The highly anticipated iPhone 5 will be launched in
South Africa on 14 December 2012 - Apple
announced on Monday that the highly coveted
smartphone will be launched in more than 50
additional countries over the next 10 days
» The iPhone 5 is already available in 47 countries.
It was launched on 21 September in the US,
Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Australia,
Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore
» Several other African countries are getting the
iPhone 5 a week later, on 21 December. They are
Botswana, Cameroon, Central African Republic,
Egypt, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar,
Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Tunisia
and Uganda
TechCentral, 3 December 2012
56 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
57. SA GETS THE ITUNES
MUSIC STORE
» In breaking news, South Africans can finally download
music from Apple’s iTunes Store. The news comes after
it was announced that the iPhone 5 would be launched
in South Africa on 14 December 2012
» “Apple is launching the iTunes Store in Russia, Turkey,
India, South Africa and 52 additional countries
“featuring an incredible selection of local and
international music” the Apple statement reads
» Although the iTunes Store offers movies and television
shows in many markets, it appears the South African
store is offering only music for now. In its
announcement, however, Apple says “movie fans can
choose from a wide selection of films available for rent
or purchase from the iTunes Store”. Market talk is that
the full iTunes Store will be available in South Africa
soon
TechCentral, 4 December 2012
57 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
58. SECTION 5
MOBILE NETWORKS
58 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
59. CHEAPER VOICE RATES RIPE
FOR THE PICKING IN SA
» Mark Taylor, CEO of Nashua Mobile, says that the
price war among South African cellular operators,
particularly Vodacom and Cell C, is helping to give
new impetus to the least-cost routing (LCR) sector
» With the most recent round of price cuts, cellular
subscribers can enjoy per-second billing rates on
national and international calls that are 25% or
lower than Telkom’s rates
» With national calls from as low 60 cents and
international calls at 85 cents to selected
destinations, and true per-second billing, many
organisations can enjoy substantial cost-savings
through prudent use of LCR
TechCentral, 5 November 2012
59 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
60. MOBILE DATA
COMPARISON FOR SA
» The infographic by MoneySmart calculates which mobile
service provider offers the cheapest mobile data in South
Africa and the average mobile data usage per month for
users
» Comparing prepaid data, it shows that for anything under
2GB, Cell C offers the cheapest rates
» When it comes to mobile data usage, the most data is
used on gaming at +-200MB/4hrs, with instant messaging
coming second with +-37MB/31hrs
» The average mobile data usage based on handset:
– Feature phone +-4.3MB p/m
– Smartphone +-150MB p/m
– Tablet +-517MB p/m
– Laptop +-2.1GB p/m
» The full infographic is available here
Web AddiCT(s), 7 November 2012
60 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
61. VODACOM’S ACTIVE DATA
USER BASE REVEALED
» Vodacom’s active data customers increased 26.8% to
13.3 million, and an additional 1.4 million smartphones
over the year are now active on their network bringing
the total to 5.3 million
» Vodacom customers purchasing data bundles
increased 35.2% to 4.8 million, and the average
monthly data usage on smartphones increased by
46.1% to 123MB, up from 84MB in the prior year period
» The mobile operator’s South African data traffic grew
42.5%, which more than offset a 24.2% reduction in
their average effective price per megabyte
» Vodacom’s data revenue in South Africa increased by
13.5% to R4,224 million, contributing 17.7% to service
revenue compared to 15.8% a year ago
MyBroadband, 12 November 2012
61 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
62. CELL C 100GB DEAL
PRICE COMPARISON
» Cell C recently unveiled its new 100GB SIM-only
any-time data promotion (dubbed Go GigaNTIC)
for R2,499 once off. This promotion drops the
price of mobile data to below 3c per MB
» “Cell C customers have been asking for a
competitively priced prepaid product with larger
data denominations. We are pleased to be able to
offer our customers what they have been looking
for,” said Cell C CEO Alan Knott-Craig
» Cell C’s new 100GB promotion directly competes
against similar promotions from 8ta, Vodacom,
Neotel and some of its own packages.
» The table provided by MyBroadband gives an
overview of some of the best prepaid mobile data
promotions in South Africa
MyBroadband, 30 November 2012
62 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
63. CELL C FOCUSES LTE PLANS
ON CAPE TOWN
» Mobile operator Cell C will launch fourth-generation (4G)
mobile services based on long-term evolution (LTE)
technology in Cape Town and Durban as well as other
top coastal holiday resorts in December
» This will be done on a trial basis ahead of a commercial
launch, which will follow at an unspecified future date
» According to spokesman Karin Fourie, the roll-out will
be expanded to Johannesburg and Pretoria early in 2013
» Cell C’s decision to use Cape Town as one of its starting
points for LTE comes after both Vodacom and MTN said
their initial focus would be on Johannesburg, Pretoria
and Durban
» None of the other networks has been given access to the
additional radio frequency spectrum needed to build
networks of national scope
MyBroadband, 6 November 2012
63 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
64. VODACOM GROWS LTE
NETWORK
» Vodacom has grown its number of fourth-generation
long-term evolution (4G/LTE) base stations to 200 in
Johannesburg, from 70 when it launched commercial
services in October, and has begun testing the next-
generation broadband technology in Cape Town
» The operator’s statement that it is now eyeing Cape Town
comes hot on the heels of the announcement by
rival Cell C that it intends to target the Mother
» Both Vodacom and MTN had said previously that they
would focus on Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban at
first
» MTN had said it wants as many as 500 base stations in
place before launching its commercial 4G/LTE service
TechCentral, 7 November 2012
64 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
65. MTN LAUNCHES
LTE IN SA
» MTN SA has gone live with its LTE network in
the Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban
regions. As of 1 December 2012, South African
consumers will be able to purchase LTE devices
and access the revolutionary technology on the
MTN network
» As more mobile devices become available on
the MTN network, it is expected that from the
first quarter of 2013, consumers can purchase
LTE dongles and other mobile devices on
contract from selected MTN stores
» MTN’s street level coverage map that shows
areas with MTN LTE coverage can be viewed on
the company’s website
Gadget, 30 November 2012
65 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
66. MTN CRACKDOWN ON
BLACKBERRY CLIENTS
» In an effort to curb excessive use of the BlackBerry
Internet Service (BIS) on its network, mobile operator
MTN SA has changed its policies for the service,
angering customers in the process
» MTN introduced new policies for BIS that limit what
type of content users can download or stream. It says
this was necessary to improve customer experience.
Many MTN customers, however, have slated the move
and expressed their displeasure on social media
» In effect, the company is throttling or blocking certain
types of data. This includes streaming, downloading of
files, watching videos on YouTube or using voice-over-
Internet protocol services like Skype, which MTN says
“are not meant to done on the BlackBerry network”
TechCentral, 11 November 2012
66 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
67. 8TA, GOOGLE LAUNCH
FREE ZONE
» Google and 8ta have teamed up to launch Free
Zone, which gives people access to mobile web
search and feature-phone-friendly versions of
Gmail and Google+ with zero data charges
» The first page of a website linked from search
results is also provided at no data cost
» Using Free Zone, feature phone users can use
the power of the web to grow their businesses
or keep in touch with friends and family without
the fear of unknown data costs and make more
informed choices about their next data device,
read a press statement
iAfrica, 13 November 2012
67 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
68. TELKOM HIRES MOBILE LEAD
AFTER LIEBENBERG DEPARTURE
» Former MD at Samsung SA, Deon Liebenberg, quit his
post at Telkom Mobile and is set to hop across to
Vodacom, a Vodacom spokesperson said, however, it is
not yet clear what his new title will be
» Days later, Telkom appointed Attila Vitai as MD of Telkom
Mobile. This is the first time the group has had an MD at
its mobile arm, which combines 8ta and Telkom
Business Mobile
» “Vitai brings a wealth of experience with a successful 20-
year track record of senior management in the telecoms
industry,” says Telkom in a statement
» Telkom says Vitai’s experience will be “invaluable” as he
executes on his mandate to grow Telkom Mobile into a
profitable and sustainable business in a highly
competitive industry
MyBroadband, 8 November 2012 ITWeb, 14 November 2012
68 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
69. SECTION 6
SOCIAL NETWORKS
69 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
70. SOCIAL MEDIA
VIDEO 2012 UPDATE
» The Socialnomics “Social Media Revolution” video #4
has been updated with the latest 2012 stats. Some
highlights include:
– Social Media has become the #1 activity on the Web
– The Ford Explorer Launch on Facebook generated
more traffic than a Super Bowl ad
– Every second 2 new members join LinkedIn
– YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine in the world
– 97% of Pinterest fans are women
– 53% of people on Twitter recommend products in
their tweets
» The video is available here
Digital Buzz Blog, 21 November 2012
70 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
71. MOBILE ADVERTISING AFFECTS
FACEBOOK’S STOCK VALUE
» In recent weeks, the number of ads appearing
in users’ mobile newsfeeds has grown,
accounting for up to 20% of posts, according to
recent reports
» The jump suggests brands are flocking to
Facebook’s mobile offerings in greater numbers
– thereby boosting the social network’s mobile
revenues – and is causing the company’s stock
to rally
» As a result, Facebook’s stock value has also
risen to its highest level since late July, after it
held its initial public offering
Mobile Marketer, 27 November 2012
71 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
72. FACEBOOK ROLLS OUT SHARE
BUTTON ON MOBISITE
» Facebook posted a blog entry Thursday that
confirms the roll out of a “share button” on its
mobile site, as well as on Android and iOS apps.
» “You can now use the Share button on News
Feed stories from your phone whether you’re
using the Facebook for Android app, the
Facebook for iPhone and iPad app, or the
Facebook mobile web site.”
» The feature, which shows up on newsfeed posts
alongside “like” and “comment” buttons, lets
users post a link or photo to their own profiles,
and gives them the option to add a comment.
Like the desktop version, they can also choose
to share with specific “audience” and “friends
list” groups.
Mashable, 15 November 2012
72 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
73. TWITTER CEO REVEALS
NEW STATS
» Twitter now sends a billion tweets every two-and-a-
half days, according to Twitter CEO Dick Costolo
who revealed this information during a talk
» Other facts Costolo has revealed about Twitter
included that the service now has 500 million users,
sending over 350 million tweets per day.
» Costolo also emphasised that Twitter would “never
change” its 140-character limit
» Costolo also promised that by year-end, Twitter
users will be able to download full archives of their
tweets. This was a promise he first made in
September, and he has now reiterated that vow, but
also explained some of the challenges involved in
implementing it
ITWeb, 27 November 2012
73 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
74. PINTEREST INTRODUCES
BUSINESS ACCOUNTS
» Companies will now be able to create business
accounts, which allows them to enter just a business
name
» Companies that already have a personal account on
Pinterest will be able to convert it to a business account.
» Companies are encouraged to add Pin It and Follow
buttons to their sites, and embed widgets showcasing
their pins. Widgets is an entirely new feature, and will
be available both to individuals and to companies
» Beyond the new tools, Pinterest launched a business
microsite displaying case studies from brands like Etsy
and Jetsetter, as well as best practices and guidelines
for brands, said product manager Cat Lee
Mashable, 14 November 2012
74 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
75. LINKEDIN ENABLES PROFILE
EDITING ON MOBILE
» One of the company’s most requested features for its
app is finally available
» LinkedIn mobile app uses can now update their profile
with a new headline, add a new job position or add
recent skills from their mobile phone
» "We're making it possible for mobile professionals to
edit their profile on the go," said LinkedIn's senior
product manager, David Breger
» The new feature is available in all current languages
offered on the iPhone and Android apps
» LinkedIn also recently released new features like
endorsements which have encouraged more user
activity and increased the frequency of profile updates
CBR Online, 14 November 2012
75 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
76. MXIT ANNOUNCES ‘MXIT
LAUNCH’ FOR BRANDS
» Vincent Maher, VP of Product Strategy and Growth at
Mxit revealed at the Mobile Web in Africa Conference
‘Mxit Launch’, an app in closed beta with tools that
include content publishing, free broadcast, Google
Analytics and micro-billing
» With the announcement, Maher said that the platform
is making it easy for any brand or community to get
on Mxit
» In essence, it will give social media and community
managers a chance to include Mxit in their overall
strategy and will be available to the public in March
next year
» The main aim of the product, the company says, is to
give community owners, particularly social media
managers, control and visibility of their community
activity on Mxit #MWA2012, 29 November 2012 Memeburn, 3 December 2012
76 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012
77. MXIT BIGGEST SOCIAL
MEDIA PLATFORM IN SA
» Mobile network Mxit claims to have nearly 10 million
users in the country, making it South Africa's most
popular social media platform by far, eclipsing
Facebook's six million users and Twitter's 1.1 million
subscribers
» Mxit has grown from an instant messaging application
into a global mobile social network
» The handset-agnostic network says its users transfer
between 500 and 850 million messages every day.
That's roughly double the number of tweets sent daily
on a global basis
» The average user now spends 85 minutes a week using
Mxit and logs on up to four times a day
CNN, 9 November 2012
77 MOBILE REPORT/NOVEMBER 2012