Aurélie Phalivanh
Tendances. Social media. Retail. Objets connectés. Streaming and pay TV. Techno. Web design. Mobile payments. Browsers. OS. Telecom. Facebook. Microsoft makes big push in emerging smartphone markets. After a dismal showing for the Windows Phone, Microsoft is making a big push in emerging markets, hoping that low-priced phones will appeal to first-time buyers in those countries.
Seven months after shelling out $7.5 billion for Nokia’s mobile- phone unit, Microsoft put its stamp on the business, releasing the first phone to bear the Microsoft name in years. Where did Microsoft, the Redmond giant that makes most of its money in the U.S. and Europe, start its post-Nokia era? At a media event in New Delhi, India. In acquiring Nokia last year, former Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer arranged the marriage of two companies that badly lost in the race to sell the first billion smartphones. Windows Phone, the Microsoft mobile operating system used almost exclusively in Nokia-produced phones, ran just 2.7 percent of the smartphones shipped worldwide in 2014, according to data tracker IDC.
Africa's leading e-commerce site JUMIA has now launched in Senegal. MTN South Africa launches Music Plus. MTN South Africa has launched a music streaming service called MTN Music+, which it says will feature music from all over Africa, including South African favourites.
Available as an Android and web application, Music+ subscriptions will cost between ZAR 10 and ZAR 49 per month, with the first month free, MyBroadband reported. The MTN Music+ (ZA) app can be downloaded through the Google Play store, and subscribers who sign up for their free month also receive 500 MB of data.
Those without an Android device can use the musicplus.mtn.co.za web portal to access the service. After the free month expires, the normal subscriptions will also include an amount of free data which can be used to stream music from the service. Without a subscription, registered users can still browse and play 30-second previews of tracks. ITV Choice to launch in Africa on DStv. ITV Choice to launch in Africa on DStv ITV-owned drama and entertainment channel, ITV Choice, is set to launch across Africa for the first time on MultiChoice-owned pay TV platform DStv.
The channel is due to launch exclusively on DStv in Africa on May 5, following a deal between ITV Studios Global Entertainment and MultiChoice. ITV Choice will be available to DStv Premium customers across the continent on DStv channel 123, expanding network’s coverage to more than 100 countries across the Middle East, Asia and Africa. “We are delighted to bring ITV Choice to Africa for the first time with MultiChoice as our partners. Viewers across the continent will join 11 million households in over 40 countries and territories in the Middle East and Asia who already enjoy the best British entertainment and drama within days of it airing in the UK,” said Nic van Zwanenberg, channel director of ITV Choice.
Bharti Airtel launches new mobile app. [Africa] Bharti Airtel launches new mobile app Indian mobile operator Bharti Airtel has re-launched its 'My Airtel' mobile application.
The application has been redesigned on Android to follow an intuitive and easy to use interface which allows customers to access and self-manage Airtel services across mobile, fixed line and DTH platforms. The new 'My Airtel' application is now available for select users, and will be rolled out for all customers over the next few days. Companies should be innovative when it comes to marketing on the African continent. [DHL Africa] Companies should be innovative when it comes to marketing on the African continent Despite the vast opportunities that Africa is presenting to various brands and businesses, communicating with the continent's one billion consumers can be a challenge due to the various cultures, political situations and language barriers that exist.
This is according to Megan Collinicos, Head of Advertising and Public Relations for DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa who says that should messages and channels not be correctly targeted and adapted for this growing market, the success rate of businesses expanding into this region is significantly diminished. The African Development Bank has reported(1) that on the back of economic growth in various African territories, rising real incomes will lead to higher consumer spending, which is projected to almost double in the next decade. East Africa home TV penetration reaches 23% at end of 2014.
The five countries of the East African Community (EAC) had 33.61 million households and a household television penetration rate of 23 percent at the end of December 2014, said research firm Dataxis.
Kenya is the most developed market in the region with 12.04 million households and a TV household penetration rate of 32 percent. Uganda has 7.35 million households and a TV household penetration rate of 25 percent, followed by Tanzania with 7.35 million households and a home TV penetration rate of 17 percent. Pay-TV services accounted for approximately 1.61 million households meaning that free-to-air broadcasting is still the primary access method in over 79 percent of TV households. Tanzania has the largest Pay-TV base in the region with 592,700 users, accounting for 36 percent of the EAC total.
The Hype and Hustle of African Tech Startups. This article was originally published in SXSWorld Magazine Hardly a day goes by without an African tech startup being featured in the mainstream media.
CNN regularly updates its special report on the topic; The Guardian covers local debates surrounding emerging ecosystems; The Financial Times tracks Africa’s mobile revolution; Forbes has extended its “Top 10” series to include African female tech founders; Vanity Fair pins its hopes of “continental lift” on entrepreneurs. Blogs, opinion pieces and social media cover the sector in even more granular detail. 5 ways Africa is looking forward with technology. Over half a billion Africans will take mobile phone subscriptions in the next five years, says the GSMA – no wonder, then, that Africa is known for innovation in mobile payments, but tech innovation on the continent doesn’t stop there: 1. building infrastructure Infrastructure is essential if Africa is going to access the opportunities of digital transformation.
Internet Society's chief economist, Michael Kende, warns: “The lack of locally hosted content can have significant impacts on the entire Internet ecosystem in a country.” En Afrique, la montée en puissance de banques locales redistribue les cartes. Mardi 21 avril 2015, 13h39En Afrique, dans un paysage bancaire en pleine ébullition, la fulgurante expansion de groupes issus du continent vient bousculer des acteurs européens implantés de longue date, alors que ce secteur s'apprête à décoller.
Les analyses économiques estiment que la banque sera l'un des plus forts gisements de croissance de l'Afrique, aujourd'hui région la moins bancarisée du monde avec moins de 20% de la population disposant d'un compte en banque (Afrique subsaharienne hors Afrique du Sud). "C'est un secteur qui s'est bien porté ces dernières années et qui a su dégager des marges intéressantes, avec des taux de croissance annuelle de 12% car l'industrie s'est concentrée sur des poches d'activités rentables comme les clients fortunés, les grandes entreprises et les Etats", explique Georges Ferré, du cabinet de conseil Roland Berger.
Vietnam Mobile Market 2015 Outlook. Vietnam’s Unofficial Smartphone Market on the Rise, Fueled by Demand for Status: IDC - prVN25523315. Asie : les mobinautes, rois du e-commerce. L'Asie serait-elle l'eldorado du e-commerce ?
En tout cas, les sites marchands français ont une carte à jouer au pays du soleil levant et plus largement en Chine et en Corée du Sud. " Les coréens adorent les marques françaises. Ils achètent beaucoup sur les sites étrangers. Les opportunités sont bien réelles ", témoigne Bosun Kim, CEO de l'agence digitale Asiance, installée à Séoul depuis 2004 et qui aide les marques françaises à s'implanter en Asie. iFlix, A Netflix Clone For Southeast Asia, Scoops Up $30M In Pre-Launch Funding. Video on-demand is looking like a hot market in Asia in 2015, after iFlix, one of a number of Netflix-like services to have sprouted up in Southeast Asia, landed a $30 million investment ahead of its imminent launch. iFlix was first announced in March by Catcha Group — a Malaysia-based organization that runs a plethora of online businesses, including group buying site Ensogo — and Evolution Media Capital, and it plans to begin rolling out this quarter.
The $30 million injection of capital has come from Catcha itself, and PLDT, a telecom conglomerate in the Philippines. The money will go towards bringing the service to more countries in Southeast Asia, increasing its catalog — which iFlix pegs at a vague “over 10,000 hours of content” — and financing a marketing push. Interestingly, iFlix said also that it will use the funds to “produce original programming.” That’s something that Netflix has done with great success, and with industry accolades to boot.