Key Trends in Mobile Applications
Bottom of the Pyramid
June 2010
Fiona Smith
GSMA Development Fund
Restricted - Confidential Information
© GSM Association 2009
All GSMA meetings are conducted in full compliance with the GSMA’s anti-trust compliance policy
The GSMA Development Fund
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The GSMA Development Fund works with mobile
operators to accelerate mobile solutions for
people living under $2 per day (BOP)
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Launched in 2006 to catalyse the uptake of GSM
technology for social, economic and
environmental development
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Core part of the GSMA, the operator-led trade
association representing the mobile industry
© GSM Association 2008
GSMA Development Fund Programmes
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mServices
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Green Power for Mobile
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Mobile Money for the Unbanked (MMU) - Financial services
mAgri
mHealth
mLearning
Help mobile operators extend network coverage, reduce operating expenditure and
minimise environmental impact through the use of renewable energy sources.
Access
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mWomen
Rural Access
© GSM Association 2008
What makes a great app?
Three criteria that define the success of an app:
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Simplicity
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Meeting user needs
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Ease of use in interface design and product experience
Clear marketing to customer of the USP of app
Making sure the needs of the consumer are understood
Ensuring app delivers what customer expects
Ubiquity
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Ability to reach wide base of customers on all phone types
Open architecture and marketplace to customers
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Simplicity - Ken Banks, Founder, Kiwanja.net
“Address the simpler challenges - in parallel with our search for
solutions to what we consider to be more complex problems”
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Simplicity - Jesse Moore, Signal Point Partners
"The biggest mobile applications will also be the simplest...
Straightforward products that make existing activities easier, faster,
cheaper and/or safer for the customer.”
© GSM Association 2008
Meeting User Needs - Eric Cantor, Grameen Foundation
“We need to be more intuitive and user-focused than was the case with the growth of
the web. We have to realize the development of information economies in developing
countries is likely to follow a path much different than what transpired in the US and
UK, and to embrace it rather than ignore it.”
© GSM Association 2008
Meeting User Needs - Jonathan Donner, Microsoft Research
"The first app adopted by many people may
not be an app "for development", but rather
for entertainment, expression, or social
networking. This is both a challenge and an
opportunity for the development community.
Mobile social software will drive adoption
(and configuration) of data-enabled
handsets, will compete for share of user's
minds and wallets, will fascinate operators,
and will structure users' expectations (and
habits) about how to interact online via
mobile apps."
© GSM Association 2008
Ubiquity – Chris Locke, GSMA Development Fund
“No app will be successful if customers can’t get hold of it. App
marketplaces need to be open and supported by a wide-range of
phones.”
© GSM Association 2008
Categories of app platforms
Open
Architecture
SMS
Services
Android
Apps
iPhone
Apps
Closed
Architecture
Niche Usage
© GSM Association 2008
Widespread Usage
What is a mobile application?
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Software on a mobile device that will allow the
device to perform specific tasks that are not directly
related to the operation of the device itself.
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Ability to access specific information via a website,
make payments and other transactions, play games,
send messages
The application might come pre‐installed but is
typically downloaded via the mobile network from an
“app store”
Tend to be built on proprietary systems, but current
trend is for more open systems
Complex apps make use of IP-data communication
facilities of higher‐speed networks on third or fourth
generation mobile phone networks.
© GSM Association 2008
What are mServices?
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The ability for governments, NGO’s, multi-lateral
and international agencies to deliver services and
products to the BOP via mobile technology
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Financial Services: mobile payment and banking,
wage and social benefit payments, financial
literacy, savings and insurance
Health services: medical records management,
treatment, disease surveillance, medical supply
chain management, health education and health
worker training and support.
Learning and education: mobile educational
games, classroom support, teacher training, etc.
Information Services: Farmer information services
and help-lines, land and natural resource
management, market pricing information,
transportation coordination.
© GSM Association 2008
Trends of BOP Mobile Services & Applications
There are many services that can be applied across content areas.
For example, a health helpline and an agri helpline are often for the same consumer
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2.5, 3G, LTE
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Web & data enabled
Applications
Financial
© GSM Association 2008
Agriculture
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Information
Governance
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SMS
MMS
Helplines
IVR
Voice messages
Applications
Education / Learning
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Health
2G
Examples of Current BOP Mobile Applications
Applications
Purpose
Category
Tradenet
Agricultural pricing information platform
Information Services
Souktel
SMS job-matching service
Information Services
BBC Janala
English Lessons via IVR
Information Services
Legaline
Legal Advice via a helpline
Information Services
MPESA
Send Money Home
Financial Services
Cell Life
Patient monitoring with SMS
Data Collection
Datadyne: Episurveyor
Mobile data collection
Data Collection
m4Girls
Multimedia educational content, preloaded on handsets
Social Application
Nokia Life Tools
Agriculture, health, education information app
Social Application
FrontlineSMS
Desktop-based SMS messaging
Social Networking and Group Sourcing
Ushahidi
Web and mobile incidence reporting system
Social Networking and Group Sourcing
© GSM Association 2008
BOP Application Developers
Grameen Foundation App Lab
Grameen Foundation
Google
MTN Uganda
Launched Jan 2008
Uganda
Joint Innovation Lab
Vodafone
China Mobile Limited
SOFTBANK
Verizon
Launched in April 2008
Ericsson
Launched in Sept 2008
Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya
Mobile Innovation Center
InfoDev, Nokia and Finland App Labs
© GSM Association 2008
Finland (Min. of Foreign Affairs)
Nokia
infoDev
Launched in Jan 2010
Promote innovation in the provision of services
& information using mobile phones and other
ICTs to alleviate poverty in the developing
world
Enables the development of new mobile
technologies, applications and services –
mainly mobile internet.
Develops mobile applications focusing on
meeting the needs of poor and rural
populations. E.g. Dynamic Discount, Mobile
Survey Tool, Weather Monitoring
Encourage innovation and competitiveness
among SMEs in ICTs and agribusiness sectors
in particular in developing world
BOP Mobile Application Innovation
Understand Needs
Develop Applications
Build Sustainable
Models
Achieve Scale
© GSM Association 2008
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Users must be consulted early and often to build a useful service / product
Creative approaches yield important insights
Demand exists for affordable information and knowledge
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Sustainability and scaling must be part of product design
Iterate rapidly and “fail fast” (role for local developers)
Users must be integrally involved in the process
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Incentives for all elements of ecosystem must be considered
Access to new market segments powerful carrot
Creative business models must be employed
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Mobile operator relationship is crucial
Services must meet clear need in actionable way
“Discoverability and Usability” essential – trusted intermediary
Leverage same content using different interfaces
Thank You
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Eric Cantor, Grameen Application Labs
Jesse Moore, Signal Point Partners
Jonathan Donner, Microsoft Research
Ken Banks, Kiwanja.net
Chris Locke, GSMA
© GSM Association 2008
Extra: Region Statistics
© GSM Association 2008
The Growth of Mobile - Africa
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Fastest growing region in the world
488 million connections in Q1 2010
An increase in market penetration
from 48% to 73 % by 2012
Current ARPU €7.11
© GSM Association 2008
The Growth of Mobile – Asia Pacific
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2.2 billion connections in Q1 2010
607 million connections in India
An increase in market penetration
from 60% to 81 % by 2012
ARPU €7.89
© GSM Association 2008