What’s the news from the MEF community? Here’s your weekly round up of all the latest announcements from MEF members including product launches, partnerships, research insights and more…
ZTE pre-loads Hiya caller ID app
Hiya and ZTE have combined to launch the first US device with integrated caller ID and call blocking protection.
ZTE’s Axon 7 phone will ship with Hiya protection so that users can avoid unwanted callers the moment they turn on their device.
It’s another landmark deal for Hiya, which also works with AT&T, T-Mobile, Samsung and others. It has a database of over 1.5 billion unique numbers, and uses algorithms to monitor phone-based threats.
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Opera’s new browser offers instant page loading
The new Opera product, Opera 43, features predictive technology that loads a website before the user finishes typing the URL.
The firm’s EVP, Krystian Kolondra, says it’s the fastest version of the browser thus far, and that it will learn a user’s preferences to speed page loading up.
Opera 43 also includes Profile Guided Optimization (PGO). This is another speeding up process that learns the best usage scenarios to reduce its use of the local processor.
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PubMatic promotes Emma Newman to UK country manager
Emma Newman has a new job: Pubmatic’s former VP of international marketing is now running the UK office.
As country manager, she will be responsible for developing new publisher relationships, and will report to the VP of EMEA, Bill Swanson.
The UK is way ahead in programmatic adoption and continues to be a key market for the company. Advertisers spent £2.67 billion in 2016 on programmatic trading, and it is expected that over three-quarters of UK’s digital ad spend by the end of 2017 will be programmatic.
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Cheetah Mobile hires SpotX to monetise video ads
App giant Cheetah Mobile has commissioned SpotX to provide the programmatic infrastructure to power its video ad formats.
Cheetah has over 600 million monthly active users worldwide across its 20 news and utility apps. It monetises these products via a variety of video ad options. Now, SpotX will become its preferred programmatic video solution.
Arther Wu, GM of global business development and sales at Cheetah Mobile, said: “We’re excited to offer high-engagement vertical video inventory as another feature targeted at boosting consumer engagement with our apps. Our partnership with SpotX allows us to tap into global demand partners to help maximize revenue for Cheetah Mobile.”
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Laura Desmond joins Syniverse’s board
One of the media industry’s most experienced execs has joined the top team at Syniverse.
Laura Desmond has a 30-year career that includes serving as CEO of Publicis Groupe’s Starcom MediaVest Group. Syniverse says she will help to guide the future growth of the company across new markets and geographies.
Desmond said: “Mobile is at the intersection of some of the most important changes taking place in technology and business today, and Syniverse is strategically positioned to play a critical role in advancing the use of mobile on both a corporate level and a consumer level.”
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Infobip opens office in Bangladesh
UK/Croatian messaging specialist Infotip has deepened its commitment to its Asian operations by opening a new base in Dhakah, Bangladesh.
Infobip has been active in the country for five years via a partnership with local specialist Wintel. The two companies will continue to work closely.
Infobip says Bangladesh is a major mobile market with many opportunities for enterprises, e-commerce firms and developers. The company now has offices in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, Vietnam, Philippines, China, Taiwan, Japan, and India.
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Twilio buys Swedish SMS specialist Beepsend
Twilio says it will ‘provide customers with even more delivery options’ following its purchase of Beepsend.
The Sweden-based SMS messaging provider bases its business on the idea that ‘not all text messages are the same’ and as such segments traffic by priority. This makes the network more efficient.
In a blog post, Twilio director of product Benjamin Stein said the buy would bolster “SMS message traffic segmentation, route monitoring, and analytics” on the company’s platforms.
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