Find out the week’s top mobile stories from around the world.
This week.. No Libra style digital currencies without rules, say EU finance ministers, China due to introduce face scans for mobile users, Africans receive more spam texts than mobile users everywhere else and much more.
No Libra style digital currencies without rules, say EU finance ministers
Tech Crunch
European Union finance ministers have agreed a defacto ban on the launch in the region of so-called global ‘stablecoins’ such as Facebook’s planned Libra digital currency until the bloc has a common approach to regulation that can mitigate the risks posed by the technology.
In a joint statement the European Council and Commission write that “no global ‘stablecoin’ arrangement should begin operation in the European Union until the legal, regulatory and oversight challenges and risks have been adequately identified and addressed”.
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China due to introduce face scans for mobile users
BBC
People in China are now required to have their faces scanned when registering new mobile phone services, as the authorities seek to verify the identities of the country’s hundreds of millions of internet users.
The regulation, announced in September, was due to come into effect on Sunday. The government says it wants to “protect the legitimate rights and interest of citizens in cyberspace”. China already uses facial recognition technology to survey its population.
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Not going mobile-first could put your business at risk of attack
ITProPortal
Employees from a third of enterprises work in challenging conditions, without the latest and greatest in mobile technology, according to a new report by mobility and IoT management provider SOTI.
This places these enterprises under significant risk of data leakage or breaches.The enterprises, on the other hand, feel they can’t enhance employee productivity, lower operating cost or innovate, until they’ve tackled key issues such as security and privacy. Security indeed seems to be a key problem, given that a third of enterprises polled for the report said they had experience a data breach in the past two years.
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Africans receive more spam texts than mobile users everywhere else
Quartz Africa
Being a mobile phone user in Ethiopia comes at the risk of receiving nearly 120 spam texts per month—the highest rate globally.
And it’s not just Ethiopia as South Africa and Kenya also rank in the top three for countries where users receive the most spam texts across the world, data from Truecaller, the Stockholm-based caller identification app, shows. In total, African countries make up nine of the top 20 ranked countries for spam texts received. The rankings are based on data on spam texts received by users between Jan. 1, 2019 and Oct. 30, 2019.
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KT Corp, China Mobile partner for blockchain inter-carrier payments
Ledger Insights
South Korean telco KT Corp has partnered with China Mobile to boost cooperation on 5G roaming services and a blockchain inter-carrier settlement system, a Korea Herald report said.
China Mobile is the largest telecommunication firm in the world, and KT is the second biggest in South Korea. The collaboration will enable KT customers to use the 5G network when visiting China.
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Explosions, broken noses, Pokémon woe: study finds surge in phone injuries
Guardian
Broken noses, nasty cuts, traumatic brain injury and even death: it sounds like the start of a Quentin Tarantino movie. In fact, they are among the hazards of using a mobile phone.
A study by experts in the US has found that since the advent of smartphones, injuries linked to mobile phones have shot up, both indirect injuries – such as those sustained texting while walking – and those caused by the devices themselves, such as the phone hitting someone in the face or the battery exploding.
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Why 5G could be a cyber security nightmare
IT Pro Portal
If you’ve been keeping up with the headlines, you’d be forgiven for thinking the paramount concern with the security of 5G, the latest in hyperfast mobile networking technology, is the alleged threat Huawei poses to national infrastructure. But, if you speak to the experts, there are far more troubling concerns afoot.
It’s not often the network gets blamed for the cyber security incidents that bring a business to its knees, a devilish strain of malware can often be the culprit, as can a hacker looking to bolster their CV.
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India’s mobile data hike ‘higher than expected’
BBC
Indian consumers may no longer enjoy the cheapest mobile data rates in the world after three telecoms companies announced up to 40% rise in tariffs.
Vodafone Idea, Airtel and Reliance Jio together account for 90% of India’s over a billion mobile subscribers. The hike follows massive second-quarter losses by Vodafone Idea and Airtel.
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Cyber Monday reveals mobile driving ecommerce train
Retail Customer Experience
Holiday shopping on Cyber Monday shattered existing records, with consumers spending $9.4 billion yesterday, a 19.7% increase from year-ago figures, when sales reached $7.9 billion, according to Adobe Analytics. Mobile transactions reached $3.1 billion on Cyber Monday, representing the highest year-over-year growth ever recorded for this date.
“Cyber Monday sales surged late last night as consumers established new records both in overall purchases and purchases made via smartphones,” Taylor Schrieiner, principal analyst and head of Adobe Digital Insights, said in a company release.
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