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Get the latest announcements from MEF Members across the mobile ecosystem globally in this weekly review of member news…

EGaming And Blockchain: BBC Studio’s Foray Into Next-Gen AR VR Mobile Games

BBC Studio has picked UK publisher Reality Gaming Group to develop Doctor Who digital trading card game for PC & mobile using Blockchain technology. As part of the deal, Reality Gaming Group has secured an exclusive global license from BBC Studios to develop and publish what’s branded as a groundbreaking digital trading card game based on global smash hit television series Doctor Who.

The partnership will enable fans to collect and trade digital versions of their favorite characters for the first time, before adventuring through the Doctor Who: Worlds Apart game as the Doctor, battling friends in turn-based contests.

Tony Pearce, Co-Founder of Reality Gaming Group, said: “We are tremendously excited to be working with BBC Studios to bring Doctor Who’s huge global community an exciting new digital experience based on a pastime we all know and love – trading cards. The cards used in Doctor Who: Worlds Apart are both functional and collectible, so fans can actually own a piece of the game while they play.”

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Boku acquisition Fortumo inks deal with Myanmar’s Mytel

Mobile payments and identity company Boku announced on Wednesday that its recently-acquired subsidiary Fortumo has launched a direct carrier billing partnership with Myanmar mobile operator Mytel.

The AIM-traded firm said Mytel subscribers could now pay for games, in-app content and digital services by charging purchases to their postpaid phone bill, or prepaid SIM card.

“Myanmar’s rapid growth in smartphone ownership has created strong interest from digital content merchants in expanding into the country,” said Fortumo’s vice-president of telco partnerships Taavi Krusell.

“We are excited to be working with Mytel and giving their subscribers a way to access high-quality digital content, as well as pay for premium services through their phone bill.”

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SAFR awarded $1.9M in Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contracts from the U.S. Air Force

SAFR® from RealNetworks, Inc.  , the leader in facial recognition and person-centric computer vision on live video, today announced it has been awarded two Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts of approximately $950k each or $1.9M in total from AFWERX.

These contracts provide funding to adapt the SAFR platform for use by the Air Force for perimeter security and secure access. Once developed for the USAF, the SBIR/STTR program allows for any other federal agency to award a sole-source contract for technology developed under the program.

“SAFR is used by commercial customers around the world for tens of millions of recognitions per month using on-premise and cloud deployments for secure access, perimeter security and a variety of other use-cases,” said Dan Grimm, General Manager of SAFR from RealNetworks. “As a US company, we are honored to partner with AFWERX and these two Air Force wings to adapt our technology for mission-critical use by the US Air Force and other DoD customers.”

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Release Notes: Neustar launches Fabrick

Neustar’s recent launch of Fabrick—an eco-system rather than a unitary solution—reflects the growing realization among martech and adtech vendors that innovation is needed to meet the challenge of the post-cookie and privacy-driven world.

A multi-faceted approach. Devon DeBlasio, Product Marketing Director at Neustar, explained the thinking behind Fabrick. “Fabrick is not one singular thing,” he said. “We’ve been relying on a single text file to support all of programmatic media. There’s not going to be a singular replacement for the cookie, so what we’ve done is group together a multi-faceted approach that replaces the cookie and other perishable identifiers now.”

Persistent identifiers. The persistent identifier will be based on components such as name, address, phone number, or encrypted or hashed email, he explained. “We’ve already established connections with supply-side platforms, as well as directly with publishers, as well as many of the top walled gardens,” he said. While obscuring any user-level information, this enables marketers to be supplied with granular user data for targeting or media measurement.

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América Móvil, Telefónica and TIM now set to conclude Oi deal

A consortium of América Móvil, Telefónica and TIM subsidiaries in Brazil is set to win its battle for bankrupt company Oi after a rival bidder dropped out.

América Móvil’s Claro, Telefônica Brasil and TIM Participações have exclusivity until tomorrow, 11 August, but that will be renewed unless either party drops out.

Highline do Brasil, owned by Marc Ganzi’s Digital Colony, had a previous exclusivity arrangement, but that bidder dropped out last week. Highline has not renewed its exclusive status, say reports from Brazil.

The América Móvil–Telefónica–TIM trio had previously agreed to pay the equivalent of US$2.9 billion for Oi, in what they called a “binding offer” three weeks ago.

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