Find out the week’s top mobile stories from around the world.
This week.. Industry groups urge Europe to reject privacy proposal, mobile, social and video will continue driving digital economy and commerce in 2021, how eSIM is revolutionizing mobile and IoT and much more…
Industry groups urge Europe to reject privacy proposal
Mobile World Live
Industry associations GSMA and ETNO called on European Union (EU) member states to reject a proposal for tightening rules on communication services metadata processing, warning the approach would impede innovation and development of Europe’s data economy.
The two organisations issued a joint statement after Germany proposed a change in EU’s ePrivacy Regulation (ePR) directive to restrict the use of pseudonymised metadata in communication services.
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Mobile, social and video will continue driving digital economy and commerce in 2021
Internet Retailing
Mobile commerce, mobile advertising and mobile video are set to continue to dominate the digital economy in 2021 based on current habits, analysts predict.
2020 reshaped and redefined daily life — with working from home, social distancing, travel restrictions and digital connections becoming new norms as countries sought to contain the spread of COVID-19. Consumers hunkered down at home and turned to the world of mobile to stay connected, entertained and informed.
In 2021, App Annie, a leading mobile data and analytics company predicts, monthly active users for TikTok will pass the 1 billion mark, mobile to continue to drive ‘at-home’ activities, advertising spend in the mobile sphere will increase, and there will be a further consumer boom of streaming apps.
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How eSIM is revolutionizing mobile and IoT
Tech Radar
The SIM card is soon to be consigned to history. Destined to be another example of an, as then, much needed, but now seen as a rather clunky stepping-stone on the path to technological nirvana, alongside mobile pagers, MP3 players and Palm Pilots. It’ll be remembered in moments of nostalgia as that fiddly bit of plastic, accessed only through deft use of a bent-out paperclip.
The replacement: eSIM – a chip soldered directly into your smartphone, rightly deserves to be seen as much more than a simple upgrade. Yes, it allows you to connect a device without a paperclip, but that really is just the start of the story…
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Your personal data is a goldmine, but would you ever consider selling it?
Malaymail
Californians recently adopted proposed legislation aiming to give users more control over their personal information online. This should notably give people the right to opt-out of the sale of their personal data and to direct companies to stop selling their data.
Californians have approved a future law seeking to strengthen the protection of their personal information online. The legislation aims to bolster the current California Consumer Privacy Act and seeks to make how users’ personal date is used less opaque. It would also create the California Privacy Protection Agency to implement and enforce the data protection legislation. Could this mean that tech’s Big Five (GAFA) would one day have to pay consumers to continue using their personal information? The subject is particularly vast, since it concerns data such as sex, race, religion and sexual orientation, as well as identity and contact details.
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Singles Day: The world’s biggest shopping event luring scammers
BBC
Singles Day, the world’s biggest online shopping event, has kicked off with consumers estimated to spend billions of dollars – much of which is being eyed by scammers.
This year’s event is expected to continue to break records across Asia, as more people stay home and shop online amid the Covid-19 pandemic, while those unable to travel overseas for shopping trips are expected to “revenge spend” online.
It represents a huge honeypot for scammers who, over the years, have come up with increasingly innovative ways to trick consumers, from creating fake apps to claims of formaldehyde-soaked clothes.
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Coin Cloud installs Brazil’s first cryptocurrency ATMs
Mobile Payments Today
Coin Cloud has announced the installation of the first of 10 cryptocurrency ATMs in Brazil. With these kiosks users can transact with 29 different types of digital currencies, including bitcoin and Ethereum, according to a report in Re:Jerusalem.com
The cryptocurrency ATMs work like a conventional ATM allowing users to perform actions on the screen to complete the transaction. The interface will be translated into Portuguese and will require a two-step verification by cellphone, before concluding any purchases and sales. Then users can insert the traded crypto and put in the money. The transferred money goes directly to the user’s digital wallet
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Why the industry needs a trusted data ecosystem across all screens
The Drum
The marketing and digital industry has been shaken up by regulatory and technology challenges that pose a threat to making and measuring meaningful digital experiences for customers. In tandem, consumers are consuming media across a more fragmented range of screens and devices.
To restore a holistic understanding of customers and their data, a trusted ecosystem needs to be in place. That’s according to Liveramp, which hosted a panel at The Drum Digital Summit.
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GSMA tips 5G to gain Eurasia foothold within 5 years
MWL
Investments in 5G were forecast to dominate operator infrastructure spend in the coming years across Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), with GSMA Intelligence expecting uptake of the new network technology to reach 13 per cent of connections by 2025.
The GSMA Intelligence Mobile Economy Russia & CIS 2020, released on the opening day of Thrive Eurasia, predicts there will be 52 million connections using 5G across the region by 2025 as operators dedicate the majority of infrastructure spending on enabling the technology.
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PUBG announces India return plan with new game and $100 million investment
TechCrunch
PUBG Mobile plans to return in India in a new avatar, parent company PUBG Corporation said on Thursday. TechCrunch reported last week that the South Korean gaming firm was plotting its return to the world’s second largest internet market two months after its marquee title was banned by the country.
The new game, called PUBG Mobile India, has been specially created for users in India, PUBG Corporation said. It did not share when it plans to release the title.
Additionally, the company — and its parent firm, KRAFTON — said they plan to make an investment worth $100 million in India, one of the largest markets of PUBG Mobile, to cultivate the local video game, esports, entertainment and IT industries ecosystems. It also plans to open an office in the country and hire more than 100 employees.
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