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MEF BUSINESS NEWS 27 MARCH 2024 Chinese President Xi Jinping met with a group of US chief executives to potentially improve strained relations between the two countries amid trade tensions. The meeting, held in Beijing, aimed to address concerns over China’s manufacturing investments possibly leading to oversupply in global markets. Details were limited, but attendees included executives from companies such as Chubb, Pfizer, and FedEx, suggesting a diverse representation from the US business sector. The gathering underscores the importance of dialogue between the two nations for managing bilateral relations and global economic stability. ———————— IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva emphasized at Beijing’s China Development Forum that China faces a pivotal decision between sticking with past policies or adopting pro-market reforms to spur growth. Georgieva highlighted global economic resilience to shocks but cautioned about weak growth prospects due to low productivity and high debt levels. She urged China to choose between traditional policies or reinventing itself for sustained high-quality growth, amid calls for Beijing to boost domestic demand and enact structural reforms. ———————— Japan issued a strong warning on potential currency intervention as the yen hit its weakest level against the dollar in about 34 years. Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki signaled readiness to take decisive action, stating they are closely monitoring market developments and prepared to act against excessive movements. ———————— Shares of Donald Trump’s social media venture surged during its New York market debut, boosting the former US president’s stake to $4.6 billion. Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates the Truth Social platform, saw its stock climb to $79.38 from its initial price of $49.95, eventually closing 16% higher at $57.99. The company, now listed on Nasdaq under the symbol DJT, merged with Digital World Acquisition. Trump, holding a 58% stake in the merged entity, benefited most from the price increase. That means: he became richer. Despite legal and financial challenges, including a recent ruling allowing him to delay a $464 million fraud judgment by paying $175 million, Trump’s business endeavors continue to draw attention and investment. —————————— —————————— MEF MOBILE NEWS 27 MARCH 2024 Vodafone Germany plans to save €400 million over two years by cutting 2,000 jobs and streamlining operations. The initiative is part of a broader cost-cutting strategy led by CEO Margherita Della Valle, which involves eliminating 11,000 jobs. The company is also selling its Italian unit to Swisscom, its Spanish operations to Zegona Communications, and pursuing regulatory approval for a merger of its UK business with CK Hutchison-owned 3 UK. ————————————- The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating how technology and telecom firms responded to the SolarWinds cyber attack in 2020, which compromised thousands of companies and government offices. The SEC is requesting internal communications from affected companies to assess the attack’s impact and identify potential gaps in corporate security. Last year, the SEC filed a lawsuit against SolarWinds and its top information security executive, alleging they deceived investors by concealing cybersecurity vulnerabilities during the breach. ————————- VNPT’s Know Your Customer mobile identity platform, developed by the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group, has surpassed one billion user requests, marking a significant milestone as the first of its kind in Vietnam. Over the past five years, the platform has provided electronic Know Your Customer services to more than 100 banks, financial institutions, telecom, and e-commerce entities, facilitating identification for over 40 million individuals. Processing an average of 600,000 requests daily, with peaks reaching over a million requests, the system has demonstrated its efficiency and scalability. ——————— Telecom Italia signed a new commercial agreement which provides for the former monopoly’s access, on a non-exclusive basis, to DaZN content until the 2028-2029 Series A soccer season. The terms of the agreement are not known, which according to Il Sole 24 Ore should see a commitment close to 50 million euros per year for Telecom Italia, a value that reduces the burden currently borne by the company for the previous agreement with DaZN which ends in June 2024. The agreement was originally set at 340 million euros per year, then renegotiated, but which still weighs on the group’s results, particularly in terms of cash flow. ——————— —————- —————- MEF TECH NEWS 27 MARCH 2024 Over a quarter of UK tech businesses prefer selling to overseas investors or listing shares abroad due to concerns about domestic infrastructure and skills shortages, a Barclays survey shows. Approximately 16% favor selling to foreign buyers, and 10% prefer selling shares internationally. This indicates challenges for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in persuading UK firms to remain and grow domestically, especially as notable British firms like Arm and DeepMind have sought foreign investment for global expansion. —————————- And under current government policies, up to 8 million UK workers could lose their jobs to artificial intelligence, the Institute for Public Policy Research warns. AI affects 11% of tasks, potentially rising to nearly 60% with deeper integration. Part-time, entry-level, and back-office roles are most vulnerable, highlighting challenges for the government’s reliance on AI to boost productivity. ————————— Apple has announced that its annual Worldwide Developers Conference will commence on June 10, with expectations high for the unveiling of its long-awaited artificial intelligence strategy. The event, scheduled to run until June 14, is anticipated to feature a significant focus on AI, Bloomberg reports citing sources familiar with the matter. ————————— Robinhood Markets, renowned for commission-free trading, is expanding its services with the launch of a credit card for US consumers. The Robinhood Gold Card, available exclusively to members of its Gold program, features no annual fees or foreign transaction fees. It offers 3% cash back on all purchases, setting it apart from competitors like JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Chase Sapphire Reserve, which offers rewards for select transactions only.
MEF BUSINESS NEWS 27 MARCH 2024 Chinese President Xi Jinping met with a group of US chief executives to potentially improve strained relations between the two countries amid trade tensions. The meeting, held in Beijing, aimed to address concerns over China’s manufacturing investments possibly leading to oversupply in global markets. Details were limited, but attendees included executives from companies such as Chubb, Pfizer, and FedEx, suggesting a diverse representation from the US business sector. The gathering underscores the importance of dialogue between the two nations for managing bilateral relations and global economic stability. ———————— IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva emphasized at Beijing’s China Development Forum that China faces a pivotal decision between sticking with past policies or adopting pro-market reforms to spur growth. Georgieva highlighted global economic resilience to shocks but cautioned about weak growth prospects due to low productivity and high debt levels. She urged China to choose between traditional policies or reinventing itself for sustained high-quality growth, amid calls for Beijing to boost domestic demand and enact structural reforms. ———————— Japan issued a strong warning on potential currency intervention as the yen hit its weakest level against the dollar in about 34 years. Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki signaled readiness to take decisive action, stating they are closely monitoring market developments and prepared to act against excessive movements. ———————— Shares of Donald Trump’s social media venture surged during its New York market debut, boosting the former US president’s stake to $4.6 billion. Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates the Truth Social platform, saw its stock climb to $79.38 from its initial price of $49.95, eventually closing 16% higher at $57.99. The company, now listed on Nasdaq under the symbol DJT, merged with Digital World Acquisition. Trump, holding a 58% stake in the merged entity, benefited most from the price increase. That means: he became richer. Despite legal and financial challenges, including a recent ruling allowing him to delay a $464 million fraud judgment by paying $175 million, Trump’s business endeavors continue to draw attention and investment. —————————— —————————— MEF MOBILE NEWS 27 MARCH 2024 Vodafone Germany plans to save €400 million over two years by cutting 2,000 jobs and streamlining operations. The initiative is part of a broader cost-cutting strategy led by CEO Margherita Della Valle, which involves eliminating 11,000 jobs. The company is also selling its Italian unit to Swisscom, its Spanish operations to Zegona Communications, and pursuing regulatory approval for a merger of its UK business with CK Hutchison-owned 3 UK. ————————————- The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating how technology and telecom firms responded to the SolarWinds cyber attack in 2020, which compromised thousands of companies and government offices. The SEC is requesting internal communications from affected companies to assess the attack’s impact and identify potential gaps in corporate security. Last year, the SEC filed a lawsuit against SolarWinds and its top information security executive, alleging they deceived investors by concealing cybersecurity vulnerabilities during the breach. ————————- VNPT’s Know Your Customer mobile identity platform, developed by the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group, has surpassed one billion user requests, marking a significant milestone as the first of its kind in Vietnam. Over the past five years, the platform has provided electronic Know Your Customer services to more than 100 banks, financial institutions, telecom, and e-commerce entities, facilitating identification for over 40 million individuals. Processing an average of 600,000 requests daily, with peaks reaching over a million requests, the system has demonstrated its efficiency and scalability. ——————— Telecom Italia signed a new commercial agreement which provides for the former monopoly’s access, on a non-exclusive basis, to DaZN content until the 2028-2029 Series A soccer season. The terms of the agreement are not known, which according to Il Sole 24 Ore should see a commitment close to 50 million euros per year for Telecom Italia, a value that reduces the burden currently borne by the company for the previous agreement with DaZN which ends in June 2024. The agreement was originally set at 340 million euros per year, then renegotiated, but which still weighs on the group’s results, particularly in terms of cash flow. ——————— —————- —————- MEF TECH NEWS 27 MARCH 2024 Over a quarter of UK tech businesses prefer selling to overseas investors or listing shares abroad due to concerns about domestic infrastructure and skills shortages, a Barclays survey shows. Approximately 16% favor selling to foreign buyers, and 10% prefer selling shares internationally. This indicates challenges for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in persuading UK firms to remain and grow domestically, especially as notable British firms like Arm and DeepMind have sought foreign investment for global expansion. —————————- And under current government policies, up to 8 million UK workers could lose their jobs to artificial intelligence, the Institute for Public Policy Research warns. AI affects 11% of tasks, potentially rising to nearly 60% with deeper integration. Part-time, entry-level, and back-office roles are most vulnerable, highlighting challenges for the government’s reliance on AI to boost productivity. ————————— Apple has announced that its annual Worldwide Developers Conference will commence on June 10, with expectations high for the unveiling of its long-awaited artificial intelligence strategy. The event, scheduled to run until June 14, is anticipated to feature a significant focus on AI, Bloomberg reports citing sources familiar with the matter. ————————— Robinhood Markets, renowned for commission-free trading, is expanding its services with the launch of a credit card for US consumers. The Robinhood Gold Card, available exclusively to members of its Gold program, features no annual fees or foreign transaction fees. It offers 3% cash back on all purchases, setting it apart from competitors like JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Chase Sapphire Reserve, which offers rewards for select transactions only.

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MEF Leadership Forum Americas – in pictures

| Event Roundup, MEF Webinars & Workshops | No Comments
This week, MEF engaged and entertained a packed room in South Beach, Miami with MEF Leadership Forum Americas: Business Messaging & AI. Nearly 200 mobile leaders experienced a day of insightful thought leadership panels, keynotes and firesides. Guests also enjoyed networking on the terrace and making new connections. Attendees were…

Voice Managed Services: A Game-Changer for MNOs

| MEF Webinars & Workshops | No Comments
The telecommunications industry landscape is rapidly evolving, driven by new technologies and shifting consumer behaviors. Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) must adapt to meet the changing customer needs. While traditional revenue sources like voice, SMS, and data have been staples, they are no longer sufficient for sustained growth in the long…

MEFFYS 2024 – in pictures

| Event Roundup, MEF Webinars & Workshops | No Comments
The MEFFYS, celebrate innovation, creativity and ingenuity in the Mobile Ecosystem. This year’s MEFFYS once again broke all previous records in its 19 year history, with the largest ever number of nominees and votes. The show was, as always, a glitzy, red-carpet event with food, drink, and DJs. The award…

Telco Innovation at the Edge: NaaS/MEC/APIs

| Event, MEF Webinars & Workshops | No Comments
MEF Advisor Doug Makishima discusses the commercialization of telco edge cloud and network API solutions ahead of an upcoming session at MEF’s Global Forum where he will present a panel of experts that will explore the importance of NaaS, MEC and APIs for the future of the interoperable mobile edge.…

Perspectives – How AI changed content creation – with Marina Petrova, CEO Intentful

| Enterprise Communications, Podcasts | No Comments
Listen to the latest episode of our new podcast series Perspectives in Mobile. This week, host Riccardo Amati is joined by Marina Petrova, CEO of AI Specialists Intenful. They discuss the history of Intentful and look ahead to how AI and creativity are linked – are they mutually exclusive or…

Perspectives – Personal communication is the keystone of telecoms

| Enterprise Communications, Podcasts | No Comments
Listen to the latest episode of our new podcast series Perspectives in Mobile, as MEF Advisor and telecoms industry veteran Ian Germer speaks with MEF CEO Dario Betti. Together Dario and Ian explore the history and evolution of telecoms and communication services and how the mobile ecosystem has come to…

On Message – Collaboration really is King!

| Enterprise Communications, Podcasts | No Comments
Join James Williams, the Director of Programmes at the Mobile Ecosystem Forum, as he cuts through the noise and gets straight to the heart of the matter in the latest episode of On Message. With this new series of podcasts James promises to stay “on message” – join him as…

MEFCast – Using Phone Numbers to Stop Fraud

| Personal Data, Podcasts | No Comments
At MEF CONNECTS Nordics, we discussed the increasing use of mobile phone numbers for personal and security purposes. However, this has also made phone numbers a target for fraud. Learn more with host James Williams, along with Catalin Badea and Roberto Peretto from netnumber Global Data Services.

Future of Mobile Summit 2024: Sinch on the explosive impact of Apple’s RCS announcement

| Enterprise Communications, Interviews, MEFTV | No Comments
In this exclusive MEF TV interview at the Future of Mobile Summit during MWC24, Lodema Steinbach, VP of Product & Carrier Relations (North America) at Sinch, spoke about a potentially transformative year for RBM... Last November, Apple revealed it would adopt the RCS standard on iOS in 2024, after years…

Future of Mobile Summit 2024: How Vodafone is creating a friction-free alternative to the OTP

| Interviews, MEFTV | No Comments
In this exclusive MEF TV interview at the Future of Mobile Summit during MWC24, Adri Loloci, senior global product manager for Vodafone Identity Hub, describes how the MNO is leading the effort to scale number intelligence solutions. Over the last 10 years, business messaging has exploded – and its most…

Future of Mobile Summit 2024: GTS on AI and core telecom services

| Interviews, MEFTV | No Comments
In this exclusive MEF TV interview at the Future of Mobile Summit during MWC24, Awnish Chaudhary, CEO at GTS Techlabs, discusses the transformative impact of AI on revenue assurance, fraud and content generation. At MWC 2024 all the talk – and quite a few of the signs – was about…

5 minutes with… BaseKit

| 5 minutes with | No Comments
In our 5 minutes with profiles, MEF members talk about their business, their aspirations for the future and the wider mobile industry. This week, CEO, Simon Best introduces BaseKit, and talks about how they fit into the mobile ecosystem, what he’s most excited about when looking at the future of…

MEF Payments Yearbook 2024

| Internet of Things, Mobile Advertising, Mobile Content, Mobile Payments, Personal Data | No Comments
In just a few years, mobile wallets have exploded in popularity, transforming the way we pay. But the mobile payments landscape is still evolving. Today, mobile payments are everywhere. People store bank cards in wallets on their phones and use them to buy things in store and online. They use…

MEF Global Forum 2024

| Enterprise Communications, Mobile Content, Mobile Payments, Personal Data | No Comments
MEF Connects - On Demand Welcome back {first_name} Thanks for logging in   Log in now MEF Members can access exclusive content MEF once again brought two days of insightful, thought-provoking content within its Global Forum. It was a conference comprised of analyst presentations, keynotes, fireside interviews, panel discussions, and…

Building AI Into the Telco of the Future

| Internet of Things, Mobile Advertising, Mobile Content, Mobile Payments, Personal Data | No Comments
It’s fair to say AI has set the world alight with excitement as imagination’s run wild with endless possibilities of uses and products. No longer a technology that is just over the horizon, it’s here now and developing every day at an exponential rate. Ironically, with so much possibility, it…

Whitepaper: Safeguarding The Long-term Future Of International SMS

| Internet of Things, Mobile Advertising, Mobile Content, Mobile Payments, Personal Data | No Comments
A storm is brewing in the world of international SMS, putting its future at risk. Two key threats are driving this: skyrocketing costs claimed by enterprises and "fake traffic" fraud used to inflate those costs. This is leading major brands to abandon SMS for authentication messages, like one-time passwords, and…

Need-to-know: 10 takeaways on PIX instant payments in Brazil

| Industry Views, MEF Global, MEF LatAm, Mobile Payments | No Comments
PIX is an instant payment ecosystem launched in Brazil October 2020 which in one year of use has managed to exceed 110m users. To understand more, we spoke to Valter Pinheiro, Head of PIX and Digital Cash at Itaú, one of Brazil’s biggest banks, to share his view on what’s…

New whitepaper: Business SMS, SIM Farms and the Data Protection Risk

| Enterprise Communications, Industry Views, Personal Data | No Comments
MEF’s Future of Messaging Programme was founded in 2015 to align best practices and sustain business messaging as a trusted channel for businesses to communicate with their customers. As new business communications channels evolve, SMS remains key thanks to its ubiquity. However, use of unauthorised routes such as SIM Farms…

New whitepaper: Combatting Fraud in Mobile Content

| DCB growth, Industry Views, Mobile Content | No Comments
Wherever there are digital transactions, there is the risk of fraud. Mobile content is no exception, with ever-evolving methods to defraud customers, mobile content providers, payment aggregators and MNOs. All stakeholders must be aware of the fraud types and their differing impacts in order to align on best practice, limit…

Covid-19 may reduce short term IoT revenues but will it create new opportunities?

| Industry Views, Internet of Things | No Comments
Before the virus had an impact globally, we were seeing growth in IoT of up to 20% per year. Enterprises could see the clear value of IoT applications and adoption was on the increase. There was significant market potential and a high degree of confidence that 25m global IoT connections…

MEF Payments Yearbook 2024

| Internet of Things, Mobile Advertising, Mobile Content, Mobile Payments, Personal Data | No Comments
In just a few years, mobile wallets have exploded in popularity, transforming the way we pay. But the mobile payments landscape is still evolving. Today, mobile payments are everywhere. People store bank cards in wallets on their phones and use them to buy things in store and online. They use…

Building AI Into the Telco of the Future

| Internet of Things, Mobile Advertising, Mobile Content, Mobile Payments, Personal Data | No Comments
It’s fair to say AI has set the world alight with excitement as imagination’s run wild with endless possibilities of uses and products. No longer a technology that is just over the horizon, it’s here now and developing every day at an exponential rate. Ironically, with so much possibility, it…

Whitepaper: Safeguarding The Long-term Future Of International SMS

| Internet of Things, Mobile Advertising, Mobile Content, Mobile Payments, Personal Data | No Comments
A storm is brewing in the world of international SMS, putting its future at risk. Two key threats are driving this: skyrocketing costs claimed by enterprises and "fake traffic" fraud used to inflate those costs. This is leading major brands to abandon SMS for authentication messages, like one-time passwords, and…

The importance of being able to select and control edge locations for mobile IoT data

| Guest blog, Internet of Things | No Comments
Today’s breakout solutions don’t offer the granular control over how and where remote IoT application traffic is routed. Routing this valuable data to the home network introduces delays, exposes traffic to security threats – and cannot be directly controlled by IoT service providers .How can a software-defined distributed edge network…

5 minutes with… BaseKit

| 5 minutes with | No Comments
In our 5 minutes with profiles, MEF members talk about their business, their aspirations for the future and the wider mobile industry. This week, CEO, Simon Best introduces BaseKit, and talks about how they fit into the mobile ecosystem, what he’s most excited about when looking at the future of…

5 minutes with… Adeo Telecom

| 5 minutes with, Interviews | No Comments
In our 5 minutes with profiles, MEF members talk about their business, their aspirations for the future and the wider mobile industry. This week, Founder & CEO Alex Lykhochas, introduces A2P SMS connectivity providers, Adeo Telecom. Adeo Telecom is a dynamic force where innovation converges with the realm of mobile…

5 minutes with… Dexatel

| 5 minutes with, Interviews | No Comments
In our 5 minutes with profiles, MEF members talk about their business, their aspirations for the future and the wider mobile industry. This week, Azat Eloyan, Chief Marketing Officer introduces CPaaS communications solutions provider, Dexatel. Dexatel is a leading provider of business messaging and CPaaS communications, offering businesses as well…

5 minutes with… Lleida.net

| 5 minutes with, Interviews | No Comments
In our 5 minutes with profiles, MEF members talk about their business, their aspirations for the future and the wider mobile industry. This week Eduard Salla Simó, Chief UX & Marketing Officer, introduces electronic communications service provider & telco operator Lleida.net. Okay, First things first. How to pronounce Lleida.net. Lleida.nɛt…

How CPaaS and CAMARA Project Network APIs Bring an Integrated Digital Experience with the Power of 5G

| Guest blog | No Comments
In this guest post, Satish Pathuri, Group Product Manager for CPaaS at Comviva explain how their CAMARA Project and its network APIs with CPaas and 5G can provide a transformative experience for customers. In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, delivering seamless, omnichannel experiences to customers has become a cornerstone of success…

A Comprehensive Blueprint to Prevent SMS Pumping

| Guest blog | No Comments
In this guest post, Azat Eloyan, Chief Marketing Officer at Dexatel, explains the issue of SMS pumping – what is it, why is it a problem and how can the mobile ecosystem address it. Technological advancements have made it easier to automate the sending of mass messages, which—when you think…

The importance of being able to select and control edge locations for mobile IoT data

| Guest blog, Internet of Things | No Comments
Today’s breakout solutions don’t offer the granular control over how and where remote IoT application traffic is routed. Routing this valuable data to the home network introduces delays, exposes traffic to security threats – and cannot be directly controlled by IoT service providers .How can a software-defined distributed edge network…

Building a collaborative IoT ecosystem to power the next wave of secure, intelligent applications

| Guest blog, Internet of Things, MEF Webinars & Workshops, Personal Data | No Comments
Jimmy Jones, Head of Security for ZARIOT, shares some highlights from a recent MEF Webinar where experts from all facets of the IoT value chain shared insights on how connectivity, hardware, software, cybersecurity, privacy, data management, and more, seamlessly come together to create ground-breaking, secure, and reliable IoT-powered experiences. The…
MEF AsiaTech Focus

Indonesia: The world home of BBM

Indonesians, in common with other Asia Pac mobile users, really love chat apps. Indeed, an InMobi report from 2014 revealed that 97 per cent of mobile users in Indonesia access messaging apps multiple times a day. Surprisingly, perhaps, BlackBerry’s BBM remains their number one choice.
Tim Banks
January 20, 2016
Stats Roundup

Mobile market stats round-up: 18 January

Fingerprint scanners driving the biometrics industry, IoT projects driving mobile devs, VR revenue set to pass $1bil, & the 4 billion unconnected. These and many more mobile related data points and reports in this week’s MEF market stats round up…
Sam Hill
January 18, 2016
MEF AsiaOpinionsVAS

Value added services in Asia-Pacific: part 1

The mobile value added services market is pegged to grow to a value of more than $7oo billion worldwide by 2020, and its the Asia-Pacific region that is the largest and fastest growing global region. In this first part of two-part special insights article on VAS in the Asia-Pacific region,…
Tim Banks
January 15, 2016
News Roundup

Global mobile news round-up: 15 January

Find out the week’s top mobile stories from around the world. This week.. report finds 90% of mobile health & finance apps vulnerable, Apple controls half of the smartwatch market, Google hires official VR boss and US bank customers officially prefer mobile to branches.
Sam Hill
January 15, 2016
MEF Asia

[Infographic] Digital youth in South East Asia

When you blend two trends - digital natives (kids) with mobile first markets - the result is a young demographic that is highly mobile literate and a strong indication of the mid-range future of mobile. This infographic from youth orientated marketing platform, SuperAwesome explores how these two super trends affect…
Tim Banks
January 14, 2016
Opinions

My ears are the wrong shape for Apple

So, Apple wants to get rid of the old-fashioned audio jack. The tech blogs are fizzing with rumours that this relic of the analogue age (invented in 1878 would you believe) is on its way out. Apparently Cupertino wants it to go the way of the floppy disc and the…
Sam Hill
January 14, 2016
MEF