MobileBeyond

Improving Cell Phone Reception with Scott Goodrich of CSI's Product Division Improving cell phone reception for voice and data in buildings and mass transit is essential for consumers, businesses and wireless carriers. As more people use their mobile phones at work, home, inside commuter trains and elsewhere, cell phone signal boosters have become critical. Cell Phone Reception Solutions Cellular Specialties (CSI) helps wireless carriers improve mobile phone signal strength, voice quality and wireless data quality within buildings and inside moving vehicles. CSI supplies cell phone extenders, repeaters and other cellular equipment to U.S. wireless carriers (AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, T-Mobile and others) that boost wireless reception for customers. The CSI Product Division specializes in the development of in-building amplifiers, repeaters and a variety of system components. The company became the preferred repeater vendor for all U.S. wireless carriers after introducing a cell phone repeater that exceeds industry standards boosting mobile phone signal strength. CSI markets its products primarily within North America, although its cellular solutions are available through resellers in China, as well as Latin and South America. Visit CSI on Twitter for further information. Scott Goodrich, who leads the Product Division at Cellular Specialties, is President and co-founder of the cell phone reception company. A telecommunications industry veteran, Scott has over 11 years experience delivering in-building wireless products and services. He also co-founded Wavelink Communications, a wireless communications company responsible for the early funding of CSI. Previously, Scott worked in Sales and Marketing for Nextel Communications, Open Development Corporation and Vedas Systems. He’s a graduate of Northeastern University with a BS in Marketing. Cellular repeaters improve signal strength for mass transit In the podcast interview with Brian Prows, Scott discusses cell phone repeaters, boosters and other cellular products for wireless carriers that improve cell phone signal strength for all U.S. carriers. In particular, Scott points out the differences between voice and data demands on cellular networks affecting cell phone reception.

Craig Dalton, formerlky with mPlayit From the earliest days of Java-based mobile phones to today's more powerful smartphones, mobile games have been the most popular apps available on the mobile Web. Smartphone mobile games at mPlayit aren't an exception. Free smartphone mobile games are available for Android, iPhone, BlackBerry and feature phones from GetJar and other online app stores. The problem? How do mobile phone users find and choose the best and latest mobile games on the mobile Internet? That's where mPlayit helps. Mplayit is the leading global provider for online playable discovery and social merchandising of mobile games and applications. The company uses social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as other mobile content providers, to help consumers find the top mobile games. The company's proprietary software solutions improve merchandising, marketing, and interactions with a targeted user audience of mobile consumers. (Mplayit is backed by New Atlantic Ventures.) Smartphone Mobile Games Surround mPlayit In its latest survey, mPlayit found that 47% of the most popular mobile apps for the iPhone are games, 20% for Android phones and 30% for Blackberry owners. This dispels the belief that Blackberry owners only read email and track their schedules and business expenses. Here's a chart showing the top three mobile games for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry phones. Craig Dalton of mPlayit Craig Dalton, mPlayit's Vice President of Business Development, has 16 years experience in sales and marketing management. He also has extensive experience building profitable business strategies in the mobile industry. Responsible for establishing strategic relationships with mobile operators, social media and Web 2.0 companies, Craig helps develop and increase revenue streams using the company’s online trial and merchandising solutions. Prior to Mplayit, Dalton managed business development for MMS pioneer Hook Mobile where he developed initiatives with wireless operators and social media platforms. Craig Dalton has also managed business development for global mobile entertainment publisher I-Play. While with Proteus, an interactive television and mobile pioneer, Craig completed the first TV-to-SMS campaign in the U.S. for Super Bowl 36. Craig earned an MBA from the Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Irvine and a BSBA in Business Administration from The American University. Smartphone Mobile Games Podcast Interview with Craig Dalton In a conversion with Brian Prows, Craig discusses the growth of mobile games from the earliest Java-based to today's sophisticated games that only operate on complex smartphones. During the audio interview, Craig shares his views on a variety of topics, including: Popularity differences among smartphone mobile games available for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android phone users. Compare to mobile game popularity in China. Why many feature phone users with Java-based phones aren't aware of the capabilities of their mobile devices and available games Fragmentation within the mobile game industry due to apps that only run on specific mobile platforms Unique characteristics of the Kindle and iPad Growth and flexibility of Android mobile phones How consumers can use Facebook and other social media sites to discover and experience the best mobile games Developers' need for word-of-mouth to market their mobile apps to targeted audiences Why 90% of mobile users have NEVER downloaded a game with the exception of iPhone and other smartphone users The reasons why 90% of all mobile game sales are from the "top 10" list The importance of reasonable data plans to improve mobile game users' satisfaction Why mobile carriers/operators, especially outside the U.S., need to better market feature phone mobile games to customers How mPlayit, using Web-based tools,

Michael Becker, The Connected Marketer As I spoke with Michael Becker, co-founder of mCordis and The Connected Marketer Institute, it reminded me of our first podcast interview over five years ago. Then we talked about mobile marketing and powerful new wireless devices that would forever change human communications. He said "'...mobile is the foundation of all communications going forward"–whatever the mobile device, for personal use or commerce. He [spoke] of the 'untethered engagement' as the central focus of one-on-one relationship marketing with mobile phone consumers." Now Michael speaks about multiple "connected devices" in our lives—smartphones, tablets, watches. Passive Internet devices, like Amazon's Echo, made human-like with its name "Alexa," listens as we interact with her. We say "play some music," "ship items on my grocery list," "what time are the Giants playing?" Alexa responds, satisfying our every want, saving us time, becoming our machine companion. By 2020, homes will probably have ten or more connected devices, like Alexa, complemented by hundreds of interactive TV's, fridges, connected cars, and passive IoT gizmos silently collecting data about us and our surroundings. There's disagreement among the researchers about the number of IoT's. But most studies agree we'll have tens of billions on the Planet, gulping big data for corporations, governments, education and, most important, marketers. The Connected Marketer Institute Recently, mCordis, a mobile, marketing, advisory and educational services provider, launched The Connected Marketer Institute. Targeted at both marketers and marketing technology (martech) vendors, CMI seeks to re-define the focus of marketing in a mobile connected world, stressing digital connectivity, education, service, When I asked Becker about omnichannel marketing in the interview, he claimed that mobile SMS, email and other forms of traditional "marketing" don't exist. "There's only marketing"—connecting, engaging and being of service to customers. "Everything else is a tool or strategy." Mobile is at the center of everything. Marketers must look at the practice of marketing with a new lens that better serves customers at scale understands them better, and resolves friction (answering customer questions in the right ways). Marketers need to create value FOR not FROM people." Other Podcast Interview Topics Marketers as technologists creating value and being of service for people Collecting and analyzing data in appropriate ways, on individuals' terms, while maintaining transparency Physical products have digital components Four human dimensions: physical, digital, emotional, and sensorial How to figure out where brands fit in a customer's mind Monitoring data and connectivity to create events in real time (synchronization) All content drives consumer behavior; everything produced by marketers and advertisers is content—both digital and non-digital Content marketing as more than blogs, keywords, SEO and calls-to-action Media channels vs. the practice of marketing From Cicero to Henry Ford to distribution to the information age GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon): The age of computing power What happened in 2010? The age of the customer. What's similar about Taco Bell, Target, and Sephora? Seth Godin's informed consent won't work in the impending Big Data era Why brands will find it easier to obtain data directly from individuals Marketers as Lego builders Mobility may create greater identity than DNA Will artificial intelligence eliminate your job? The Connected Marketer Summit & Awards Ceremony In January 2017, mCordis hosts the first-ever Connected Marketer Summit in Silicon Valley. The Summit will feature leading brand marketers and MarTech providers sharing perspectives and insights on how they are making connected marketing a reality. The Summit will also feature workshops and training sessio...

Jay Hinman, VP of Marketing, Neumob Your new mobile app was just released to the app stores. You chew your fingernails. Lots of pressure from the boss. The company wants a big hit. You ask yourself: "Will the app be fast enough in the U.S., India?...Is mobile app acceleration across the network going to work? Sweat beads up on your forehead... No, this is not a script from HBO's "Silicon Valley," although, hey, I don't mind sharing my creative writing. Getting mobile apps to load under four seconds--preferably two--is (or should be) on every mobile app developer's mind. Why? Because, according to Jay Hinman, VP of Marketing at Neumob, mobile ads sometimes don't load quickly. Forex traders in Manila could lose one second and lots of moola. Mobile gamers might become upset about a slowdown in Mumbai. Worst case scenario? A precious mobile app devotee writes "your app sucks" in an iTunes review. Jay says that smarts. Mobile App Acceleration : Jay Hinman at Neumob Jay, who used to work for MobiTV, appeared previously on MobileBeyond, discussing mobile streaming video. He loves the field of mobile, probably in part due to his interest in broadcasting. He, like I, had fun working at our campus radio stations. Jay's also done podcasting. So, there you have it. While there's still disagreement about mobile Web vs. mobile app usage, rather than address the studies here, I'll direct you to an excellent, current review by Morgan Linton, whose "Native Apps vs. Mobile Web War Rages On" summarizes the research. There's some tongue-in-cheek by Linton, but as any good blogger would say: "Just gimme the facts." During our conversation, Jay Hinman and I discuss how mobile app developers, using the Neumob Accelerator, experience mobile app bytes flying almost as fast as protons in the Hadron Collider near Geneva. Ashley Buttle/Flickr I draw this analogy because at the end of the podcast Jay told me that "Neumob" kinda came from "neutron," similar to "proton." I also mention the Hadron Collider because, in late April 2016, a small weasel chewed through the electrical wires, frying itself, and causing the Collider to come to an abrupt halt. NPR devoted an entire two minutes to the event. Jay assured me that Neumob has secured its network so this will never happen to its customers nor their mobile app acceleration software. I also guarantee you that SiteGround scans my server once a week. So you won't encounter any malicious code or strange bugs crawling out of your smartphone, tablet, laptop, desktop or whatever you use to hear this podcast. Now on with the show.

Ebola Care App The Ebola Care App, available free from Journey, a mobile applications developer, enables health workers to monitor and collect patient data in West South Africa. AppsAgainstEbola, Journey's website, describes its genesis, capabilities and benefits. Running on inexpensive Android phones, the Ebola Care App will improve the timeliness, accuracy and accessibility of field data for health care decision-makers and NGO's Data shared with the WHO (World Health Organization) expedite critical communications and field heath care delivery improving Ebola patient outcomes. (See the excellent article in Forbes summarizing the Ebola Care App and Journey's Facebook page.) Ebola is Not Just an African Problem Those are the words of Philip Joubert who is my podcast guest. As we discussed the global community of governments, NGO's, private benefactors, such as Bill Gates, and company donations, the connectedness of humanity came to mind. Philip Joubert of Journey In the past--before social media, mobile phones and greater interest in the biggest continent--the first Ebola crisis in 1976, documented by the WHO, was indeed "just an African problem." But the massive outbreak of the 2014 Ebola virus epidemic has spread from Africa to the U.S. and other developed nations. It's changed how we think about national borders. Viruses cross freely from Liberia into Sierra Leone. They fly thousands of miles with their hosts. In that sense, the Ebola virus is "airborne," whether flying coach or first-class. Outbreaks of this type are world problems. Quarantines, drug firms scouring arsenals of viral medications, media gone crazy filling voracious consumers' information demand, public fear and politician grandstanding. Clearly, this is everyone's problem. We no longer live in glass houses. Ebola is at our front door. How we, government and corporate leaders and the health care community respond to these health crises worldwide will forever determine future responses. Do we dump money on world problems that don't affect us personally from afar? Or should we believe, as Gandi said: "Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony." Ebola Care App Brings Technology to Africa Philip and Malan Joubert, who grew up in South Africa, felt their calling. Using mobile development software created by their firm, they believed a Ebola Care app, used on the ground in Liberia and other Ebola-infected countries, would expedite communications among health workers, the medical community and large organizations like the WHO. Listen to the podcast about two brothers making a difference in West Africa. By NASA/ GSFC, MODIS Rapid Reponse System [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons (West Africa via Satellite - 2001) Further Reading: South African Brothers Helping Fight Ebola with Mobile App Innovation Google Wants to Match Your Ebola Donation Facebook's Fight Against Ebola Ebola Virus Disease - Wikipedia mHealth Helps Stop Ebola in Senegal

G-Exchange President Paolo Baltao (Updated 5/9/2023) Like other podcast interviews and articles in this series, GCash Mobile money services, similar to others in African countries, the Mideast, Bangladesh, and India, are popular and growing quickly in developing countries. MobileBeyond's financial technology posts and podcasts have documented that mobile money empowers the unbanked to send and receive money, top off phone minutes, pay bills, finance solar power, gain insurance protection, enable merchant transactions, and establish credit. Eight thousand five hundred sixty-one miles west of California, across the vast Pacific Ocean, 7107 Philippine islands are the entrance to Indonesia. Only 2,000 islands, though, have inhabitants. A thriving country ten years ago, Globe Telecom, one of the major country’s telcos, created Gcash mobile money services. In my podcast interview with Paolo Baltao, President of G-Xchange, a subsidiary of Globe Telecom, Paolo and I discuss the launch of GCash, Globe's mobile commerce arm, in 2006, now one million customers strong. Considering that 80% of the Filipino population is unbanked or underbanked, having a telco enable multiple banking services has lessened the burden of consumers carrying cash. More than that, Filipinos using GCash's services save time and money attending to small businesses and productive efforts. Philippine Islands (courtesy Wikipedia. Licensed under Creative Commons) Paolo says sharing airtime load grew before GCash launched (most Filipinos add daily minutes to their phones). Transferring money without a bank account was becoming burdensome, taking two hours or more out of the day for transportation and waiting in line. And BILLIONS of dollars were flowing into the Philippines from far-a-way countries to relatives. GCash Mobile Money Services: Before and After You're living in the fields of the Philippines, growing sugarcane, bananas, palay (rice), and corn. You and your family get paid in pesos once a week. Every few months, your cousin, one of ten million Filipinos who work overseas, sends you a cash remittance to make ends meet (10-15% paid to Western Union or another payment processor). You don't have a checking account; you're unbanked. Cash in, cash out, one of 2.5 billion people on Earth who live without financial services. Or... You have a GCash mobile money services account. When paid, you deposit pesos into an electronic wallet. It's safe, secure. When your cousin sends a remittance, the money goes directly into your mobile wallet at a lower transfer charge. Filipinos now spend their hard-earned pesos without worrying about the nearest bank branch. Of course, if GCash members have relationships with banks, they can easily transfer money from accounts directly into their GCash accounts. Paolo says The Central Bank of the Philippines has supported GCash mobile money services since its beginning. Costs, Locations, Cash In, Cash Out, Compatibility, ATMs, Employer Payments Globe Telecom isn't a non-profit. So what do all these services cost, and how does it work? To convert cash into GCash costs nothing. Cashing out, however, is 1.8%, not a heavy load when considering the benefits of using the company's services. They're 8000 GCash mobile money services outlets and ATMs for bank customers near a terminal When GCash first started, Paolo says, the SMS number sequence confused some, except the younger, more technical crowd; now, with standard USSD on mobile phones, it's a lot easier, whether paying bills to vendors or sending money to friends and relatives (1% cost) 200,000 Filipinos receive wages directly from employers to their GCash accounts Listen to the podcast as Paolo Baltao discusses these topics and the future of GCash mobile money services in the Philippines. Notes and Further Reading Paolo Baltao is the President of G-Xchange, Inc. (GXI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Globe Telecom, a wireless provider in the Philippines.

Obopay India sits at a crossroads. Someone wrote that if mobile money players didn't face the shackles of government banking regulations, the mobile money industry in India could generate $250 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS monthly. With a population of 1.3 billion people, 64% of whom are unbanked, and over 904 million mobile phones, the mobile financial services opportunity in India is glacial. Obopay India and its 15+ competitors have a goldmine. India's population is exploding, second only to China's. But neither Obopay, which started in 2005,* nor its telecom and bank competitors, can easily knock down The Great Wall of India. Central banking rules restrain mobile operators and entrepreneurs in India from launching mobile exchange and other financial services without a banking affiliation. As a technology player in the mobile money business, Obopay India enables mobile money exchange via carriers and banks. The firm doesn't sell mobile services directly to consumers. When the company launched in the United States and India, later Africa, it went to market with financial and carrier partners. Nokia also joined forces with Obopay briefly in mid-2011 before pulling out in March 2012. Other mobile money players are Vodaphone-India and Airtel Money. Both offer M-Pesa-like mobile money accounts. Idea Cellular and tata Docomo are mobile wallet companies. Mobile Money Regulation Improving Worldwide However, the situation is gradually improving. Mobile operators, banks, and mobile money companies see growing opportunities. Governments have begun to realize the benefits of financial inclusion for the unbanked and underbanked. Women, who represent a large segment of the needy, will see significant financial improvements. A new GSMA study on mobile inclusion in Paraguay reveals massive opportunities for carriers and others as the government understands the benefits and simplifies the regulation of mobile money operators. Only 22% of people in Paraguay have banking affiliations, similar to Haiti and Guatemala. Obopay India: Podcast Interview with Nitin Sharma Nitin Sharma, Senior VP of Business Development, is my guest for this podcast. He covers Obopay India's early entrance as a mobile money company, Union Bank, its financial partner, the need for consumer education about mobile financial services, reaching customers through radio, government payment transfers via mobile. Nitin says he's excited about the growth in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. Presently, Obopay offers African mobile payments services in Kenya, Senegal, and Uganda as well. (Learn more about the genesis of Obopay in Africa, India, and the U.S., listen to my 2010 podcast interview with Carol Realini, the founder, and the company's first CEO.) About Obopay Since its launch in 2005, Obopay, a global mobile payment company, has provided solutions to leading brands across industries. These include MasterCard, Nokia, Airtel, Telecel, Societe Generale, and Union Bank of India. Obopay offers white labeled mobile payment products to mobile network operators, banks and independent financial institutions worldwide that focus on emerging markets in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The company has product deployment experience in emerging and developed economies in Africa, Asia, and North America. Further Reading about Obopay India Mobile Money: The Opportunity for India (GSMA PDF - Good Source of Info on Mobile Money - 11/13) Deepak Chandani Made Global CEO of Struggling Mobile Payments Co. Obopay (1/11) Nokia to Acquire Obopay India Operations (12/10) Financial Inclusion Series on MobileBeyond This is one in a series of podcasts about Financial Inclusion, integrating people of all incomes. You'll find information about Carol Realini's forthcoming book "Financial Inclusion at the bottom of the pyramid" on her Facebook page.

Sanjiv Purushotham of Mastercard As I spoke with Sanjiv Purushotham of MasterCard, I sensed his personal satisfaction working on MasterCard financial inclusion projects in Africa and the Mideast. He grew up in India, married, then took another MasterCard position in Singapore. A few years later, he jumped at another MasterCard opportunity in Dubai, one of the hot spots for entrepreneurs. Dubai Marina at Night Tall buildings surround this metropolis in the UAE desert. Sheikhs and other big-wigs from around the world cut deals in Dubai, an area of the world sporting 76% smartphone penetration. MasterCard Financial Inclusion Spreads Across Mideast and Africa Mastercard financial inclusion services helped the Egyptian Central Bank and Etisalat Group, the major telecom company throughout the Mideast, to encourage the unbanked to benefit from mobile money and other financial services. In 2010, MasterCard won a GSMA award for enabling an ecommerce project in Kenya, the first in the country. Working with Airtel, a major Africa operator, MasterCard enabled consumers to buy digital content in the U.K., Europe and the U.S. Easy enough. Buyers purchased via their virtual cards displayed on mobile phone screens. In South Africa, MasterCard partnered with the government and NGO' s to enable mobile money transfer. This helped the country continue moving away from cash to more secure transactions. Reflecting on these examples, Sanjiv comments that MasterCard follows the "evolution of technology," solutions particular to geographies and regions. After understanding an area's needs, it enables a country's technology for global transactions. As we finish our conversation, I asked Sanjiv what satisfies him about his work at the end of the day. He responds it's his feeling of "greater enthusiasm" and "becoming more energetic" of what can be done. Join Sanjiv and me on a visionary trip through the Mideast and Africa as we discuss MasterCard financial inclusion. Click here for a podcast interview with Tara Nathan of MasterCard East Africa hosted by Karen Webster. Sources of Additional Information Sanjiv Purushotham - LinkedIn Profile MasterCard Foundation on Facebook (Good Source of MasterCard financial inclusion projects) MasterCard CEO in Africa on Financial Inclusion Technology & Partnership Driving MasterCard Financial Inclusion This is the 8th in a series of articles and podcast interviews with pioneers of the financial inclusion movement. See Carol Realini's Facebook Page about her forthcoming book "Financial Inclusion at the Bottom of the Pryamid." Readers will find all posts in the series by clicking MobileBeyond Financial Inclusion.

bKash' CEO Kamal Quadir bKash mobile money is also the story of Bangladesh, a war-torn country formed in 1971 after the Bangladesh Liberation War. But neither the horrors of that war--nor the poverty that enveloped the country since--has stopped the growth of mobile currency exchange. In fact, bKash is now the second largest mobile money company in the world by number of accounts. A subsidiary of BRAC Bank, bKash emerged in 2010 from funding through the bank and Money in Motion, an American company. International Finance Corporation (IFC) became an equity partner in 2013, followed in 2014 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Kamal Quadir is bKash' CEO and my podcast guest on MobileBeyond. It was a "perfect storm" for bKash since all parties to its formation have a strong interest in providing financial services to the 160 million people in Bangladesh. Kamal Quadir describes the marriage of the financial parties as a coming together of "like-minded entrepreneurs." Add to that Bangladesh' 98% mobile availability and 110 million SIMS. bKash Mobile Money Services' Expansive Growth Launching operations in mid-2011, the company began marketing its services through agents roaming rural and non-rural areas of the country. Now over 95,000 agents sell bKash mobile money services, including domestic remittance, airtime top off and merchant payments. Sending money home, however, is most popular. Despite 21 other bank competitors which offer similar wallet services, bKash dominates with 11.5 million customers after introducing its products only three years ago. 18-24 year olds and women textile workers are the biggest fans of the mobile service. Here is a short video describing the people of Bangladesh and bKash mobile money. Kamal Quadir believes that much of bKash' success is due to its focus on poverty, the unbanked, the use of USSD technology on basic handsets and small transactions with large revenue volume. When I asked him about the future, he quickly pointed out the 148 million potential customers. He believes that bKash is a tool that addresses the need for people to "leap-frog into financial inclusiveness." Listen to a podcast interview with a man who feels deeply about his company's mission to raise the people of Bangladesh out of poverty through financial inclusion. For further information: bKash Website Summary of Investment Information 7 Ways BRAC Bank will Innovate with Mobile Money This Year Facebook Page Twitter Page This is the seventh in a series of interviews and articles about financial inclusion of people using mobile devices to gain access to financial services. These and other financial inclusion pioneers will be featured in Carol Realini’s forthcoming book “Financial Inclusion at the Bottom of the Pyramid.” See her Facebook page for further information. Other podcasts and posts in the series An update to this post about Bangladesh, mobile money and bKash is available now.

Let There Be Light - Courtesy of LuminaLight.org In a northern village of India, rural solar energy panels quietly produce clean energy, eliminating kerosene lamps that once polluted air and harmed health. Light bulbs shed their glow in the darkness of the night. Fans cool the hot, humid air. A light outside keeps children safe while chickens and cows produce income for families. Milk is ready for morning truckers who haul to market. That's India's future if Paul Needham, head of Simpa Networks, achieves his dream: putting solar panels, the size of two large laptop screens, on every village home and business. In my podcast interview with Paul, an ex-Microsoft entrepreneur, he describes Simpa's mission to electrify the one billion people on Earth without any power and another billion with little electricity. Rural Solar Energy from Simpa Networks Meanwhile Paul and his team at Simpa, along with sales agents who roam the countryside, fulfill an Indian government mandate: grow rural solar energy quickly to prevent further deterioration of India's environment. The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) says India's energy comes mainly from coal (60%) with an expected total electrical shortfall this year of 5.1%. The country must move quickly to reduce the health and environmental damage from fossil fuels--not an easy task with India's growing population now at 1.2B. Paul Needham, Simpa Networks' President & Co-Founder Paul Needham - Electronics and Solar Geek In our talk, Paul describes himself shamelessly as an electronics and solar geek. Leaving his Ph.d. behind, along with a small company called Microsoft, Paul fulfilled his dream of putting at least one light, a fan and a chicken in every village home. (Actually, the residents supplied the chickens, but Paul wanted to make sure chickens got plenty of light for increased egg yields.) While in Tanzania, Paul watched a woman trying to make money growing tomatoes on an acre of land. Meanwhile, another woman with a solar panel sold top-offs to cell phone customers nearby. The first woman didn't make a profit despite having plenty of water in the good years; the mobile vendor had a constant stream of customers who needed their phones charged and replenished with more calling minutes. Paul quickly realized that people could microfinance rural solar energy. Simpa customers put down a small deposit, then continue on a "pay as you go" method. Customers buy electricity as needed, stored on a battery slightly larger than a car's until they need to re-charge. Using SMS on a cell phone, customers transfer a dollar or two to Simpa for additional juice. After two years, customers own the solar system and get free energy. It's similar to leasing a car, except at the end of the term, ownership switches to the customer without further payments. Simpa Networks Solution Simpa Networks is doing well in the rural solar energy market. In May, 2014, the company raised $2.2M Can mobile technologies help companies like Simpa supply India's dire energy need? Learn more by listening to a fascinating and dedicated entrepreneur talk about his dream for solar energy in a land called India. About Paul Needham: Paul is a seasoned Infotech entrepreneur, having started several companies and sold two. As Simpa President Paul brings 14 years in senior leadership roles in the Infotech sector having held CEO, VP and Director level roles at private and public companies including Microsoft. Paul holds a masters degree from Cambridge University in development economics and now lives with his family in Bangalore, India For Further Information: The Next Wireless Revolution, Electricity (NY Times) Simpa Networks on Twitter Simple Facebook Page This is the sixth in a series of interviews and articles about financial inclusion of people using mobile devices to gain access to financial services. These and other financial inclusion pioneers will be featured in Carol Realini’s forthcoming book...

Active Hours Pay Are you an hourly worker paid 2-4 times a month? Then your employer is holding on to your wages waiting to give you your paycheck. Until payday, however, your company creates a "cash float" to pay its bills and maintain reserves. Every company needs reserves--retailers, manufacturers and banks--especially small companies that don't have high cash balances in accounts. But Ram Palaniappan, the Activehours CEO, thinks the reserves created by unpaid wages are excessive. Ram claims employers in the U.S. float an average $2 TRILLION in money owed to workers. In comparison, Forbes reports the total U.S. Healthcare cost for 2013 was $3.8 TRILLION. That means employers float 45%+ of the annual national healthcare cost continuously. Companies use this huge "cash float" to maintain buildings, pay utility and other bills, invest in their businesses and, of course, pay salaries. Ram argues you've already earned wages. So why should employers float the money when you could use the money to pay bills? Activehours Advances Your Wages..for a Tip Activehours is a mobile money pre-pay company that advances earned wages before someone's next paycheck. Activehours verifies earned income through the same firm supplying Mint (owned by Intuit) with online paid wage information. Ram Palaniappan, CEO of Activehours Recently, the company launched iPhone and Android apps. After taking a photo of a recent pay stub and sending to Activehours, users request part or all of their earnings and pay a "tip." The cost? Well, that's up to each user. Like tipping a taxi driver or restaurant server, you give whatever you want. Ram says, however, that the company is satisfied so far with its tip earnings, although he didn't reveal the average amount. Activehours initiates a transfer of its own funds to an employee's checking account. The customer then uses a banks ATM to access and use the funds. On the next payday, Activehours withdraws the "borrowed" amount and the tip from the worker's checking account. The difference between Activehours' accounts payable (advance the funds) and accounts receivable (take the funds back) is the company's cash float. The tip is gross income. By keeping expenses low, investing the float and tips, Activehours eventually becomes profitable as its assets rise. Here's a quick video explaining how customers use the service: Using Activehours May Hurt You More than Help You Activehours' appeal is certainly alluring: "Don't pay banks outrageous fees for overdrawing your account. Don't mortgage your financial freedom to "loan shark" Payday companies. You've earned your wages and should have access to them whenever you want." Outside of using the service for emergency funds, however, I wouldn't recommend Activehours. Hourly workers, like exempt employees, overspend and find it difficult to budget. If payday doesn't come soon enough to cover the rent, utilities and credit card dates, then work with each payee so it fits your pay schedule. If you're paying on time, credit card and utility companies will adjust monthly bill cycles to ensure they get paid on time. Second, the argument that "the money is yours...so take it when you want" puts a lot of pressure on people to adjust to variable wage payments every paydays. The accounting is much simpler if you know what you will be paid on an upcoming date. Third, the "tip" is a really a fee. Sure, you don't have to pay anything, but Ram at Activehours says most people are. Think of it this way. If you give a 5-10% tip on part of your wages, you've just reduced your income by the same amount. Now when the next payday comes, you not only have to pay Activehours back, you have even less money in your checking account. (Read this New York Times article for more information.) Activehours released a bar chart indicating that most overdraft charges occur by customers exceeding their bank balances by only $10-$15 dollars. If that's the case,

Anthony Perkins - Wing People in Cambodia hear Wing mobile money vibrating on phones and cell towers everywhere. Anthony Perkins, Wing's CEO and a ex-British guy, ponders and dreams about domestic and international money services. No, this is a fellow who's not satisfied with mPESA-like mobile exchange. As developing nations move from financial exclusion to inclusion, Perkins believes that successful entrepreneurs research desired financial services. Then they devise marketing strategies to meet unmet needs and wants. This sounds like marketing 101, but it's critical when launching mobile money businesses. Cambodians, per Wing's research, clearly wanted multiple financial products. Bringing many products to market early better assured Wing of earlier profitability on at least some of its lines of business. Wing Mobile Money Vision and Launch Funded by ANZ Bank in Australia, Anthony Perkins and the start-up team created the vision and launched their plan in 2009. Wing mobile money would offer consumer and business deposits, withdrawals, cell phone top offs from all five carriers, government payments, payroll disbursements, even mobile commerce. Television and radio commercials announced Wing's entry into the country's 24 provinces. The company also started recruiting agents for its Wing Cash Xpress stores nationwide. Wing didn't launch all services at the start but its advertising made clear that it planned on becoming a major player in domestic and international finance within and between Cambodia and global finance. While some services have not achieved management expectations, Wing achieved profitability four years after its 2009 launch with gross revenue before taxes of $1.2 billion. 2014 promises to be a stellar year for the company. Wing Cash Xpress Network and Stores Thousands of Wing Cash Xpress locations, managed by trained and monitored agents, now cover rural Cambodia. The Wing card flys into everyone's pockets like Amazon gift cards. Membership privileges: retail discounts, including restaurants, eye care and cinemas. Don't yet have a Wing card? No problem. Walk into any Xpress shop to send money or top off your Cambodia cell phone. Listen to an enlightening interview with Wing's CEO Anthony Perkins. Wing Mobile Money Links: Mobile Users (SIM's) pass 20 million in 2014 (Cambodia) Top 7 Cambodia Banks Mobile Money Asia (Comments by Wing's Founders and Anthony) Wing and Manulife Offer Life Insurance to Cambodians Wing Facebook Page Wing Twitter Page Wing Website About Wing Wing Products and Services Financial Inclusion Podcast Series on MobileBeyond Listen to and read about all mobile financial inclusion podcasts Click here. These and other financial inclusion pioneers will be featured in Carol Realini’s forthcoming book “Financial Inclusion at the Bottom of the Pyramid.” See her Facebook page for further information.

Mobile Money M-PESA In 2010, a few entrepreneurs in the United States contemplated a mobile financial inclusion solution for Kenya. A land of 10 million people, the majority of the Kenya's adult population carried ATM-like M-PESA cards. But less than half the population had bank accounts. And until recently merchants lacked terminals to process payments. This made M-PESA useless for millions of Kenyans. Without a payment system connecting consumers and merchants, the unbanked of Kenya carried cash. Mobile Financial Inclusion Emerges in Kenya Mobile phones in developing countries like Kenya, however, are ubiquitous. Simple mobile devices with SMS capability would provide a solution for Kenya if phones, M-PESA and merchant payment systems worked together. Mobile financial inclusion among the un-banked would become a reality. One thing was missing, however: a payment service company to integrate the entire system. The mobile financial inclusion solution was Kopo Kopo. During my interview with Ben Lyon, Director of Special Projects, he said that 70% of Kenyans have adopted M-PESA since 2007. That's 7 million payment system adopters in only a few years, unheard of in the annals of financial inclusion. Kopo Kopo faced a major challenge: convince venture capitalists, merchants, Safaricom, Kenya's mobile operator and, through them, M-PESA cardholders that there was a better solution. Similar to the Chase Paymentech/Square service, Kopo Kopo stressed that M-PESA required a mobile back-end technology player to integrate transactions. An example is someone having coffee at the Nairobi Coffee House. Paying the bill is a simple "push" action by the customer, who enters a six-digit retailer number, the payment amount and pin. Payment is confirmed within 15 seconds via SMS to the payer and retailer. Kopo Kopo only processes mobile money payments (for now). The company doesn't enable merchants to accept cards. Safaricom provisions dedicated merchant SIM cards, which Kopo Kopo is responsible for testing, packaging and distributing as part of the onboarding process. In this sense, Kopo Kopo distributes but does not "supply" the SIM kits. The company is growing quickly. Its most recent transactions equal $50M, a huge part of Kenya's GNP. As Kopo Kopo's blog points out, the "world is watching" as mobile payments continue growing in East Africa. Listen to the podcast interview for a discussion about mobile financial inclusion. Click the arrow above to listen. Ben Lyon co-founded and leads Kopo Kopo in Kenja helping merchants and consumers benefit from mobile payments Kenyan farmer holds a mobile phone For Further Reading: Mobile Payments Growing in Africa, India and the U.S. (Carol Realini Podcast Interview) Kopo Kopo Facebook Page Kopo Kopo on Twitter Crunchbase Kopo Kopo Financials Kopo Kopo Announces "Grow" Merchant Cash Advance Service Grow Merchant Cash Program Announced Safaricom Opens Up M-Pesa Agents' Network to Rival Mobile Cash Firms Carol Realini: Searching for Financial Inclusion Pioneers

What if you could purchase life or health insurance free from your wireless carrier or bank as easy as buying a ring tone? This may be the ultimate insurance financial inclusion tool in Africa and elsewhere. Buy X mobile minutes or deposit Y money in your bank to obtain cost-free insurance. Customers can opt-in by punching a short SMS code into their mobile phone in response to an ad. The Banking Association of South Africa defines financial inclusion as: "Access and usage of a broad range of affordable, quality financial services and products, in a manner convenient to the financially excluded, unbanked and under-banked; in an appropriate but simple and dignified manner with the requisite consideration to client protection. Accessibility should be accompanied by usage which should be supported through the financial education of clients." Richard Leftley,CEO, MicroEnsure In this first podcast interview series about insurance financial inclusion, Richard Leftley, MicroEnsure CEO, candidly describes the company's mission, beginnings and extraordinary growth. The company has seven million people under its insurance coverage and expects ten million by year's end. In 2007, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation began funding MicroEnsure. The company went public three years ago and now offers life and health insurance for medical emergencies, funerals, fires, livestock death and crop loss. Paying claims takes 72 hours max. The company promotes itself through mobile SMS/texting, TV, radio and billboard advertising. Inbound call centers cross-sell when customers call. Agents roam key markets. MicroEnsure accounts forits success by making the sign-up process simple. Insurance Financial Inclusion Micropayments The company operates in 16 countries with millions of new customers and service providers adopting MicroEnsure's creative marketing strategy: Use banks, insurance companies and mobile operators as partners that offer financial products at no or low-cost. When charging customers for extra services, think micro-payments that are affordable. Convince customers to use more air minutes and make larger bank deposits. Then upsell/cross-sell. For example, families opt in to free life insurance for the husband. Then, based on increased deposits, offer customers an upgrade for $1 a month for additional coverage. MicroEnsure's operator partners benefit as customer loyalty increases through reduced market churn. This reduces customers changing SIM's in their mobile phones which increases customer ARPU's. Partners invest only 3% of revenues and receive 10% back. Richard Leftley Background Leftley was a successful businessman in London. During a vacation, he took a vacation to Zambia where he stayed with a poor family. The husband developed HIV and required much of the family's money for his care. They lost their home and lived out of a car when he died. Richard wondered why poor people didn't buy insurance. Was it the cost? A lack of understanding of life insurance's benefits? Richard left his job to work for Opportunity International in Chicago. Opportunity International provides savings, small business loans, insurance and training to more than 5 million people working their way out of poverty in the developing world. Clients in 22 countries use these financial services to expand businesses, provide for their families, create jobs for their neighbors and build a safety net for the future. Fire in Your Belly During our interview, Richard talks humbly and persuasively about banks, insurance companies, and mobile operators taking a "leap of faith" to improve financial inclusion. CMO's must be convinced in their guts that MicroEnsure's work is necessary and can generate profits for its partners. "We must not lose focus on why we're doing this...we need to affect people's lives." He talks about an event that brought him to his knees in Bangladesh. When children get sick,

Ken Khouri, IBM Global Technology Services Mobile device security and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) are hot growth sectors in the mobile industry. Dozens of vendors now offer numerous solutions to enterprise companies and SMB's that prevent sensitive data from dripping into mobile devices. It's challenging as podcast guest Ken Khouri of IBM Global Technology will tell you. When Apple announced the release of its iPhone in 2007, followed by massive smartphone adoption over the years, IT executives sought data security solutions. New software and systems protect corporate data servers while distributing necessary information to the workforce on their mobile devices. Even Amazon's Kindle Fire HD is now the third most popular tablet in the growing enterprise BYOD ecosystem. Mobile Device Security and BYOD Get Married Once IT departments only provisioned and maintained BlackBerry smart phones for mobile employees mostly in sales and marketing. Now mobility has spread to all employees, who carry iPhones, Android, Windows and other devices. The BYOD era has forced IT managers to find efficient and secure connectivity for a mobile workforce. In a sense, the "age of mobile" has spawned a blossoming new era of mobile device security and BYOD. People naturally want to bring their phones to work, especially the heavy users whom Joy Liuzzo calls "mobile intensives." Mobile Device Management (MDM) Competition Increases in 2012, Gartner issued a report--commonly called the "Magic Quadrant--that identified MDM vendors divided into four boxes: leaders, visionaries, challengers and niche players. See the slideshare MDM presentation for all key players. However, Gartner only included vendors who met its defined standards at that time. Others have entered the mobile device security market, like Novell, but find it challenging to compete against Gartner's "blessed" players. Niche and value-added players will undoubtedly skim the cream off the top of MDM. IT management in large part has adopted Gartner's assessment of vendors who qualify as mobile device security companies. The research company also estimates that 65% of all enterprise companies will adopt MDM by 2017. A few vendors in the list--such as AirWatch, MobileIron and IBM Global Services are key enterprise contenders, while other vendors, such as KACE/IT, want part of the BYOD action . Only time will tell which vendors best collaborate with enterprise IT managers in balancing mobile device security protecting enterprise data vs. social media privacy. Mobile Device Security & BYOD: Podcast interview with Ken Khouri of IBM Global Technology Services Ken Khouri discusses a recent Forrester study, commissioned by IBM and others. Key highlights: From BlackBerry's to mobile smartphones. Company and employee concerns. Corporations want data security and distribution of right content to right employees; workforce wants smartphone choice Importance of correct configurations for multiple devices Third party vendors in the Enterprise offering heightened security and management of mobile devices Forrester study engaged IBM clients (mainly a large European bank) to study productivity and improvements. Definition of productivity = added time in the day spent working Increased worker output using new mobile app helps increase sales $17M savings over three years; extra hour per week across organization increased ROI "Soft factors," such as increased social interactions, improve morale and performance (not from study) Key steps at Enterprises or SMB's to prepare employees and management for BYOD changes BYOD mobile strategy development

Shelley Plomske, VP of Product, Total Merchant Services Most people don't want to throw away their credit, debit, discount, and other cards flooding their wallets and purses. People cling to these plastic icons like a crocodile holding its prey. What if you could use mobile merchant services instead? You can by using a smartphone. In our podcast interview, Shelley Plomske, VP of Product with Total Merchant Services, tells you how. Imagine this. You're shopping at your favorite clothing retailer. A sales consultant approaches you as you finish trying on several dresses or suits. Slowly, with the skills of a magician, the consultant whips out a smartphone with a card reader on top, ready to swipe and complete the purchase. In our podcast interview, Carol Realini at Obopay discussed how U.S. consumers have slowly adopted mobile payments, similar to bank-less consumers in India and Africa. But as bankless consumers in developing and developed countries realize the ease of mobile transactions, mobile will become the dominant payment method. Merchant payment services, such as Total's, assure continued growth of mobile payments. Interview with Shelley Plomske Shelley Plomske joined Total Merchant Services in 2012 as VP of Product. She is responsible for creating new products and services. Before that, in 2003, Shelley was at Mercury, a firm that rapidly developed POS integrated payment processing technology. Shelley helped innovate the company's service technology that created competitive advantages for Mercury's partners. In 2011 she became Senior Vice President of Products. For Further Reading: PayPal Merchant Payments Mobile Payments Growing as eBay Buys Zong

Wordpress website themes with Don Campbell of Expand2Web When Don Campbell talks about Wordpress website themes, you feel there's hope for small businesses on the Web. Don left Microsoft four years ago to start a slightly smaller company called Expand2Web. His popular SmallBiz Theme, running on Wordpress, puts to shame those $10,000 flashy "WOW!"websites that no one follows. WordPress Website Themes: Find a Niche Millions of eyeballs now stare at Wordpress blogs and websites powered by premium themes with lots of features. Luke Burford in Quora writes that the Wordpress premium theme market grew substantially in the past two years while generic themes declined. Finding a niche in a market flooded with themes helps define your company's mission, products and services. SmallBiz Wordpress Theme And that's what Don Campbell at Expand2Web has done. He began nurturing the small biz market with very informative, useful YouTube videos and non-technical blog posts covering SEO, choosing a URL and other key website issues. Then he continued adding new functionality essential for small businesses competing on the Web: a blog, of course to start, followed by built-in SEO similar to Thesis and Studiopress which uses the Genesis Framework Over the months, Expand2Web continued adding new modules, such as the Facebook integration and mobile optimization for major smartphones. The company will even host your website at very affordable rates. Here's a short example of one video explaining theme features. /center>In the podcast interview, Don describes how Expand2Web started, his views on social media and techniques for getting great website content from small business owners. Don Campbell Background Don Campbell is President of Expand2Web, which provides tools and training to help businesses succeed online. Prior to founding Expand2Web in January 2008, Don was a Technology Evangelist for Microsoft, where he helped partners adopt new Microsoft technologies and presented to C-Level executives at Fortune 500 companies. Don was also a Group Program Manager at Interwoven, where he built a $5M product line and was a key early employee. Interwoven grew to 1,000 employees and went IPO in 2000. Don lives in the heart of Silicon Valley – San Jose California with his lovely wife and two daughters. Don offers a podcast script of our interview on his site. Download it here.

Speech voice recognition has progressed beyond talking elevators and primitive computer text-to-speech and recognition. Early personal computer dictation software started melting like Verizon flip phones. That gave Paul Macarelli, the "can you hear me now" Verizon guy, new television scripts. Many years later, Apple introduced its Mountain Lion Mac operating system with improved voice dictation software. Speech Voice Recognition - Mobile Cloud Computing Growing Haven't you always wanted to tell your toaster "toast that bagel." Perhaps you've longed for a time when you could command your HD plasma display TV to "find the Star Trek episode where Scottie and Kirk get drunk together. In the not-too-distant future, instruct your Android mobile tablet to keep the kids entertained as Mom and Dad relax watching movies. All things are possible with this technology. And iSpeech believes consumers are ready to talk with their appliances using its speech voice recognition technology. (Remember to close the drapes, though, in case the neighbors are watching.)

Zynga FarmVille Customer Service Like Farmville customer service? Having avoided Farmville for two months, I must tell you how delighted I feel this week. Zynga and its caring public service team reached out to me. Here's the first email from the company's VP of Player Advocacy and Service: "Hello Brian, We noticed that your Farmville game has been quiet for some time. Just a short time ago, your game was thriving from your TLC and creativity. We wanted you to know that your game misses the sweet sound of your mouse clicks. As a part of the Player Advocacy Team, I wanted to check with you to see if you had any game-related issues that made you move on to other pastures. And because you were so dedicated with with game, I'd love to get your feedback on what would we could have done better. We value all of our players and want you to know we're on your side. Let us know how we can get your game going again and we will do our best. If you would like to submit your feedback, please reply to this message." Warm regards, VP Player Advocacy and Service Zynga Inc. Now, how often do you hear from technology companies that truly appreciate your business? Especially one that cut its cord with Facebook to better serve its customers. As I re-read the email, I almost cried, partly in guilt because I used the MouseTractor to quickly harvest my crops. Farmville Customer Service - My Reply And so I replied to the VP explaining why I avoided Farmville: "Hi... Great title for a job, I must say. Two reasons for cutting back on Farmville and CityVille. First, I don't have as much time to play due to my schedule. And second, I got tired of Zynga's constant barrage of digital commercials. Sometimes it took me five minutes of saying no to your offers before getting to my farm. I'm sure during that time the strawberries were withering. I also think you should get rid of the restrictions on player levels and what I can get with my points, not just my farm cash. I've heard that only 3% of Zynga's players send you money. But I bet you you'd earn a lot more from a larger percentage of your millions of players if you charged less and offered more. The energy thing is another irritant. After buying Brian's Donut Store or whatever, I'm forced to use lots of energy before I can open the front door. Sometimes construction takes weeks. I'm a blogger and podcaster (see MobileBeyond ) and I've written about Farmville. If you're interested in some humor, try googling "Brian Prows Farmville." I wrote a scathing piece on Zynga and Farmville last year." Keep those games coming! Best, Brian P.S. If you or anyone else would like to appear on MobileBeyond, let me know. Giving TLC to Farmville Game Players What an opportunity! I shared with a Zynga VP my candid comments about Farmville customer service. In fact, I'm certain Zynga's Farmville Team did cartwheels when they read my response. After all, I believe that Zynga's customer care team is just as responsive as Facebook's. Here's to ya! Customer Service Contact by Zynga Rep Boy was I surprised when a Zynga Player Advocate sent me an email the same day! I've rarely seen such responsiveness and dedication by the Farmville customer service team. Here's what she said: "Dear Brian. Thanks so much for your feedback. We truly appreciate you taking time to voice your opinion. I am gathering feedback from several dedicated players such as yourself to make a strong case to the Farmville studio for game updates. For your inconvenience, I’ve credited your account with 25 Farm Cash, so that you can still have some fun in the meantime. About your interview query I appreciate your information and I'm forwarding your inquiry to the correct team. Thanks again and I sincerely hope that you will consider visiting our games in the future." Have a great day! Regards, Zynga Player Advocate Follow Us on Twitter @zynga Well, Zynga's Farmville customer service team has truly proven to me they CARE.

Mobile Ad Expert Joy Liuzzo of InsightExpress Some people think mobile ads are intrusive, apps for laggards, tablets are toys and Android Ice Cream Sandwich a silly name tied to Android OS. (That's assuming they know Android refers to a smartphone operating system and not Data on Star Trek.) These folks are technophobes. But they've probably never met Joy Liuzzo, mobile researcher with InsightExpress. She calls the feature phone crowd that make "cell phone" calls and maybe text a bit, the "mobile restrained." Joy has to try hard these days, as we approach 50% smartphone penetration in the U.S., to recruit these fine folks for her mobile ads and behavioral studies. Canvassing MWC's Exhibit Halls However, Joy has most fun walking around the exhibits finding "mobile intensives," those folks who sleep with their mobiles in case they need overnight charging. Plus you never know when important mobile ads will hit your phone. In her charming way, Joy describes in the podcast interview (her fourth on MobileBeyond), MWC attendees sitting on the exhibit floors playing with their smartphones. Others text their co-workers in the same room during gala events. Joy proudly admits she's one of them. Mobile Ads, Apps, Tablets and and Ice Cream Sandwiches Seriously, though. MWC is the place to be. It's the largest gathering of mobolites on the planet. Like CES, the consumer electronics show, Mobile World Congress exhibitors demonstrate new products, services and technologies some of which will make it to market. Many won't. The Android folks had a slide and free ice cream sandwiches to celebrate the release of version OS 4. I'm sure people like me who only have the latest version of Gingerbread probably snarled at the staff as they walked by the booth. Joy tells other stories in the podcast. Mobile Carriers Propose Charging Content Providers and Rewarding Smartphone Users Operators and Carriers want a bigger piece of the wireless content pie, especially mobile apps. While the telecommunications pie grows larger, it's the lemon meringue, cherry and dark chocolate toppings they really want. Application-driven services sound awfully sweet right now as mobile app developers and the media churn out innovative content and services. Until mobile exploded, Android mobile devices, embedded applications, mHealth and other mobile products and services sat in the background collecting a measly amount of the $500 billion dollars spent yearly on worldwide advertising and billions of development funding. Now carriers want to charge not only for the data plans that deliver content; they feel they're entitled to part of the revenues charged by content producers, using 800 numbers. Yes, 800 numbers. AT&T feels that consumers will love downloading apps on telco lines and pay less in data fees. CNET has an excellent article that explains this inane proposal for mobile app distribution. Here's a shoot-from-the hip Google+ member Mike Dano (Fierce@MWC) about AT&T, Netflix, Amazon and Google: After spending around 48 hours writing and reporting here from Mobile World Congress, here's the main trend that I've notice: Wireless carriers are big crybabies. Basically, they are lamenting the fact that "over the top" companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon and Netflix are using their networks to deliver good services to consumers, and are therefore reaping much of the revenues generated from that network transport. While operators obviously charge users for access to their networks, they are largely no longer providing the actual services that people use. In speech after speech here, operators are complaining about OTT players taking too much revenues and causing too much network traffic. They are arguing that OTT players like Netflix and the like should shoulder some of the network maintenance costs their services require. Of course, that's crap. Operators are crybabies, and if they can't provide useful services to customers,