Kenya's mobile revolution and the promise of mobile savings

Kenya has undergone a remarkable information and communications technology (ICT) revolution. At the close of the 1990s, less than 3 percent of Kenyan households owned a telephone, and fewer than 1 in 1,000 Kenyan adults had mobile phone service. By the end of 2011, 93 percent of Kenyan households owned a mobile phone.

A unique facet of the ICT phenomenon in Kenya has been the widespread proliferation of mobile money. Starting with the M-PESA system launched by Safaricom in 2007 and later joined by other systems, mobile money has become a fixture in the lives of Kenyans, extending a basic form of financial access to a wide population.

Mobile money platforms have evolved since inception and have entered a new phase with the advent of bank-integrated mobile savings products. The first such product, M-KESHO, was launched in March 2010 as a partnership between Safaricom and Equity Bank.

In this paper we examine the mobile savings phenomenon, using data collected in a survey during October and November of 2010. The concept of ―savings on mobile platforms is not well defined, and we begin by putting forward a classification of the existing innovations. We differentiate between ―basic mobile savings‖ and ―bank-integrated mobile savings. Basic mobile savings refers to the simple storage of credit using a mobile system such as M-PESA. Bank-integrated mobile savings refers to systems which include a fuller set of banking services such as interest payments on deposits or overdraft facilities. This is the first study that examines patterns of use of bank-integrated mobile savings in Kenya.

The paper is organized as follows. Section 2 presents findings on the overall prevalence of mobile phone and mobile money usage in Kenya based on the Afrobarometer survey conducted at the end of 2011. Section 3 reviews the existing literature on the broader mobile money phenomenon. Section 4 describes how mobile money works in Kenya and shows the growth of mobile money usage over time. Section 5 describes the data on mobile savings analyzed in this paper. Section 6 describes the concept and measurement of mobile savings. Section 7 presents
the core analysis. Section 8 discusses the future of mobile savings and concludes.

World Bank. Author:Demombynes, Gabriel; Thegeya,Aaron.Document Date: 2012/03/01. Document Type: Policy Research Working Paper. Report Number: WPS5988

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European Mobile Industry Observatory 2011

GSMA Mobile Observatory. Mobile communication is now a key European industry, comparable in size to aerospace and largerthan pharmaceuticals,1 with total revenues amounting to €174 billion in 2010. Today, mobile services are ubiquitously available, with a population coverage rate of nearly 100% and a mobile penetration rate of 128% in Europe (versus 100% in Japan and 104% in the USA). This represents 656 million individual subscriptions (measured as active SIM cards) held by an estimated 456 million Europeans (89% of the population), many of whom have more than one subscription. Mobile services are now being used across all age groups and socioeconomic segments of the population. Indeed mobile services are often the only regular communication services for some socio-economic groups.

Innovative mobile data services are changing the dynamics of the industry and the way consumers use their handsets. Mobile Broadband is becoming widespread, with 92% growth per year since 2006. Smartphones, which are forecast to grow at 33% per year, and more recently tablets, which are forecast to grow at 57% per year, are further driving an explosion in mobile data traffic. According to Cisco, mobile data traffic volumes are expected to increase by over 90% each year for the next 5 years. By 2015, Europeans will consume more data than any other region on a per capita basis.

Investment and innovation in new technologies and services (e.g. LTE networks) is supporting this growth. Traditional mobile companies such as network operators, handset manufacturers and infrastructure suppliers are contributing to this end but no longer fully define the mobile market. Expanding content and service offerings, new software and user interfaces, and easily accessible distribution channels are creating a consumer-driven mobile ecosystem with a diverse set of players – all of which will drive future growth in mobile data.

Voice call volumes grew by an average of 13% per annum from 2000 to 2011, with European consumers making an estimated 144 minutes of outgoing mobile calls per head of population per month in 2011. The growth in mobile messaging traffic (SMS and MMS) was very strong until 2010, with growth of 23% per annum from 2000 to 2009. Since 2009, growth in mobile messaging has slowed to 2% per annum, due to the use of social media and instant messaging services as alternatives to SMS and MMS.

Despite the economic climate, mobile services continue to make a strong socio-economic contribution to Europe. The mobile industry supported an estimated 1.7 million jobs for Europeans in 2010 and mobile operators contributed €174 billion (1% of total EEA GDP) to GDP. Contribution to public funding amounting to approximately €65 billion – plus a further €18 billion estimated as the indirect contribution from related industries

Fierce competition in the mobile market is driving down prices. Across the EU27, mobile prices fell by an average of 11-13% per annum between 2006 and 2010. In comparison, fixed line prices fell by only 5% a year from 1998 to 2010. Telecommunications services are one of the few household services that have declined in price over the past few years. By comparison, between 2007 and 2010, European Union consumer prices for energy and food increased by an average of 4% and 3% per annum respectively

Despite these price declines, usage growth enabled the mobile industry to enjoy strong revenue growth, averaging 9% per annum, from 2000 to 2008. In the recent recession, however, revenues declined by 3% in 2009 and remained relatively flat in 2010. It is expected that mobile operators’ revenues will continue on this trend through 2011, especially as economic conditions continue to deteriorate in several countries. The economic climate has also intensified trends already seen in a mature and intensely competitive market, for instance consolidation across the value chain – including operators and their vendors.

Data for 2010 suggests that operators generated profits at a similar modest level to 2007 and 2008 – with returns on capital employed (ROCE) of 13%. Contrary to popular belief, such returns lag those of numerous other sectors, as illustrated in the exhibit below.

Mobile operator revenue growth rates have been declining for the past few years due to the economic climate, market maturity and greater regulatory interventions. Cautious consumer spending and reductions in business expenditure, as a result of the uncertain economic climate over the last few years, are continuing to pressure revenues. The European Commission has also targeted mobile termination rates, seeking to introduce major reductions by the end of 2012. These factors can be seen in the fact that European ARPU declined from €27 per month in 2006 to €20 per month in Q2 2011. Recent IDC data estimated that 2009 and 2010 saw a 10% and 7% decline in mobile voice revenues respectively.

Mobile data revenues are partially offsetting reductions elsewhere with strong growth in broadband connected to sales of smartphones and dongles. Data now represents 12% of mobile operator service revenues, having been only 4% in 2007. Mobile operators are also facing strong competition for consumer spending and share of total industry margin from other industry players, such as fixed line operators, device manufacturers and developers of operating systems, applications and content.

To ensure competitiveness and reignite long-term revenue growth, the mobile industry continues to invest in product and service innovation. Investment in research and development of mobile services can be very high. In 2010, Telefonica invested €4.8 billion in technological Innovation, of which €800 million were directly allocated to R&D. Over the last few years, mobile data services have begun to yield the impressive results awaited for many years – a
trend that will only continue as new data-oriented products, content and services emerge.

As these new services are increasingly “bandwidth hungry” they will require investments into new, higher capacity networks. Mobile operators have already started deploying new technologies, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), to satisfy the future requirements for mobile voice and data services.

Mobile industry investment in new technologies and infrastructure can also act as part of economic stimulus to help promote economic recovery. According to the ITU4, investments in ICTs can play a large role in generating economic recovery given their strong externalities, high multiplier effects in returns on investment and reduced leakages. Social returns to investment in ICT infrastructure are likely to exceed the individual private returns on investment, suggesting that the private sector alone is unlikely to generate the socially optimal levels of investment. Infrastructure investments are also likely to generate more robust and durable economic growth than other types of stimulus measures.

If given the right opportunities, the mobile industry is expected to continue investing strongly in new technologies and new services.

Support of future technologies, by operators, vendors and regulatory stakeholders such as the European Commission, is vital for future economic growth.

European Mobile Industry Observatory 2011

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Asia Pacific Mobile Observatory 2011

GSMA Mobile Observatory. Asia Pacific is the largest mobile market in the world, and is continuing to show strong growth. Asia Pacific accounts for half of the total mobile connections in the world, with 3 billion lines. Looking ahead, the region is expected to continue its strong growth, adding a further 1.5 billion connections between 2010 and 2015 – similar in scale to the achievements of the last five years when 1.7 billion new connections were added. This growth and scale is encouraging for consumers and investors alike, as the industry has shown resilience through the global economic crisis by continuing to invest funds to improve the quality of mobile services across the region.

The Asia Pacific mobile market is highly competitive. 13 of the 17 major markets (“AP17”) in Asia Pacific have at least five network operators, while India has as many as fifteen. This is contributing to rapidly declining prices and operator margins in most markets. Despite intense competition, falling prices and margins, operators in Asia Pacific’s major markets have invested an average of 16.3% of their revenues into capital expenditure, significantly higher than their counterparts in other geographies. Furthermore, they have repaid investor confidence – operators in developing Asia Pacific countries have reported above-average equity performance, beating every other region globally.



Mobile broadband and data services are transforming the landscape. By 2015 Asia Pacific is expected to account for 40% of global data traffic. Mobile broadband is booming across the Asia Pacific region, increasingly becoming the standard conduit to access the Internet, partly driven by rapid 3G network rollouts. In all developed Asian markets mobile service coverage now stands at over 95% while the likes of Malaysia and Indonesia have also achieved population coverage of over 80% – especially impressive given the topography of these countries. As a result, the breadth of applications and services delivered over mobile networks is booming. For example, by 2020 there will be an estimated 5.3 billion M2M connections in Asia Pacific.



The inaugural Mobile Broadband Readiness Index (MBRI) indicates that countries creating an ecosystem conducive to growth in mobile data services have the potential to make rapid leaps ahead of their peers. In 2011 we saw Japan rise up to the top of the index above Singapore, driven by its early 4G rollout and its pro-innovation environment. Hong Kong and Vietnam also jumped ahead, demonstrating their strong commitment to fostering a successful mobile broadband landscape. Different stages of market evolution will require different strategies to ensure that growth can be sustained.

The mobile sector is a major contributor to Asian economic growth. The industry accounts for an estimated US$485 billion, or 2.7% of GDP, across the 17 major AP17 countries. It also accounts for 11.4 million jobs – for each job created by a mobile operator, there are eight more generated in the mobile ecosystem and wider economy. In terms of contributions to public funding, almost US$300 billion was generated through various taxes and fees in 2010. Overall, the positive impact of the mobile sector in terms of job creation, public funding and productivity improvement will play a key role in leading slowing economies away from potential recession. This relies on both the players in the mobile ecosystem and a conducive operating environment based on regulatory policies that will drive increased coverage, penetration and mobile phone usage, which in turn will lead to increased economic prosperity. The mobile sector is having a transformational impact on society. As well as the social, environmental and charitable initiatives led by mobile operators, the industry is making a profound collateral impact on society by creating efficiencies in everyday communication, productivity and knowledge. Communication is more efficient than ever before, with mobile platforms providing a basis for instant social and professional connections. Productivity efficiencies come from data-enabled mobile devices providing greater flexibility in where we process information, allowing us to lead more productive lives and businesses to be more efficient in their delivery of goods and services. Knowledge efficiencies have enabled markets to function more efficiently and the unprecedented ability of consumers to access any information, anytime, anywhere and can provide a deep social, intellectual and financial advantage.

Regulators play a critical role as enablers of future mobile-driven economic and social development. The industry must continue to grow, in order to facilitate further economic and societal change across Asia Pacific. Effective regulatory policy-making is potentially the most important influencer of growth. Discussions with several players within the ecosystem identified five key regulatory themes that need addressing within an Asia Pacific context:

1) Optimising spectrum allocation and licensing

2) Driving effective taxation and deployment of government funds

3) Rebalancing regulatory frameworks to address new players in the growing mobile ecosystem

4) Developing a sustainable model for mobile internet, by proactively addressing net neutrality concerns

5) Allowing the market to address mobile data roaming charges

Progressive regulatory bodies that instigate and shape policy must do so by looking at the industry through a ‘wide angle-lens’, addressing the wider mobile ecosystem and ensuring that their policies continue to enable the industry to benefit its consumers, generate value and drive social development and economic growth.

Asia Pacific Mobile Observatory 2011

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African Mobile Observatory 2011

GSMA Mobile Observatory. The mobile industry in Africa is booming. With over 620 million mobile connections as of September 2011, Africa has overtaken Latin America to become the second largest mobile market in the world, after Asia. Over the past 10 years, the number of mobile connections in Africa has grown an average of 30% per year and is forecast to reach 735 million by the end of 2012.



Fierce competition has driven down prices and increased penetration. Price wars have been common across the continent as operators compete for market share with innovative revenue and pricing options - operators have reduced prices an average of 18% between 2010 and 20112, making mobile connectivity more broadly affordable to the masses. 96% of subscriptions are pre-paid with voice services currently dominating, however the uptake of data services is increasing rapidly. For example in Kenya data revenues, including SMS, have increased at a remarkable 67% CAGR over the last 4 years and now represent 26% of total revenues.

The Mobile Industry in Africa contributes US$56bn to the regional economy, equivalent to 3.5% of total GDP. In particular, the mobile ecosystem is estimated to employ over 5 million Africans and is contributing to bringing mobile services to customers right across the continent. However there remains huge untapped potential - 36% of Africans, within the 25 largest African mobile markets (A25), still have no access to mobile services. Projections indicate that raising the whole region to 100% mobile penetration (see figure 3), could add an additional $35 billion in aggregate GDP to the region, equivalent to a further 2% increase.

This is the first African edition in the GSMA Mobile Observatory series and provides a comprehensive review of the African mobile communications industry. The report focuses on how mobile operators and African governments can work together to continue the remarkable growth story of the African mobile industry. The benefits that mobile services have already brought to hundreds of millions of Africans can be extended to those who have yet to connect. By so doing, the African continent can continue to bring not only communication services, but also improved financial services, healthcare and education to its people and drive an increase in the economic wealth and development.

The mobile industry in Africa is an enabler of economic development far beyond its immediate domain. Mobile operators have driven the emergence of a unique industry in innovative mobile services in Africa. Mobile Value-Added Services have been launched throughout the continent to enable and support agriculture, banking, education, healthcare and gender equality. In particular, the emergence of mobile money transfers and mobile banking puts Africa firmly at the forefront of the global Mobile Money industry. Beyond mobile services, the mobile industry is also contributing to rural electrical distribution with lower carbon emissions and facilitating the work of NGOs across the continent. Many African governments have prioritized ICT policy as a key driver for development

Key issues for future growth

For the mobile industry to continue to serve as a catalyst for growth, sufficient spectrum is needed for the provision of mobile broadband services. African countries have currently allocated considerably less spectrum to mobile services than developing countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia. Allocating the Digital Dividend spectrum to mobile services will enable the mobile industry to accelerate its efforts to bring connectivity and information to large swathes of rural Africa.

African governments are slowly shifting to more transparent ICT regulation, but limited spectrum availability remains a key barrier to sustaining long term growth. The GSMA supports a technology neutral approach to the use of all existing mobile bands; governments in Africa should allow deployment of mobile technologies that can technically co-exist according to what are relevant internationally harmonised bands for their region.

The GSMA encourages governments in the region to establish clear guidelines for spectrum planning, licensing, pricing and re-farming. African governments must clarify future spectrum availability of both the coverage bands (700, 800, and 900 MHz bands) and the capacity bands (1800, 2100, 2300, 2600, and 3500 MHz bands).

Regulation practices must continue to improve to ensure the effective long term development of the mobile sector. 64% of African countries remain in the bottom quartile of the World Economic Forum’s political/regulatory index. GSMA research indicates that total tax intake of governments could be boosted, by reducing mobile specific taxes across Africa.

 

Universal access has also been promoted by most African governments using taxation schemes, but there is limited transparency around the distribution of funds. By working in partnership, mobile operators and African governments can continue the remarkable growth story of the African mobile industry. The benefits that mobile services have already brought to hundreds of millions of Africans can be extended to those who have yet to connect. By so doing, the African continent can continue to bring not only communication services, but also improved financial services, healthcare and education to its people and drive an increase in the economic wealth and development.

This is the first African edition in the GSMA Mobile Observatory series and provides a comprehensive review of the African mobile communications industry. The report focuses on how mobile operators and African governments can work together to continue the remarkable growth story of the African mobile industry. The benefits that mobile services have already brought to hundreds of millions of Africans can be extended to those who have yet to connect. By so doing, the African continent can continue to bring not only communication services, but also improved financial services, healthcare and education to its people and drive an increase in the economic wealth and development

African Mobile Observatory 2011

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UNESCO partnership with Nokia leads the way in mobile learning

Media Services. UNESCO.12.12.2011-Education Sector.The first UNESCO Mobile Learning Week, organized in partnership with Nokia, will be held at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris to discuss the use of mobile technologies in education through an international experts’ meeting (12-14 December) and a symposium (14-16 December).

A diverse group of stakeholders will explore the potential and challenges of mobile learning in a world with over 5.3 billion mobile subscribers, approximately 90% of the planet’s population.

Mobile technologies not only expand access to information and education, they can also transform education itself by spurning new forms of literacy and new contexts for teaching and learning. They have been used to provide access to distance education for teachers in remote areas in Mozambique; to enable the development of literacy among girls in Pakistan; to motivate young learners in South Africa to read and nurture an interest in mathematics; to enable access to literacy among adult women in Niger; to reinforce communication systems between principals and teachers in Kenya; and to enhance administration systems in schools in Mongolia.

However, globally there are very few national policies directly related to the support of mobile learning and for the most part mobile learning is only beginning to be considered seriously by departments of education. There is thus a great deal of work to be done, and in particular to advise UNESCO Member States on the potential and challenges of mobile learning

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Austria set for mobile consolidation

Mobile Busines.30 Nov 2011.Austria is the latest mature Western European mobile market set to see consolidation with a merger reportedly imminent between the country’s two smallest operators, Orange and 3, while the parent of the market leader – Telekom Austria’s A1 – is also the subject of takeover speculation.

According to the latest Wireless Intelligence data, Austria is approaching 150 percent market penetration, making it the fourth most penetrated mobile market in Western Europe behind only Finland, Portugal and Italy. Nevertheless, the Austrian market still managed to grow by 6 percent year-on-year in Q3 with only Orange’s customer base contracting slightly from a year ago (by 1 percent).

The market is also highly advanced with 3G connections now accounting for half of the country’s total (53 percent) and three of the four local operators having launched LTE. Almost three quarters of Austrian mobile subscribers are also now on postpaid contracts.

Hong Kong's Hutchison Whampoa, owner of 3 Austria, has reportedly tabled a EUR1.4 billion bid for Orange Austria, which is thought could be accepted and finalised by year-end. The transaction would merge third-placed operator Orange and fourth-placed 3 to create a powerful number three behind A1 and second-placed T-Mobile. According to the latest Wireless Intelligence figures, based on Q3 data, the deal would create a combined entity with 3.5 million mobile connections and a 27 percent market share.

Orange Austria’s owners – private-equity firm Mid Europa Partners (65 percent) and France Telecom (35 percent) – are thought to be keen on exiting the market. The pair acquired the network, formerly known as One, in 2007 for EUR1.4 billion (the same price reportedly offered by 3), in a deal that was touted at the time as the “largest industrial leveraged buy-out in Austria.” However, Austria is now one of several European markets where France Telecom is reviewing the disposal of assets it deems as ‘non-core.’

If successful, the merger will leave the enlarged operator with a significant amount of surplus base stations and additional spectrum. According to reports, 3 is looking to secure a deal in which A1 will purchase over half of the Orange base stations it is set to inherit, plus frequencies in the 2.1GHz spectrum band. Orange’s youth-focused prepaid brand, Yesss!, is also understood to be included in 3’s mooted deal with A1.

Austria switched on its first commercial LTE network in the country’s capital city, Vienna, in November. A1 and T-Mobile both launched LTE in Q4 2010, also in the capital. The new networks are now being rolled out in other urban centres, including Graz and Linz.

Meanwhile, A1’s parent firm, the country’s fixed-line incumbent Telekom Austria, has been struggling financially this year, appearing to make it ripe for a takeover attempt. While the Austrian government’s 28.4 percent 'blocking' stake in the firm makes a hostile takeover extremely difficult, an investment vehicle led by notable Austrian ‘corporate raider’ Ronny Pecik has steadily built up a 15 percent stake in recent months and is poised to use its influence to trigger a shift in Telekom Austria’s ownership and board make-up.

Pecik is reportedly in alliance with Orascom Telecom founder Naguib Sawiris and one suggested scenario for the group is that they lobby Telekom Austria to align (or possibly divest) some assets in Eastern Europe to Orascom or VimpelCom, Orascom’s indirect majority parent. Telekom Austria controls a number of mobile operators in Eastern Europe, notably in Bulgaria (Mobiltel), Belarus (Velcom), Slovenia (Si.mobil), Macedonia (Vip), Croatia (VIPnet) and Serbia (Vip).

In the first nine months of the year, Telekom Austria reported a 73.2 percent year-on-year decline in net income to EUR68.7 million, while sales dropped 4.1 percent to EUR3.34 billion.

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Release of Spectrum Is Set to Generate an Additional US$82 billion in GDP Per Year and Help Lift 40 Million Sub-Saharan Africans Out of Poverty by 2025

GSM World. 29 November 2011,ATU Digital Migration and Spectrum Policy Summit, Nairobi.The GSMA today announced that greater allocation of spectrum for Mobile Broadband is vital for the economic and social development of sub-Saharan Africa. New findings from a report by the GSMA and Plum Consulting reveal that, across the region, the release of Mobile Broadband spectrum in the Digital Dividend and the 2.6GHz bands by 2015 in sub-Saharan Africa could:

•Create up to 27 million new jobs, increase GDP per capita by 5.2 per cent1, which will directly lift 40 million people out of poverty2 by 2025; and

•Increase GDP and government tax revenues by US$82 billion and US$18 billion per year respectively by 2025.

Mobile voice and SMS services have made major economic contributions to sub-Saharan Africa over the past decade and accounted for 3.5 per cent of regional GDP by 2010. While the effects of broadband internet access are just beginning to be felt across the region, its importance has been recognised by the UN Broadband Commission for Digital Development which has set a global broadband challenge “to ensure that 40 per cent of households in developing countries are using broadband internet by 20153.” In sub-Saharan Africa, the lack of fixed line telecom infrastructure means that Mobile Broadband services will be essential in achieving this target.

The GSMA expects that there will be 240 million Mobile Broadband connections in sub-Saharan Africa by 2015, compared to just 4 million fixed broadband connections4. The GSMA is therefore calling on countries across the region, including Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania, to urgently release harmonised spectrum for Mobile Broadband. This will expand the reach and availability of affordable broadband services and help realise significant economic and human development gains for sub-Saharan Africa.

Currently, just 80MHz of spectrum is available for delivering Mobile Broadband service in a typical African market. In contrast, mobile operators in many middle and high-income markets have access up to 400MHz of spectrum for delivering Mobile Broadband.

“African governments must act now to release much-needed spectrum for Mobile Broadband services if they are to meet the UN’s 40 per cent broadband target,” said Peter Lyons, Director of Spectrum Policy, Africa and Middle East, GSMA. “Increased spectrum will lower the cost of mobile devices, improve speed of data communication, and ultimately help nearly 40 million Africans escape poverty.”

By licensing spectrum in the Digital Dividend and the 2.5GHz bands for Mobile Broadband, governments in the region have the opportunity to increase total spectrum available by approximately 70 per cent. In particular, the Digital Dividend band, which is currently used for analogue television broadcasting, offers widespread mobile broadband coverage in rural areas and improved indoor penetration in urban areas. In rural areas alone, the Digital Dividend band could deliver Mobile Broadband service to between 40 to 80 per cent of the population.

Lyons continued: “If governments in sub-Saharan Africa allocate more spectrum for Mobile Broadband over a 10-year period from 2015, this would result in US$235 billion of additional GDP and US$50 billion in additional tax revenues5. However, if the release of spectrum is delayed by five years, then these benefits would fall to US$50 billion in additional GDP, and US$10 billion in additional tax revenue. Action is required now to secure the future connectivity and economic empowerment of Africa’s citizens.” 

Report

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Mobile phones:promising tool for immunization programs

PAHO/november 18. Cell phones and other mobile devices are being used to improve vaccine coverage and data collection by a growing number of immunization programs in the Region of the Americas, according to a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) expert on immunization. 

PAHO/WHO is collecting examples of these experiences as part of its efforts to promote exchange of information and best practices in ‘mHealth’ among its member countries, said PAHO/WHO Immunization Advisor Dr. Carolina Danovaro in a presentation to the mHealth Working Group, which met at PAHO/WHO headquarters on Nov. 18.

Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, the United States and Uruguay are among the countries in the Americas that are using devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile phones in their immunization programs. The countries are at different stages in their use of these technologies, ranging from pilot projects focused on improving management of the vaccine cold chain and supplies, to comprehensive electronic patient records systems.

Mobile technologies have proven useful in allowing health care workers to record vaccine doses at the time of delivery or to report suspected adverse events at the time of detection, thereby reducing delays and errors that are common in manual/paper reporting systems. Text messaging is being used to send parents reminders about upcoming vaccine appointments or missed or delayed doses.

Among the demonstrated benefits of using mobile technologies in immunization, said Danovaro, are:

• Improved collection of data for surveillance and planning through better quality and timeliness of reporting.
• More effective individualized follow-up of immunization schedules.
• Enhanced monitoring of events supposedly attributable to vaccines and immunization (ESAVI).
• More accessible training and continuing education.

Participants in the mHealth meeting noted that there are some important challenges to the use of mobile technologies in immunization. These include the relatively short life of mobile technologies, which can make it difficult to plan and fully implement projects before a given technology becomes obsolete. Others noted that some health care workers may resist adopting new, unfamiliar technologies. Danovaro said that, to address this issue, implementation strategies need to include hands-on, participatory training for those in the field.

Also during the meeting, PAHO Knowledge Transfer Specialist Ana Lucia Ruggerio presented the new regional Strategy and Plan of Action on eHealth, approved by ministers of health from throughout the Americas during PAHO’s Directing Council meeting in September.

The mHealth Working Group is a collaborative forum for sharing and synthesizing knowledge on the use of mobile technologies in health. It seeks to frame mobile technology within a larger global health strategy, applying public health standards and practices and promoting approaches that are appropriate, evidence-based, interoperable and scalable in resource-poor settings. Facilitated and supported by the K4Health Project, the group has more than 500 members representing over 150 organizations worldwide.

The mHealth Working Group holds regular meetings in Washington, D.C., to discuss promising approaches, challenges, and lessons learned. Meetings from previous meeting and more information about the group are on the mHealth Toolkit page. Those interested in receiving future announcements may join the listserv at knowledge-gateway.org/mhealth.

LINKS:

• “Integrating ICTs into the Immunization Program,” PAHO Immunization Newsletter, December 2010.
• mHealth Working Group
• 2011 mHealth Summit (Dec. 5-7 in Washington, D.C.)
• K4Health – Knowledge for Health
• K4Health eToolkits

GSMA Energy Efficiency Methodology Incorporated in ITU's New Global Standard

GSMA. 16 November 2011, Mobile Asia Congress, Hong Kong. The GSMA’s Mobile Energy Efficiency Benchmarking methodology has been recognised in a global standard by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The GSMA’s methodology, which benchmarks the energy efficiency of mobile networks, is included in the ITU’s standard ITU-T L.1410 ‘Methodology for Environmental Impact Assessment of ICT Goods, Networks and Services’. The GSMA developed its methodology as part of the Mobile Energy Efficiency (MEE) Network Benchmarking service, launched a year ago at Mobile Asia Congress 2010. MEE has now been adopted by 35 mobile network operators who run more than 200 networks across 145 countries.

“The recognition of our methodology in a global standard is a testament to the outstanding collaboration the GSMA has with its members and other stakeholders such as the ITU and European Commission,” said Gabriel Solomon, Head of Regulatory Policy, GSMA. “We have developed a unique management tool that mobile operators are using to identify energy and carbon saving opportunities.”

           

“We are delighted with the timely outcome of a complex process. The ITU maintains a first-rate working relationship with the GSMA, and many other partners, aimed at achieving a definitive set of methodologies to measure the environmental impact of ICTs,” said Mr. Malcolm Johnson, Director, ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau.

           

To leverage the results of the MEE Benchmarking service, the GSMA has launched a new service, MEE Optimisation, which undertakes a detailed bottom-up analysis to identify and assess the inefficiencies of a network, to then provide operators with a cost-benefit analysis of specific solutions that can be considered to improve network energy efficiency. The MEE Optimisation service develops detailed action plans aimed at reducing operators’ energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. To do this, the GSMA partners with third parties such as equipment vendors to deliver the MEE Optimisation service to operators. The GSMA is currently piloting the first MEE Optimisation project and is in discussions with several members about rolling out the service more widely.

           

More information is available at: www.gsmworld.com/mee or contact mee@gsm.org

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as the Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Congress.

For more information, please visit Mobile World Live, the online portal for the mobile communications industry, at www.mobileworldlive.com or the GSMA corporate website at http://www.gsmworld.com.

Media Contact:
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