From a recent article on Bloomberg, the largest telco in the Middle East and North African region (often shortened to MENA) is planning on launching mobile banking services to reach most of its subscribers that according to the article "is likely to become a key revenue source for telecommunications companies in developing countries, where bank charges can be high and retail bank branches few and far between, whereas billions of people own mobiles".
It remains to be seen whether the banking system is developed enough in all of these regions or countries to drive adoption and ROI, but in major emerging markets with a burgeoning middle class, this is definitely a good idea. I could see this probably coupled with mid- to high-end tier handset subscribers, so at least they have some basic ARPU to siphon off in the medium term.
But how relevant is it to the more basic current needs, such as with food price problems, unemployment/industrial dynamism, and education? The jury is still out on how the mobile can help really make people's lives easier...
No comments:
Post a Comment