Is Mobile Phone a Luxury Item

 

If someone asked this question a decade ago, the answer would have been a positive yes. However, today’s scenario is quite different. Before delving deep into the current situation, let’s go back in time.

 

A decade ago, not only were mobile sets so expensive that they could only be afforded by a small niche but at the same time the call rates were also considerably high.

 

Over time, technological advancements, surge in demand and mass production of mobile sets made it possible for the mobile set manufacturing companies to sell their mobile phones at lower prices as they could earn more profits from higher sales volumes. These changes made mobile phone a more affordable commodity for the masses.

 

Massive increase in cellular subscription over time and tougher market competition also made it possible for cellular service providers to offer lower call rates. As a result, the total cost of ownership for mobile phones declined making it possible for the lower strata of the society to enjoy the convenience of communication rendered possible by the technology.

 

Today people from almost all income segments own a mobile phone.  Mobile phone is not just a means of communication for people any more. It has become a smart way of doing business and improving the living standard of the low-income group. A case in point to understand this additional benefit is a study conducted in India about “Impact of Mobile Phones on fishermen of Kerala” by Robert Jensen, an economics professor of Harvard University. According to the findings of the study, as tele-density increased between 1997 and 2000, the fishermen started to call around, while still at sea for the best prices for their catch instead of selling them on shore thus fetching a better price. As more fishermen adopted the same strategy, fish prices stabilized across the coast. On average, the fishermen earned 8% more while consumer prices fell by 4%. This study highlights the power of communication that did not only increase fishermen’s income but also benefited consumers by establishing standardized price. Mr. Jensen concluded that, “Information makes markets work and markets improve welfare”.

 

Although, no such case-study has been conducted in Pakistan, the same benefits are being reaped by our local people by using a mobile phone, many of whom are working in agriculture sector.

 

To provide support to the local farmers, Mobilink launched Mobilink Kisan service to offer produce prices and real-time weather updates to the farmers. If farmers had no mobile phone, they wouldn’t have been able to take advantage of such valuable services.

 

Because communication today greatly facilitates people’s earnings, it has a direct positive impact on a country’s GDP. According to a study conducted by London School of Economics, an increase of 10 mobile phones per 100 people can increase the GDP growth of the country by 0.59% more than a country without mobile phone penetration.

 

Pakistan is one of the fastest growing telecom industries in Asia. With a subscriber base of more than 89.9 million out of the total population of around 160 million, the current cellular density stands at 55.8% (Source: PTA). Mobile penetration in urban areas is almost 100% making rural areas the potential growth segment for mobile set manufacturers as well as cellular service providers.

 

However, there are certain issues that have slowed down the pace of telecom industry’s growth. While the most obvious and less controllable ones are the global economic recession and double digit inflation, the other more harmful and at the same time controllable factors involve increase in taxation and eventually flourishing of black market.

 

Increased taxes have made mobile phones more expensive for the population. A few months back, government of Pakistan classified all mobile phones as luxury items and imposed a flat amount of PKR 750 tax on every handset imported in Pakistan regardless of its price. So whether a phone’s price is PKR 2,500 or PKR 55,000, an additional tax of PKR 750 takes the prices to PKR 3,250 and PKR 55,750 respectively. But percentage wise, a person buying a PKR 3250 handset ends up paying 30% of tax whereas a person buying a PKR 55,750 is paying only 1.36% of taxes. So instead of making mobile phones more affordable for the low-end segment, the taxes have made them far more expensive for wage-earners who literally save a fraction of their earnings to be able to purchase a mobile phone. The increase in taxes has not affected the demand for mobile phones because consumers have cheaper alternatives available in terms of Chinese copies of handsets and mobile phones available via grey channels. Both consumers and government suffer from this situation. On one hand, consumers have no choice but to purchase a product with no warranty or reliability and on the other hand, government is ripped off the import duties that it can earn only when all the imported goods enter the country through legitimate channels.

 

It is unfair to the less-privileged segment of the population to bear the greatest burden of import duties. Mobile phones below PKR 5,000 should be exempted from import duties because they play a vital role in facilitating the livelihood of a common man and must not be classified as luxury items.

 

The telecom industry can only prosper if the government provides required support to the cell phone manufacturers and exempt low-cost phones from high import duties.

 

Written by Danish Hassan

 

Nokia N97 Bloggers Meet up & Sneak Preview of NOKIA N97 at Sports Bar

 

• Why Converged Devices?

o                   Mobile Industry is going through a transformation at a fast pace. Everyone has different views about this transformation.

o                   There is increasing demand for internet services over mobile phone. As a     result, the demand for smartphones is on rise.

 

• What’s driving transformation?

o       Nokia predicted this transformation 2-3 years back.

o       Nokia is taking the next step in bringing mobile internet to mobile communication

o       Nokia is playing its role in making convergence happen as the consumers want it.

 

§                                             Transformation from 1^st screen to 4^th screen:

o       1^st screen: cinema

o       2^nd screen: TV

o       3^rd screen: computer

o       4^th screen: mobile phone

 

§                     Due to this transformation, our world is mobile now. Nokia is doing its   contribution to the transformation. Other internet companies like Google are trying to bring a large variety of internet services to internet users.

 

§                     This transformation is happening at a very rapid pace.

 

§                     Nokia saw this transformation coming well in advance. Nokia 9000 Communicator launched in 1998 was the first internet-enabled Nokia device.

 

§                     There is a lot of competition in mobile phone market at the moment.

 

§                     There are currently 1.3 billion internet users in the world.  40% of them are using internet through their mobile phones.

 

§                     Analysts predict that by 2012, 1.5 billion people will experience internet on their mobile phones.

 

§                     We are currently witnessing 2^nd evolution towards personal internet. For instance, my Facebook shows an entirely different picture compared to your Facebook

 

o       9.3 million people access their social network each day.

 

o       8.2 million people have downloaded maps through their mobile phones.

 

o       Facebook has more than 200 million members, making it the top social networking site in Europe.

 

§                     Nokia, being the devices leader will continue to bring better devices for its consumers.

 

§                     Nokia N97 is a living example of Nokia’s vision.

 

o       It offers a completely personalized home screen. You have access to Bloomberg, weather widgets on your Homescreen. Weather will automatically update itself according to your location.

 

§                     Nokia keeps consumers at the centre of its thinking. Although, services are new to Nokia, N97 is the ultimate example of bringing services and devices together.

 

§                     As a consumer-centric company, Nokia’s aim is to provide convenience in terms of people and places. Through people, you stay connected with those who matter to you the most. You carry your phone to all the places you go to whether it’s for meeting, eating out or traveling.

 

§                     Nokia took a step towards people dimension by acquiring NAVTEQ. NAVTEQ is the company behind Nokia Maps. Nokia currently has 200 digital maps and adding more.

 

§                     Nokia is taking care of Peoples dimension through Ovi Contacts. You can maintain a list of all your contacts from your mobile phone and social networking sites on your Ovi account. Ovi is one place where you will have all your contacts. It is very simple to sync your Ovi contacts on your mobile phone or PC.

 

§                     Simplifying is the most complex task. And that’s exactly what Nokia is trying to do for its consumers.

 

§                     Today, Nokia Music, Ovi Mail and other Nokia services are tightly integrated.

 

§                     However, Nokia believes that openness is the way forward. To this end, Nokia is making new partners. Nokia has also set Symbian free to support openness in platform.

 

§                     Nokia will also release its APIs. Nokia forum has more than 4 million developers who can use APIs to add innovation to services.

 

§                     Nokia’s services aspects are available starting from a Rs. 2000 phone

 

§                     Nokia Research segmentation study uses the largest study being carried out in the industry. Nokia uses a lot of focus groups to study consumer behavior patterns. It took 2 years for Nokia to develop the most ideal keypad not only for smartphone but also mobile internet.

 

§                     Nokia N97 has the most user-friendly design. It comes with lens cover to protect camera lens from scratches.

 

§                     Nokia N97 supports all music formats, has built-in speakers, Bluetooth enhancements and comes with standard 3.5mm jack. It has 48 GB of memory, 1.5 days battery, operating time of 5.5 days (3G). The Homescreen of N97 is highly customizable, to such an extent that it reflects who you are. It offers one-touch access to Ovi store and private mod. Your Homescreen can show a total of six widgets at a time.

 

§                     N97 is available in Black or White color.

 

§                     Ovi store will be launched shortly after the launch of N97 in Pakistan.

 

 

 

 

PRESS RELEASE

DuPont Pakistan Signs Exclusive Partnership

Agreement with Suzuki Carachi Motors

 

Karachi, May 27, 2009 – DuPont Refinish, the global leader in refinish productivity, signed a three-year agreement with Suzuki Carachi Motors as an official exclusive refinish paint supplier. The commemorative ceremony was held at Suzuki Carachi Motors, Port Qasim, Karachi. Hosted by DuPont Pakistan and Suzuki Carachi Motors. Senior management from Pak Suzuki Motors, leading automobile dealers and insurance companies attended the ceremony.

 

Under the agreement, in addition to refinish paint supply, DuPont Refinish, Pakistan will also provide comprehensive technical consulting programs with tailored solutions for Carachi Motors at the DuPont Refinish Training Centre in Karachi. The training modules will include Bodyshop Management Program, estimation and key performance indicator and application techniques.

 

“DuPont is one of the leading market-driven science company delivering high performance technologies. We are delighted to be an exclusive partner of DuPont Refinish. With the increasing need for Bodyshop to diversify their activities, DuPont will help us enhance our productivity. DuPont Refinish products together with strong technical support will help Carachi Motors Service Centers to develop and improve the quality of its paint repair techniques and enhance our technicians skill set,” said Saleem Goplani, Chief Executive- Suzuki Carachi Motors.

 

“DuPont advanced research and development and low emission paint technology offers a comprehensive range of refinishing systems to suit our local needs. Our strategic alliance with Suzuki Carachi Motors will help our customers deliver solutions that work together to address local demands and challenges. Carachi Motors has been successfully operating in Pakistan for over twenty years now and has received numerous recognition awards for its outstanding sales, service and spare parts performances. We are committed to serve our refinish industry in Pakistan,” said Abdul Hamid Khan, Business Manager Refinish Pakistan.

 

As a part of the world’s largest automotive paint supplier with direct access to current and future automotive color trends, DuPont Refinish will bring the latest colors formulations into the Pakistan refinishing market with  Color Quick Pro Computerized color search and retrieval system.

 

“Our collaboration will enhance efficiency and help them provide optimum repairs and results and add more value to their body shops,” stated Michael Lopes Regional Technical Manager – DuPont Refinish

 

DuPont Refinish is the dynamic, global refinish brand. We deliver increased productivity to bodyshops, from reception to delivery of the repaired vehicle, through innovative, unique paint systems and localized business solutions.

 

For information please contact:

Danish Hasan - 0322 82 880 93

Fashion Zone

NOKIA Messaging & Email

 

Nokia Messaging-Email Made Easy

 

 

Imagine a situation where you are stuck in traffic and getting late for office. You feel frustrated because you need to send an important email to a client. We all know that in today’s aggressively competitive business world even a single email can make or break your corporate reputation. What would you do in such a situation? Wait patiently to reach office; or send email instantly from your Nokia phone. The second option would be the most preferred choice for effective time managers amongst us.

 

Pakistani people are fast adapting to emailing as a medium of communication due to the convenience and low-cost that it offers. Email access on your mobile phone enhances this convenience multiple times. With this concept in mind, Nokia has introduced a portfolio of its messaging services that caters to both its corporate and regular consumers.

 

Nokia Messaging; Nokia’s latest offering in Consumer Messaging segment is a service for Nokia S60 and Series 40 devices that includes access to email and instant messaging (IM). Nokia Messaging is available out-of-the-box with the Nokia E75., and is also enabled on a wide range of Nokia devices. Now, all you need is just one device to manage all your email and IM accounts, instead of a separate device just for email.

 

Nokia Messaging is easy to install; you only need your email address and password to mobilize your email or IM account. Push technology enabled with key ISPs (Yahoo! Mail, Windows Live Hotmail, Gmail) means emails are delivered instantly – there’s no need to constantly go to the mailbox and search for new mails. Nokia Messaging is also easy on pocket as costs become predictable with a fixed data plan.

 

Nokia’s Messaging services for Pakistan were recently announced in a press briefing conducted by Nokia Pakistan. Sharing Nokia’s Messaging Story with the media, Imran Khalid Mahmood, Country General Manager Nokia Pakistan said, “The youth of Pakistan should have their first internet/email experience on a mobile phone.” Imran also stated, “Messaging is the most frequently used service on mobile phone. On average, people allocate 37% of their time on Messaging compared to other mobile phone applications. Nokia offers a range of messaging services that fall under three broad categories: Enterprise, Consumer & Emerging. Enterprise messaging provides Mail For Exchange & IBM Lotus Notes allowing corporate users to exchange emails over a secure network while Consumer messaging lets consumers access their personal emails \such as Yahoo! Mail, Windows Live Hotmail, Gmail, AOL Mail and accounts from thousands of other email providers. Easy to use, Nokia Messaging enables access of up to 10 personal email accounts on a Nokia device, and through one single icon. He further added, “One can access email accounts and instant messaging (IM) through a few easy steps. Additionally, Emerging messaging includes email accounts provided by Nokia via Mail on Ovi which is a free service that can be used by any Nokia phone consumer in Pakistan. Mail on Ovi helps Nokia Pakistan to move a step closer to its vision of offering first internet/email experience on mobile phone.”

 

Unlike any other service which exists today, an Ovi Mail account can be created directly on the mobile phone. For first time email users, Ovi Mail provides an internet identity, as well as access to other Ovi services. Mail on Ovi gives users 1 GB of storage space and spam filters to block unwanted emails. Ovi Mail is an emerging messaging service from Nokia that is now available for Pakistani consumers free of cost. To access this service, you simply need to log on to http://mail.ovi.com and create an email id the way you would for any other free email service such as Windows Live Hotmail or Gmail.

 

 

Nokia Corporate Messaging service is a blessing for corporate users who can now carry their important office files in their mobile phone. Nokia phones also let you access your office intranet via multiple security protocols. These benefits have greatly facilitated the concept of business mobility which means that you can access and even edit your office files on your Nokia phone. At the moment, two corporate messaging services are available for Pakistani consumers; Mail for Exchange and IBM Lotus Notes Traveler. Both of these services are available for all Nokia S60 3^rd Edition devices, including all Nokia Eseries and Nokia Nseries phones.

 

Mail for Exchange utilizes the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync protocol, enabling wireless synchronization of Microsoft Exchange email, Calendar and contact data, as well as providing access to the global company directory.

 

Mail for Exchange is supported over a mobile network or wireless LAN and ensures data security by using an encrypted HTTPS connection that is established and maintained between the device and the server. Direct access to the Microsoft Exchange server ensures that synchronization is fast due to enhanced data compression, leading to a quicker experience when sending and receiving messages.

 

IBM Lotus Notes Traveler, developed by IBM and Nokia, features real-time IBM Lotus Notes push email and Personal Information Management (PIM) synchronization, with no additional server or middleware required. PIM let’s you organize your work for improved efficiency through your contacts, calendar and task organization.

 

This real-time replication includes email (with attachments), calendar, address book, journal and to-do lists. The client is available at no extra cost with new Lotus Domino servers and is delivered securely by IBM and IBM Channel partners.

 

Through collaboration with business partners such as IBM and Microsoft, Nokia provides direct access to over 90 percent of the world's corporate inboxes.

 

At the press briefing, Khurram Pradhan, Product & Portfolio Manager spoke about Nokia E75, latest Eseries phone in Pakistan, “Building on the success of E71, Nokia has launched E75 phone in Pakistani market. E75 is a unique Eseries device that comes with a regular keypad as well as a slide-out QWERTY keypad. It offers a number of service bundles that include Nokia Messaging, Ovi Files, Ovi Maps & N-Gage. This Eseries device has made email use on phone much more convenient and simple to use. Using E75, consumers can access email service on the go. It is also the first Eseries device to offer N-Gage gaming feature so that users can entertain themselves with world’s most popular gaming titles to kill time.”

 

With a vast device portfolio led by Eseries range of phones available at different price points, Nokia continues to provide optimized email solutions for Pakistani market. Nokia Messaging has all the potential to reshape email convenience by bringing together the most commonly used communication mediums with some power-packed features that makes both business and personal life more fruitful and lets the user stay connected with what matters the most.

 

 

Pakistan project wins at the NFC Forum Global Competition 2009

Pakistan project wins at the NFC Forum Global Competition 2009     

 

Nokia Pakistan and Indus Hospital project was named the top slot in Monaco

 

Karachi, 19^th May 2009 - The NFC Forum (http://www.nfc-forum.org), a non-profit industry association that advances the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, has announced the winners of the NFC Forum Global Competition 2009 (http://www.nfc-forum.org/competition). The winning entries were named at an awards ceremony held at WIMA in Monaco (http://www.wima-nfc.com).

 

WIMA is a Conference and Exhibition based in Monaco, presenting the 3rd NFC Business & Technical Developers Summit. WIMA hosted the NFC Forum Global Competition Finals & Awards Ceremony. WIMA is the fastest growing industry event for the NFC community, covering all aspects of the business, technical, and developer chain for both established players and newcomers to the technology.

In the competition, developers in a Commercial Track vied for the honor of having their solutions named "The Best NFC Service of the Year 2009," while a Research Track recognized “The Most Innovative NFC Research Project of the Year 2009." First, second, and third-place winners in each track were chosen by a jury composed of senior professionals and recognized experts from academia and sponsoring companies.

The winners were selected from 20 finalists, who were selected earlier from 52 entries from 21 countries and four continents. The competition finalists demonstrated their entries at the Global NFC Business & Technical Developers Summit at WIMA. Winners in each track were awarded cash prizes. First-place winners received 5000 euros, second-place 1500 euros, and third-place 1000 euros.

The first-place winner in the Commercial Track is Interactive Research & Development of Pakistan, for "Interactive Alerts for Childhood Pneumonia," which is a real-time patient tracking and referral system for use in low-resource settings. The system is currently being used for a pneumonia surveillance study in young children in Karachi, Pakistan. Nokia Pakistan and The Indus Hospital Research Centre jointly collaborated for successful implementation of INTERACTIVE ALERTS in Karachi.

 

Upon this achievement, Imran Khalid Mahmood, Country General Manager Nokia Pakistan said, “It is great to know that IRD has won the NFC Award for "The Best NFC Service of the Year 2009". Nokia Pakistan feels proud of its partnership with Indus Hospital and IRD to promote the Interactive Alerts system for monitoring of pneumococcal diseases in Karachi. Nokia 6131 NFC phone is playing a key role in successful implementation of Interactive Alerts system and extending timely aid to children suffering from pneumonia. It is heartening to know that something meaningful has come out of a step that Nokia Pakistan took to alleviate the cases of childhood pneumonia in Karachi.”

 

The Interactive Alerts system has been specifically developed to use the Nokia 6131 NFC phone for childhood pneumonia surveillance and referral in low-resource settings, although it can be easily extended to other diseases. At the time of the 6-week vaccination visit, children are given a radio frequency ID (RFID) tag in the form of a traditional bracelet. This tag provides a unique ID to the child, and parents are advised and encouraged to take sick children to participating general practitioner clinics or general hospitals in the program. At each encounter, the Nokia 6131 NFC phone is used to scan the child’s tag. Pertinent immunization, clinical and laboratory data is collected and posted to the server via GPRS in real-time, and can be viewed over a secure website.

 

The innovativeness of this approach is that it helps overcome the challenges of disease tracking and patient referral in settings where medical records and referral systems do not exit. The RFID bracelet provides unique identification, allowing health workers to verify identity and view basic medical records, and respond to emergencies quickly.

 

IRD has established pneumonia surveillance in Karachi in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH), the Program for Appropriate Technologies in Health (PATH) and the Indus Hospital. The objective of collecting this data is to provide policy makers in Pakistan and in the region the information required for introducing appropriate and new vaccines against pneumonia for children.

 

Interactive Alerts was co-developed by IRD’s health informatics team, led by Omar Allawala (Director of Information Technology) and Julia Irani (IT Project Manager),and a team of researchers and students from the Next Billion Network at MIT. The MIT team proposed the idea of using the Nokia NFC phones, and produced an initial design and working prototype, from which the IRD team then developed the final product.

The competition's goal is to promote the development and deployment of innovative and exemplary NFC services. The Commercial Track is for business ideas that address a specific market, business, or consumer need or want. The Research Track is open to the academic community, including university student teams and institutions.

For both commercial and research developers, the NFC Forum Global Competition is more than just an opportunity to win an award. Finalists and winners may look forward to global media coverage, increased awareness among attending industry leaders and venture capitalists, and opportunities to forge partnerships and share ideas.

Nokia and WIMA are Platinum sponsors of the competition. Silver sponsors are INSIDE Contact less and Stollmann E+V GmbH. Equipment sponsors are Over-C and ViVOtech.

About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. We make a wide range of mobile devices with services and software that enable people to experience music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games, business mobility, and more. Developing and growing our offering of consumer Internet services, as well as our enterprise solutions and software, is a key area of focus. We also provide equipment, solutions, and services for communications networks through Nokia Siemens Networks.

About Near Field Communication Technology
Near Field Communication (NFC) is a standards-based, short-range wireless connectivity technology that enables simple and safe two-way interactions between electronic devices. NFC technology allows consumers to perform contact less transactions, access digital content, and connect devices with the simplicity of a single touch.

Near Field Communication (NFC) technology provides global interoperability of contact less identification and interconnection technologies. NFC operates in the 13.56 MHz frequency range, over a typical distance of a few centimeters. The underlying layers of NFC technology are based on ISO, ECMA, and ETSI standards. NFC technology is supported by the world's leading communication device manufacturers, semiconductor producers, network operators, IT and services companies, and financial services organizations. NFC is compatible with hundreds of millions of contact less cards and readers already deployed worldwide.