ABOUT m-BILLIONth SOUTH ASIA 2010
m-Billionth Award is a dedicated platform to explore the latent potential of mobile sector across South Asia. These Media phones/mobile, handy gadgets can now do anything from allow physicians to review patient records on-the-go, to alert drivers in any city of nearby parking spaces while looking for spot, in addition to the texting, surfing and calling on many of today's phones.
The m-Billionth Award South Asia 2010 is first of its kind in the region recognising and felicitating mobile innovations, applications and content services delivery. It is to honour excellence in mobile communications across South Asia spread over 9 core categories. The m-Billionth Award is designed as an annual South Asia’s leading mobile content’s award platform towards larger regional Mobile Congress in media and policy advocacy.
What is m-Billionth Award?
21st Century World could be a cellular age going by the phenomenal increase in cell phones worldwide. The cellular age is fast accelerating with cell phones magnifying our larger identity in both individual and collective domains and in various social, cultural, economic contexts. This tremendous growth of mobile penetrations is a scene to be witnessed worldwide especially in developing countries with larger population concentration. Thus, the power of cellular technology is evident. And South Asia is and cannot be left behind.
The amazing picture is this. India has reached 600 million mobile penetrations. Other countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in South Asia also showing great results as mobile users. The population percentage coverage of mobiles in the region is such – India with 46.37, Bangladesh with 31.11 , Sri Lanka 51 and Pakistan 59 and the trend is moving upward each day. South Asia is bearing witness to the power of the mobile device to empower millions with information, content and services. The power of mobile in meeting knowledge, social and economic deficits is a challenge in these countries. On the contrary, the power of mobile innovations and applications in content and services delivery is amazing and exponentially on the rise.
It is time that we in South Asia, the nations and governments in the region, as well as service providers, give a thrust on mobile for delivering meaningful services, especially that could empower and enable efficient day-to-day life for the larger masses. It is imperative now that a situation be created where we have the best of applications, contents, and services accumulated as examples to drive the government and industry to ensure they create meaningful opportunities in last mile mobile content and services. Governance and development is bound to be better with this.
Towards this objective, in order to make the content and services deliverable through mobile as a medium and means, Digital Empowerment Foundation has launched the m-Billionth Award SOUTH ASIA - ON MOBILE CONTENT & APPLICATIONS FOR MASSES.
Why m-Billionth Award?
In 2014, India’s population is expected to be 1.26 billion, with mobile penetration of 1.01 billion the mobile teledensity would be 80% above. It would mean 8 out of every 10 Indians will have access to a mobile device.
Researched fact is that mobile phones are more affordable than computers, require less infrastructure, do not require the user to have much technological knowledge or even to be able to read and write, and are easy to carry from place to place. They lend themselves to flexible usage (text, voice and two-way communication), do not require special training, and the costs of connectivity are relatively low. Due to the low cost of labour, mobile phones in developing countries are much cheaper and easier to repair than computers.
In the view of above scenario there are hundreds of mobile based technologies coming every day and there is no platform where such applications, gadgets, service delivery can get recognized. Realizing the need of creating a benchmark in best innovations of mobile applications, service delivery and mobile instrument, m Billionth Award has made leapfrog in recognizing and promoting mobile technologies for efficient governance, rural development and betterment of masses.
Currently the absence of any efforts similar to mentioned above ‐ even though mobile market is already considered to be a mature market but whether the good has been leveraged out of this in enabling larger mass based services with meaningful deliverables;
Efforts like a Mobile Congress model could provide multiple windows of solutions under one roof with synergetic efforts, ideas, and approaches ‐ award/congress ‐ with purpose.
Objectives
- Recognise mobile innovations and creativity.
- Provide a platform for the innovations into benchmarking in the mobile industry.
- Provide a wider forum for strategic networking, alliances and partnership building.
- Provide a South Asia Congress to exchange ideas, practices and policy strengths & mobile advocacy.
- Facilitate in building a South Asia network towards campaign and advocacy in mobile for mass empowerment and inclusive growth.
