Biometrics for Mobile and other Digital devices

We use biometrics for various purposes. Prominently to verify a person’s identity based on certain physical attributes like fingerprinting and iris scanning. Only very recently we have started to implement biometrics in wireless devices like Mobile Phones, Satellite Phones, PDAs and laptops and notebooks and in other wireless devices where miniaturisation represents a huge technological challenge.

So far biometric information has been used to link devices to a person to prevent them from being misused if lost, stolen or misplaced. However, many companies are testing smart biometric technologies that employ a person’s physical attributes to enable the user to digitally sign audio, text or image files, providing proof of their identity, origin and authenticity.

Experts have claimed that the user’s biometric profile is completely safe on handheld wireless devices, especially the Mobile Phones. The need of the hour is a biometrically enabled digital signature application for wireless devices that can guarantee complete security by preserving, storing and processing all sensitive data on a SIM card.

Biometric data can never be accessed and removed from the SIM card except by a verification module which also runs on the SIM card.  This is important to meet the highest privacy requirements.

Though, data on mobile phones is of less use for legally binding transactions, they are being extensively used for E-Commerce (M-Commerce) across the world. Business processes like export LCs, Courior and Carriage Tracking and Coding, Bar Codes, Tagged Advertising, e-healthcare, e-governance etc have gained much popularity and widespread use with businesses.

However, voice based biometric applications (recorded voice) as digital signatures as authentication during telephone conversations have legal value. A pre recorded voice can be used to identify the callers’ identity, origin and authenticity.This will enable users to exchange indisputable information which is legally binding.

More importantly, voice recording as digital signature is necessary to ensure that legitimate data users can be authenticated.

Instead of relying on a PIN code which we often forget or write it down and lose it, mobile biometric security relies on what the person is, his / her physical attributes like finger prints; iris or voice.

Another more common form of digital biometrics we are experiencing today is – Face recognition. Almost all notebook computers (lenovo, Sony etc) have face recognition as a critical security feature on administrative log in. This will very soon be available on mobile phones because almost 90% mobile phones in the market today have digital camera of various capacities.

Also, voice recognition to log in to a notebook will become a necessity in digital biometrics in the future.

All these features will either be inherently implemented into computer notebooks; PDAs and Mobile Phones or as an add on accessories for PDAs and Mobile Phones.

Mobile biometrics can also ensure that mobile devices can be secure from malicious malware, trojans and other forms of mobile viruses.

Today we are debating China’s  controversial step of mass internet hacking of 34 major corporations across the world including Google and Indian government websites, which also means that many electronic communication products that  are manufactured in china and sold across the world, especially mobile devices, can be deliberately infected with malicious malware which compromise sensitive user data like user contacts or even go deeper to affect the mobile internet browsing. Mobile biometrics can be used in this scenario to track and block these malicious spyware and malware and secure mobile devices of possible data threats.

On the other hand, if a biometric software comes packaged with a SIM card, it should be made capable enough to detect security threats to a mobile device and eliminate / block them accordingly. It is the prerogative of the mobile carriers and operators and also of SIM card manufacturers and software developers to ensure that mobile biometrics is capable of what it promises to deliver.

Commercially speaking, it is very important to understand the costs involved in manufacturing and implementing mobile biometrics. Mobile operators can research for areas which reduce costs if a SIM card has to be integrated with biometrics software. Whether the SIM card with capacities 32, 64 and 128 K can include biometrics along with data storage is going to pose a challenge for mobile operators and SIM card manufacturers.

Mobile biometrics can be successful only if there is a sincere and collaborative efforts between the mobile device manufacturers and operators to integrate, develop and enhance capabilties of SIM cards and mobile device softwares along with controlled costs which keep the prices of biometric enabled mobile devices affordable to people.

It will be interesting to observe the advent of mobile biometrics and its performance.

Indian Music Industry Launches Music Mobile Exchange To Fight Piracy

In a bid to curb music piracy, the Indian Music Industry (IMI) has launched licencing initiative called Music Mobile Exchange (MMX). Under the new initiative, mobile store owners will be issued licence for offering music downloads to cell phone users. According to IMI Secretary General Savio D’Souza, now-a-days there is a massive demand for music for mobile phones and shopkeepers often advertise downloads offers. He added that such kinds of downloading offers are very much illegal.

The shopkeepers and cyber café owners download music from the web or illegally copy it from cassettes or CDs and then transferr it to mobile phones. An average shopkeeper makes around Rs 7,500-12,500 monthly through music downloads and other music applications. Such type of practices affects the music industry badly leading to huge losses.

As per an estimate, the Indian Music Industry incur a loss of 300 crore each year due to mobile chip piracy. Now to put a lid on indiscriminate music piracy, IMI has introduced Music Mobile Exchange (MMX). While informing about the new initiative, Savio D’Souza said that to have the licence a shopkeeper will have to pay Rs 1,500 to Rs 5,000 per month per computer, depending on the kind and location of the shop.

Queries

However there are a lot of questions remain to be answered which this brief article does not address –

1. What are the penalties for the errant mobile shop owners if they fail to take up the license to distribute mobile music?

2. Have have mobile operators responded to this initiative?

3. What is the response of mobile shops on this initiative?

4. How does IMI plan to implement this initiative since the area of implementation is vast and monitoring each and every mobile shop for licenses would be an almost impossible job, but still needs to be done?

5. I feel that Rs. 1500 to 5000 is too low an amount for a license. To actually deter the shop keeper from selling music illegally, the penalties in monetary terms including licensing should be much harsher.

6. What is stopping the shop keeper to still sell music illegally in-spite of taking a license?

This article actually doesn’t give much information on the initiative, and a deeper understanding of it is required to actually get answers to the above and related queries.

Please input your views and queries. Eagerly looking forward to them.

Thanks

Mobiphonica introduces Meta Data Transliteration services

15th October 2009: Mumbai

Mobiphonica introduces TRANSLITERATION services for meta data. We have the capability to transliterate large volumes of meta data which is written in English Roman Script into various Indian languages, primary among these are – Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kanadda, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Bhojpuri, Himachali, Bengali, Marathi, Konkani, Assamese, Nepali, Gujrati, Oriya, Urdu and Haryanavi. We also have the capability to transliterate Roman English Script in French.

What is TRANSLITERATION?

According to definition in WIKIPEDIA: Transliteration is a mapping from one system of writing into another, word by word, or ideally letter by letter.

How it works?

We create meta data of all our services in an excel sheet using the Roman English Script, then transliterate the Roman English Script into various indian language scripts like Dravidian and Devnagri.

We are enhancing our capabilities to include other Indian as well as International languages.

How to reach young consumers using the mobile channel

Mobiphonica is featured on MOBITHINKING
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In the light of the opinion voiced by youth marketing expert Ian Stewart, head of Asia, Friendster (ex Coke and MTV), in this insightful interview on mobile marketing to teens in Asia, mobiThinking asked:

“What needs to happen to make mobile a viable channel to reach the youth segment – i.e. teens, students, school leavers, graduates?” What follows is a summary of the responses received back from experts around the world.

These fall neatly into two categories:

A) Five things you should know about mobile and youth
B) Eight tips for successful engagement with young people via mobile.

A) Five things you should know about mobile and youth

1) Mobile data charges are too expensive for teens

* Stewart’s observation about Asia, that a) mobile should be an excellent channel to reach young people, but b) mobile data is too expensive for them, is echoed by experts elsewhere:

“I think it is a worldwide issue. Teens are avid mobile users and early adopters of new services, but most teens have less disposable income than adults, making the cost of messaging and mobile Internet access a hurdle to be overcome. It’s an issue that goes beyond just the teen audience. Some of the carriers have lowered costs, particularly for messaging, but prices are still too high for mass-market adoption of mobile Web access,” says Noah Elkin, senior analyst at US-based eMarketer.

2) This generation isn’t used to paying for a) data charges or b) content

* They have never paid to surf or download on the PC Internet (beyond a cheap flat-rate broadband connection).

* They are not used to paying for the majority of the rich media content they enjoy, whether that’s free video clips (via YouTube etc), file-sharing of music (between friends or from illegal download sites) and, more recently, free downloadable mobile applications/games (though only ones compatible for the cheaper phones they use – see below).

3) Most young people don’t have expensive smartphones

* Only 14 percent of all mobile-phone users have smartphones, so there’s not much point targeting teens though app stores.

* They tend to use phones that are available free with a pre-pay/pay-as-you-go or low-cost tariffs.

* Of course, plenty of normal phones also access the mobile Internet, download and play music and even the most basic cell phones are able to download simple content such as ringtones, ring-back tones and wallpapers.

4) Teens are generally on pre-pay tariffs, so rarely benefit from flat-rate data plans

* It’s great to see operators introduce flat-rate data plans, but most of these are restricted to high-end smartphones and more expensive fixed-term contracts. * It’s more usual to see young people on pre-pay (pay-as-you-go) contracts where data is billed by the Mb (which discourages use of mobile services).

* Take Brazil, which, at 84 percent mobile penetration (three times PC users), is one of the fastest growing mobile markets:

“Almost every teenager, from all classes, has a cell phone. About 80 percent of cell phones in use are pre-paid and 50 percent of these have very little or no credit at any given time in the month. Mobile-phone services are still too expensive for the teen budgets, including SMS and data traffic. Carriers have to roll out packages that suit this target consumer from both a product and a price point of view. Teenagers are eager to consume mobile content at the right price. We can see that from the amount of people who sign up to receive SMS alerts from brands like Nickelodeon, Turner and MTV, and who participate in SMS campaigns until they have no credit left,” explains Federico Pisani Massamormile, CEO, Hanzo and global chair of the Mobile Marketing Association.

5) Carriers are waking up to potential of mobile marketing

* Globally mobile network operators (MNO) now recognize that it is in their interest to foster growth of mobile as a marketing/distribution channel, by making data more affordable for both marketer and consumers.

* Many MNOs have appointed mobile marketing evangelists, prompted by success stories from Turkey’s pioneering Turkcell (where the mobile marketing team brings in US$45 million per annum from 7.6 million opt-in subscribers). Blyk’s experimental ad-funded mobile network in the UK though now deceased (August 2009), has also helped to nurture enlightenment. (More on Turkcell and Blyk below).

“It is important to ensure the mobile advertising ecosystem or value chain in the local market is developed. This includes the partnerships and financial initiatives with all the leading agencies handling fast moving consumer goods [FMCG] brands to start looking at mobile seriously, rather than just adding it to their marketing mix in order to show that the agency is hip and cool,” says Anushka Ranasinghe, assistant manager, mobile advertising, Dialog Telekom, the largest mobile network in Sri Lanka.

B) Eight tips for successful engagement with young people via mobile.

1) Reducing cost of mobile with brand subsidy/sponsorship

* Pioneering efforts by brands and operators to make mobile more affordable for teens, such as fostering loyalty by sponsoring/subsidizing calls, messages and data, hints at the potential:

(i) Free or cheap access

* Zero-rated-data: the marketer pays to ensure that visitors to its mobile site do not pay data charges – one of the earliest examples of this was the British made-for-mobile drama THMBNLS, which aimed to teach teens about safe sex – more on this here.

* Zero-rated (toll-free) short codes: the marketer pays so consumers can text for free to those popular five-digit call-to-action numbers (they are often charged at premium rate) found in traditional/outdoor media adverts.

* Guaranteed flat-rate data: the visitor pays a standard flat-rate fee when accessing a particular mobile site. See the ground-breaking Friendster Surf All Day deal, which means Filipino youngsters (on Globe Telecom) can access the mobile site of social network Friendster as often as they like in 24 hours for P20 (US$ 0.41).

(ii) Rewards

* Free airtime: the consumer receives an allowance of free calls or texts in return for receiving marketing messages. The reward of free minutes underpins Turkcell’s marketing programs, including the pioneering Tone&Win, where subscribers’ phones (500,000 of them) play advertising jingles/messages to callers, while they wait for them to answer. Read more about Turkcell here.

* Rewards can also include free surfing, content downloads etc.

(iii) Subsidized contracts – here the costs of calls, texts and surfing are reduced in return for receiving advertising messages.

* Blyk took this model to an extreme. Operating as a virtual MNO it attracted more than 200,000 UK 16-24 year-olds in two years. They agreed to receive targeted advertising messages in return for totally free calls and texts. Blyk ran 1,000 campaigns for 200 brands including Coca Cola, STA Travel, Penguin, Buena Vista, L’Oreal and music artists The Kooks and Alphabeat, boasting a response rate of 29 percent. The service ceased August 26, 2009.

* Orange UK will be one of the first mainstream operators to offer a reduced tariff to youngsters who agree to receive marketing messages. Orange (along with Vodafone Netherlands) has enlisted the Blyk’s expertise.

“We believe this audience is willing to do some trade-offs in order to lower their phone bills. Youth, in particular, have needs that their budgets can not meet, so would welcome ad-funded price plans from the operators. They will be even more receptive when they see that ads are targeted, of value and relevant to their interests. The risk to the brand for engaging is very low as the audience is expecting and welcoming advertising,” explains Emmanuel Allix, managing director, APAC, at mobile advertising specialist Pudding Media.

2) Using technology to avoid data bills

* Advocates of Bluetooth tout mobile proximity marketing as a way round data charges. A Bluetooth transmitter – perhaps in a billboard ad, in a station, or worn by a promoter – will communicate with mobile phones close by assuming the phone supports Bluetooth (most do), the customer has it turned on and wishes to communicate.

“Near-cast Bluetooth technology allows the marketer to engage youth consumers by offering the totally free download of rich-media content. Adding a click-through link to a mobile site to the download allows the brand to continue the conversation and develop relationships,” explains Gordon Parkin, director at South Africa’s Brandscape Marketing.

* For examples of youth-orientated applications via Bluetooth see: community chat, gaming and more [All suggested by Janne Hämäläinen, business development director at Finland’s Bluegiga].

3) Young people (as with all demographical groups) need to be treated differently

* This starts with the operators, who could use demographic and behavioral information to profile, design services for and target offers from top brands towards each customer segment.

* When offered what they want, youngsters have proved to be a receptive and lucrative group:

“Teens and tweens are the highest mobile generators of value-added-service revenue, in terms of average revenue per user, for in India. They are very knowledgeable about mobile services, such as Facebook, movie-related content downloads, gaming and contests, brand promotions and m-Coupons – such as buy-one-get-one-free cinema tickets – appeal to this urban teen segment. They also spend more on mobile content. There are approximately one million music downloads each day. India’s largest operator Airtel earns four times more revenue on mobile music downloads than the largest music CD retailer,” according to Prabhjot Jolly, Executive Director at Mobiphonica.

(4) Know and listen to your customer

* Young people (like any other demographic) use mobiles in a particular way. eMarketer’s Elkin points out that they text much more than any other group, and as well as playing games and listening to music more than any other age-group, they also love social networking.

* Connect with them “on their own turf”, advices Nick Fruscello, president at US-based Mozeo. Knowing that kids love to text, when Mozeo wanted to attract a youth audience to and build a marketing database for a sponsors brand, they ran a contest to find the fastest texter. Entrants were recruited with flyers/stickers using youth terminology, such as LMAO [laughed my arse off].

5) Keep it relevant and in-context

* Make it fun and/or useful: mobile promotions of all kinds – competitions, promotions, trailers, amusing virals, content (e.g. greetings) to pass on, games to enjoy – appeal to teens as long as they are relevant.

* A virtual gift in time for Valentines Day, news alerts during a sports tournament, a game to play when bored on a train, a trailer to watch while trying to decide what film to watch, all add context. See this guide to event marketing.

* Don’t over-brand it. With the best advergames, the brand is woven subtly into the game.

* Add value – it will take more than another free ringtone and wallpaper to attract a teen to your site.

6) Getting the opt-in

* The usual way to guide a customer to your mobile site for your competition, promotion, trailer or download is to send a text with a link to the URL. The engagement rate will be much higher where the youngster a) initiated the contact; b) the message is instantaneous; c) message is well-scripted and d) the content is relevant.

* Since no brand manager in their right mind would send an unsolicited marketing text message to a teen, marketers have two options – use someone else’s opt-in list (if one exists), or build your own list by inviting customers to request the message.

* The popular way to do this is to advertise a short code, perhaps toll-free (see above), along with print, outdoor, Web, TV advertising.

* Alternative routes include photographing a quick response (QR) code (a 2-D code), if supported by the handset.

From here, if your offer is relevant, it will spread by word-of-mouth.

7) Price it right

* If free, do not demand too much in return, what else do you need initially than a phone number and an opt-in to future messages?

* If the freebie is a platform for paid-for mobile service, e.g. updates, make sure it is worth having on its own.

* If a paid-for service/application, aim for low price, high volume (remember that the recipient may well be paying for data downloads).

Don’t make technology the focus of a campaign just for the sake of it. Mobile is littered with different technologies and a lot of hype. While all have their place, they aren’t necessarily going to impress a young demographic – especially if many of their phones don’t support it.

Why Mobile VoIP will not work in India – Personal View Point

All view points expressed here are personal views of the writer and in no way criticizing, supporting or disagreeing with other view points of experts in this industry. The images used here are sourced from various sources on the internet and Mobiphonica does not claim these as its own. We provide due credit to the owners and the source of the images

Mobile VoIP is not a new concept now, it has been around for a while. Though touted to be the next big thing on the mobile internet and applications segment it will face a lot of issues in various markets, mostly in India.

Mobile phone manufacturers like Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG etc have introduced mobile phones with Skype and other VoIP applications, enabling mobile handset users to experience Mobile Internet Calls from their mobile phones.

Though this is a very interesting and innovative move, we personally believe that the hype and talk around mobile VoIP especially in India is a little too early to accept.

The drawbacks we feel will hamper the feasibility and acceptability of Mobile VoIP in markets like India are -

1. Call Rates

The call rates in India are the lowest in the world and will go down further in the coming years.

Considering this fact, we wonder whether it makes sense to provide VoIP calls on the mobile phones for rates as low as INR 0.05 (5 Paise) approximatly. It will be a loss making proposition for a VoIP providers, since they will be competing directly with the mobile operators on the call cost front. Secondly, how many people will use the Mobile VoIP services?

2. 3G

Another biggest hurdle for mobile VoIP services will be the implementation of 3G in India. Contrary to the industry estimates for the implementation of 3G spectrum in India, we believe it will take another 1 year to fully implement and another 2+ years to fully understand the capabilities of the spectrum completely by the telecom operators.

3. Telecom Regulations

I do not think that TRAI and DoT will allow VoIP to be implemented in India, as that will kill the regular telecom business in India in the long run. Even mobile operators will not implement this. Why will a telecom operator allow or implement VoIP and kill their own product?

4. Mobile Internet Usage

This might be the biggest hurdle in the success of mobile VoIP, the usage of mobile internet services in India. Almost 75% Indian subscribers do not know how to access mobile Internet on their mobile handsets and among them at least 60% of them do not know what services are available on their handset menu. Therefore, the question arises, how can VoIP providers break this consumer behavior barrier and successfully provide Mobile VoIP services to mobile consumers?

5. How will people in India pay for buying the VoIP credit?

Another hurdle for implementation and feasibility in India is buying call credits for VoIP services.

India is still not hooked completely on to the Mobile payment gateways, credit card payments on the internet and mobile networks. It will take a lot of time for an Indian consumer to mature and be mentally secure to use credit cards and mobile banking services.

Mobile calls are charged by the telecom service providers the world over, how and why will the mobile operators sell mobile VoIP call credits in India?

I believe that the handset manufactures like Nokia and Sony Ericsson should think through these issues before releasing handsets in the Indian market. Though as an add-on feature it is good, but is it feasible to the Indian market?

Let us be practical and make usable and feasible technologies available to the Indian consumers as per their needs. The Indian consumer is very different than a consumer globally, think about this and provide services that are relevant to the Indian market.