Nigeria will start requiring prepay SIM cards to have their ownership details registered with the network operators next year. The registration process will start in March 2010 and will last six months, giving users enough time to fill out the paperwork. After the period ends, non-registered SIM cards will be shut out of the mobile…

Again we have another story involving the great use of mobile technology. The subject is healthcare and the service/product is called InvisibleBracelet, which allows its members to share health information during emergencies with participating Emergency Medical Service providers. The service is quite simple, hence the price is reasonable – it costs $5 per member, per…

Etisalat has increased its holding in its Indian mobile network by buying a 5.37% stake from Chennai-based Genex Exim Ventures. According to Economics Times, the company paid around Rs 380 crore (about $81 million) for the stake, pushing its holding in the carrier to above the 50% mark. Earlier this year, Etisalat acquired 45% of…

After two of India’s state-controlled mobile networks said they’ll miss the year-end deadline for supporting Mobile Number Portability (MNP), the private operators also said they will miss the deadline. The operators told the Department of Telecom (DoT) that they cannot deploy MNP before March 2010. Then comes the testing from the DoT, hence it’s unlikely…

India’s Idea Cellular is now the country’s third largest GSM operator, based on the November figures from the Cellular Operators Association of India. The carrier overtook state-controlled BSNL with 55.9 million customers, compared to 55.2 million for BSNL. The GSM industry as a whole added 11 million subscribers, taking the countrywide tally to 366 million.…

This is kinda expected as Iliad was the only bidder for 4th French 3G license. The company, which owns a major ISP in France – Free, said their mobile service is coming within 2 years. Moreover, they said sharing of network infrastructure is planed with rival operators where possible. Commenting on the announcement, Iliad issued…

Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency, Anatel, said that Brazil has ended last month with 169.8 million mobile connections. Some 1.7 million people acquired handsets in November, marking a 1% rise in sales compared to October. The biggest winner was Vivo, a joint venture between Spain’s Telefonica and Portugal Telecom, which grew 29.6%; followed by Claro’s Telmex…

After obtaining the country’s first 3G license, Azerbaijan’s Azerfon has launched its HSPA network in the cities of Baku, Sumgait, Ganja, Shirvan, Nakhchivan, Mingachevir, Tovuz and Shamkir, as well as in the Absheron Peninsula. The company has reportedly invested $20 million in the network rollout so far, and with the plans to expand in other…

We know that Zeemote, the company behind the Bluetooth mobile gaming controller, may be out for sale. We have this confirmed now, as Aplix Corporation announced that it has acquired the assets of Zeemote Inc., in an all cash transaction. Aplix agreed to retain the services of a number of key Zeemote staff including: Jim…

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) announced its top 10 industry predictions for mobile marketing in North America for the coming year. Without further ado, here are the trends that will mark the following year, according to MMA: 10. Mobile health app and services 9. Augmented reality stuff 8. Mobile TV 7. Solutions that disable handset…