I Like What You Said

Growth of GSM Improves Banking Services in Africa - CIO.com - Business Technology Leadership

Where are the American banks?  We, Americans, use our mobile phone for mostly for communication and sometime for entertainment.

What are our banks waiting on?  Chase appears to be the only bank to embrace SMS in to their banking operations. 

Growth of GSM Improves Banking Services in Africa - CIO.com - Business Technology Leadership.

By Rebecca Wanjiku May 30, 2008 -- IDG News Service -- 

Mobile services are expanding to meet improved demand for electronic banking in Kenya, though some obstacles remain, say users and vendors.

With more people accessing the Internet and mobile phones becoming affordable to everyone, banks have developed products to suit the market, said James Muchiri, director of technology and operations at NIC Bank.

NIC has developed services that allow customers to send a SMS (Short Message Service) from their phones to buy airtime, pay utilities or check balances. Another online service that the bank is implementing permits companies to clear their salaries and do normal transactions without going to a bank.

Banks are integrating their systems through technology provided by software vendors like Fintech, which serves financial institutions in 18 African countries.

Slower cellphone growth in USA could bring good deals - USATODAY.com

Within the next month, industry experts estimate that there will be more cell (mobile) phones outside of the US than here.  Developing countries in Africa along with India are hot markets.

We use them more for entertainment.  Mobile phones can not match cabled TV and a computer connected to the internet.

The US market will remain flat until business start developing applications that utilize them.  In Europe and even Africa, you can actually conduct business with your phone.  The mobile phones are being used like a credit card. 

In banking, Chase is the only bank to advertise a banking application for your mobile phone.  Most banks charge about $30 plus for each negative transactions.  Normally, it quickly accumulates to hundreds of dollars in fees.  Also, doctor offices in the UK send text messages to remind you of your scheduled appointments.  In these examples, the customer get improved service and its minimal cost to the provider.

So, the US cellular companies need to help entice our business community to get with it.  Business applications will drive the need for high-speed data services.

Slower cellphone growth in USA could bring good deals - USATODAY.com.

Mark Collins, an AT&T vice president, allows that it's tougher to recruit new subscribers. On the upside, he says, there are plenty of revenue opportunities. "That's why we've been investing like we have for the past three years" in high-speed wireless data and advanced video services.

And Sprint says its future is bright. "We believe the future of wireless is data, and that's our sweet spot," says spokeswoman Leigh Horner. Sprint has teamed with Google and other backers, including wireless visionary Craig McCaw, to build an advanced wireless data network across the USA.

Dear European friends: you are welcome in the US but leave your HTC Diamond at home.

Dear European friends, you are welcome in the US but leave your HTC Diamond at home.  Now that's dumb!  I can not build the shortsightedness of HTC.  They have just snubbed the GSM market in the US.

I guess HTC do not want to go head-to-head new iPhone.

Link:  HTC Diamond may not support 850MhZ band.

Anyways, Expansys is currently taking preorders for the device and confirms the information above - looks like the (european version of the) HTC Diamond does NOT support 850MhZ ...