Khalti Android app reaches 500,000 downloads

In a sign that Nepalis are fast adopting digital payment methods, digital payment service provider Khalti’s Android app has crossed 500,000 downloads. The app has hit this milestone shortly after two years of its launch in the Nepali market, according to a press note issued by the company.
Elated by the achievement in this very short period, managing director of Khalti Manish Modi said that tens of thousands of users everyday load money to their Khalti wallet and consume it to make various digital payments. “Similar to Android app users, feedback from Khalti’s iOS app and web users is also equally exciting,” he said, adding that the company is working to create digital payment habits among all Nepalis. “We are extremely overwhelmed and excited to get love and support from users like this.”
According to the Nepal Telecommunication Authority’s (NTA) latest MIS report, Nepal has over 137 per cent mobile telephony penetration and 65 per cent broadband internet penetration. Likewise, the central bank’s latest statistics also revealed that over 8.3 million people use mobile banking in Nepal, apart from some 900,000 internet banking users.
But the World Bank’s 2017 Global Findex Database revealed that only 45 per cent of Nepalis are banked, giving a big role for the digital payments system like Khalti to bring unbanked population to the digital platform and provide financial services.
Started in January 2017, Khalti is an emerging mobile payment solution in Nepal. Khalti's service so far has reached 70 districts of Nepal and it's working to enable people in the remotest corners of the nation to use digital payment service. “Payment facility on mobile means one doesn't have to travel to district headquarters to perform tasks as simple as electricity bill payment, ultimately saving countless productive work hours for the nation,” Modi said, adding that Khalti has recently also conducted 'Smart Chhori' campaign and trained 10,000 girls and young women with digital and financial literacy and skills. “With its digital payment service and various such initiatives, Khalti is working to transform the lives of people in Nepal.”
Khalti has been providing various utility bill payment services including mobile recharge, DTH recharge, domestic flight booking, movie ticketing, event ticketing, hotel booking, newspaper subscriptions, online shopping payments, and insurance premium payments among various other digital payments services.
A licensed Payment Service Provider from the central bank, currently more than 800,000 people regularly use Khalti for various bill payment services.

Global smartphone growth to slow to 11.3 per cent: IDC

Worldwide smartphone growth is expected to slow further to 11.3 per cent in 2015, down from 27.6 per cent a year ago, according to the latest data from the International Data Corporation (IDC).
Although the researcher is sticking to its forecast of 1.9 billion annual shipments by 2019, the previous forecast of 11.8 per cent growth this year has been revised down slightly due in part to saturation in the Chinese smartphone market, it said. "In fact, 2015 will be the first year that China’s smartphone growth – just by 2.5 per cent – will be slower than the worldwide market."
Android smartphone growth is also expected to be slower than the worldwide market at 8.5 per cent in 2015 due to the fact that China accounts for around 36 per cent of total Android smartphone shipments.
The report also points out that Apple faced a similar situation in 2012-2014, when its year-on-year growth rates were slightly below the worldwide market. But its recent shift in product line to bigger screen models with a broader country reach has had an immediate impact on volumes and IDC now expects iOS smartphones to grow by 23 per cent in 2015 and remain above worldwide market growth rates throughout the forecast, it added.

4G is changing consumer mobile behaviour: Study

Consumer behaviour is evolving as a direct result of the launch of 4G mobile services, driven by faster download speeds and greater bandwidth, according to the results of the Orange Exposure 2013-14 report.

The annual study by TNS into media habits across UK, France and Spain, not only are 4G users consuming more content – 30 per cent of them in the UK regularly use their mobile to download video games, compared with 17 per cent of 3G users - they are also using more of the phone’s functionality like downloading video, and using geolocation for example – in France this is 25 per cent more than non-4G users.

The 2013 study takes an early look at the impact of 4G networks on consumer behavior also revealed that 4G users also demonstrate a growing acceptance of m-commerce, with 53 per cent using their mobile to pay for something in the last six months compared with 34 per cent of 3G mobile multimedia users.

The study also showed that mobile usage drives further research on other devices. "For example, 18 per cent in the UK said they used their mobile initially to check for information before conducting deeper research on another device." It also showed a growing trend in ‘showrooming’ – whereby consumers use their mobile to compare prices and read comparative reviews of products.

The study also showed the continued dominance of Android over iOS for the second year running, with almost half of all mobile devices Android across all three markets. Android also increased its share of the tablet market, driven in part by Samsung's continued success. "For example, 19 per cent of tablets in the UK are Samsung in 2013, up from six per cent in 2012. In France, Samsung controls almost one third of the tablet market, up from 13 per cent in 2012," it noted, adding that consumers are increasingly using apps to access the internet, rather than traditional browsers.

Global mobile phone market to grow by 7.3 per cent

The worldwide mobile phone market is forecast to grow by 7.3 per cent year over year in 2013, marking a sharp rebound from the nearly flat (1.2 per cent) growth experienced in 2012.

Strong demand for smartphones across all geographies will drive much of this growth as worldwide smartphone shipments are expected to surpass one billion units for the first time in a single year, according to a new report from the International Data Corporation (IDC).

The overall mobile phone market is growing faster than previously forecast due to a stronger-than-expected first half of the year driven by gains in emerging markets and the sub $200 smartphone segment.
IDC previously projected 5.8 per cent growth for the year. Vendors are now forecast to ship more than 1.8 billion mobile phones in 2013, growing to over 2.3 billion mobile phones in 2017. “Worldwide smartphone shipments are forecast to grow by 40 per cent year over year to more than one billion units in 2013 and total smartphone shipments are forecast to reach 1.7 billion units in 2017.”
Android remains the dominant smartphone operating system, a status that is not expected to change although its share will decline somewhat as the market matures and competition solidifies.

Samsung remains the world's top seller of Android-based smartphones, while the resurgence of LG and Sony have also contributed to its success in recent quarters, it reported, adding that iOS will remain the clear number two operating system as the expected launch of a lower-cost iPhone will open up a wider addressable market. “Windows Phone will solidify its position as the number three operating system with incremental share gains over the course of the forecast.”
Likewise, BlackBerry operating system share will decline markedly over the forecast period due to tepid BlackBerry 10 reception and increased competition, it added.

Tablet shipments split evenly between iOS, Android

Apple took a 50 per cent share of global tablet shipments in the first quarter, but Android tablets will inevitably overtake iOS, according to ABI Research.

No single vendor is expected to challenge Apple’s dominance in the short term, however. Android tablet makers have focused on the 7-in segment rather than challenge Apple in the 10-in space, driving average selling prices and sizes downwards since last year. Android is benefiting from a push for sub-$200 tablets in developed and emerging markets alike.

A big variable for Android is China, writes ABI Research senior practice director Jeff Orr. Chinese consumers are passionate about the Apple brand and the ability of the mass market to afford technology devices. ABI Research estimates that the 7.9-in iPad mini accounted for 49 per cent of unit sales and 39 per cent of total iPad revenues in the first quarter, putting a dent in sales of larger iPads.

Orr expects the iPad mini to be the predominant iPad model after the second quarter.

Smart mobile device shipments top 300 million

Total smart mobile device (notebook, tablet and smartphone) shipments for this year’s first quarter exceeded 308.7 million units, according to a report from Canalys. This represents a year-on-year growth of 37.4 per cent.

The report also shows that, in terms of OS vendors, the Open Handset Alliance continues to dominate, with Android the OS of choice on 59.5 per cent of all smart mobile devices shipped.

Of the other OS vendors, Apple holds a 19.3 per cent share in the smartphone and tablet PC markets, while Microsoft’s 18.1 per cent share reflects its relative strength in the PC market but continued challenger status in the smartphone space.

Of the three, the tablet market continues to grow the fastest. Worldwide, tablet shipments grew 106.1 per cent year-on-year to 41.9 million units. Though Apple continues to lead in the tablet space with a 46.4 per cent share, it lost share to its Android-based rivals for the third consecutive quarter.

The study found that smartphone shipments came in at around 216.3 million for the quarter, maintaining the strong growth (47.9 per cent this quarter) that the market saw throughout 2012. Android handsets accounted for 75.6 per cent of total smartphone shipments, and Samsung dominated once again, growing its volume by 64.3 per cent year-on-year, which helped its market share exceed 32 per cent. In contrast, Apple saw modest annual growth (6.7 per cent) in its smartphone shipments — the lowest level since the launch of the original iPhone back in 2007.

Huawei, LG and ZTE completed the top five smartphone vendors, all with less than five per cent market share each. Once again, Huawei and ZTE benefited from their strength in their home market, with 84 per cent and 71 per cent of their shipments respectively in mainland China.

Notebook PC shipments amounted to 50.5 million units, declining by 13.1 per cent during the quarter compared with the same period in 2012. The biggest decline was in western Europe, where shipments fell by 25.2 per cent on an annual basis.