The Vodafone chief repeated his accusation made at last year’s Congress that European regulators were running on ‘auto-pilot’, routinely cutting mobile termination rates (MTRs) without thinking through the consequences. “The European [mobile] industry is not growing,” points out Colao. “People think that every time there is an MTR reduction it puts more money in the pocket of customers, but this is not totally true. The European Commission calculates that for every ten cents in cuts, only two cents end up in customers’ pockets.”
The Vodafone CEO also took time in his Congress presentation to highlight a number of mobile-led initiatives that can help emerging markets. These included mAgriculture, which involves using mobile devices for weather forecasts, financial services and giving advice. Colao said that mAgriculture could increase farming incomes by as much as US$140 billion by 2020. The Vodafone ‘SMS for Life’ service is also helping to save lives by improving the availability of anti-malarial drugs in remote areas in Tanzania. “Our industry really can change the state of the world,” says Colao.
Source: Mobile World Live