Register now for Mobile World Congress 2015

Innovation City
Come along and visit us at the GSMA Innovation City where our Mobile for Development ‘Connected Community’ will showcase the journey from digital, to financial to social inclusion in a rural setting. Come and see an energy efficient, solar powered rural base station in action, how apps and feature phones can provide life enhancing services to rural communities and how effective emergency response can be impactful in disaster situations.

Cocktail Event
Monday 2 March from 7pm
Hotel 1898, Las Ramblas, Barcelona (view map)
Mobile for Development will be hosting a cocktail event which is open to all Mobile for Development enthusiasts. We look forward to seeing you there.

Seminars
Mobile for Development is also hosting a number of seminars, all of which are open to conference attendees – please arrive early as places are allocated on a first come, first served basis and seats cannot be reserved.

Digital Inclusion: Connecting an Additional Two Billion People to the Mobile Internet 
Monday 2 March
GSMA Seminar Theatre CC1.1
12:00 – 13:30
This session will feature a debate on the challenges and solutions to mobile internet access in emerging markets.

Panelists for this session are:

• Kartik Sheth, CEO of Data & Devices, Airtel
• Ross Cormack, CEO, Ooredoo Myanmar
• Sonia N. Jorge, Executive Director, Alliance for Affordable Internet
• Davide Strusani, Assistant Director, Deloitte Economic Consulting
• Dion Jerling, Founder, Connect Africa
• Erik Hersman, CEO, BRCK
• Chris Burns, Acting Director for Digital Development, USAID
• Mark Surman Works, Executive Director, Mozilla Foundation

Mobile for Development Seminar
Monday 2 March
GSMA Seminar Theatre CC1.1
14:00 – 17:00
The mobile communications revolution is driving the world’s major technology breakthroughs. As an industry, we are connecting billions of people to the transformative power of the Internet and mobilising every device we use in our daily lives. But what does the “Edge of Innovation” look like from an emerging markets perspective, and how can opportunity be harnessed to impact the lives of low and middle income subscribers?

Mobile for Development products and services continue to deliver value to operators and to improve the lives of end users in emerging markets. This seminar will explore how mobile has acted as an enabler for bridging the digital divide, what the future will look like when everybody is connected as well as discussing what is required, and what are the challenges, of scaling mobile enabled businesses.

Speakers for this session include:

• Cherie Blaire, Cherie Blair Foundation
• Colin McElwee, Co-founder, Worldreader
• Alpesh Patel, Founder & CEO, Mi-Group International Ltd
• Dylan Higgins, CEO, Kopo Kopo

Exploring Mobile Operator business models in Mobile for Development
Tuesday 3 March
3.14b Level 1, CC3
8.00 – 10.30
GSMA Mobile for Development (M4D) has been working with Mobile Network Operators for almost 10 years to identify the most promising M4D business models capable of achieving scale and impact. This roundtable brings together industry stakeholders, investors, entrepreneurs, non-governmental and governmental organisations to discuss the experiences of Mobile Network Operators and their partners across the utilities and agriculture sectors, and across the gender divide.

The session aims to:

• Showcase successful M4D business models and explain mobile operators’ journeys in developing these models
• Discuss the barriers to piloting and scaling M4D services
• Propose recommendations to grow partnerships between ecosystem players and MNOs

Breakfast will be served from 8.00 to 8.30.

Disaster Response and UN OCHA
Telecom Industry Consultation on the New Humanitarian Model
Tuesday 3rd March,
3.14c Level 1, CC3
9.00 – 12.30
Closed door

Mobile network operators are vital for facilitating access to information, assistance and connectivity in the aftermath of a disaster. Consequently their industry insights are vital to identify issues and recommendations for the development of a new humanitarian model, a process currently being overseen by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). In close collaboration with the UN OCHA, this closed-door session led by the GSMA Disaster Response programme will form the business consultation with the mobile industry, required in order to improve, build and solidify multi-sector networks critical for emergency preparedness and response. This strategic engagement will analyse these challenges in context of three themes: leveraging scale and reach of the industry, harnessing mobile to support those affected by crisis and interoperability of the mobile and humanitarian sectors.

Mobile Money: State of the Industry 2014
Tuesday 3 March
GSMA Seminar Theatre CC1.1
16.30 – 18.00
The GSMA Mobile Money for the Unbanked team will present key findings from the 2014 State of the Industry report. The report underscores the critical role of mobile and mobile operators in driving the adoption of convenient and affordable financial services among unbanked and under-banked individuals around the world. Preliminary figures from the report show that there are over 256 services currently live in 89 markets, and in 2014 mobile money services became interoperable in three new markets. The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion from industry experts covering some of the key themes and messages brought to light from the report.

Advancing Mobile Enabled Utility Services in Emerging Markets
Tuesday 3 March
3.14c Level 1, CC3
16:30 – 18:00
This session will present the early learnings from the M4D Utilities Innovation Fund, launched in February 2013. The M4D Utilities team will deep dive into some of the identified best practices, most promising models, biggest barriers as well as discuss the future of the sector.

Industry stakeholders interested in applying to the current M4D Utilities Innovation Fund are encouraged to attend.

Connected Women Summit
Wednesday 4 March
CC2 Auditorium, Upper Level, Hall 2
8.30 – 13.30
The Summit will feature the launch of two landmark reports offering critical insights into the greater inclusion of women at all points in the mobile industry:

• Women’s Mobile Access and Usage in Emerging Markets: An in-depth report highlighting the progress made over the past five years around women’s mobile access and usage in emerging markets, outlining the key barriers to women’s adoption and providing actionable recommendations for stakeholders.
• State of the Industry Report: A report examining the state of gender diversity across the industry, highlighting best practices and offering strategic advice on areas of potential change (report to be released in partnership with A.T. Kearney).

Read more about the Connected Women Summit

Mobile Agriculture Seminar
Thursday 5 March
GSMA Seminar Theatre CC1.1
8.30 – 10.00

The mAgri seminar will feature presentations and discussions around the product development lifecycle for mobile agriculture services and their potential for individual financial sustainability as well as impact on mobile operator’s business model. The session will provide user insights from field research, release best practices from successful deployments, discuss the role of mobile operators in developing and launching mobile agricultural services and look into the future for mobile agriculture.

The session, will feature presentations from:

• Heiko Schlittke, Managing Director, Airtel Malawi,
• Brandon Edwards, Executive Creative Director, frog design,
• Michael Tarazi, Senior Financial Sector Specialist, CGAP.
• Spencer Morley, Farmforce Implementation Manager, Sygenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture