Partner Profile: The GSMA
Collaborating with the organization representing the interests of mobile operators worldwide
If you are planning to promote and scale a mobile service of any kind there are few better partners than the GSMA. The GSMA represents the interests of nearly 750 mobile operators who serve more than 5 billion subscribers globally. The GSMA also produces a range of industry-leading events, with its flagship event Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona convening more than 105,000 people from 200+ countries and territories in Barcelona each year.
Years before we ever envisioned Fishcoin as an incentive for capturing and communicating data for the seafood industry, our team was already exploring mobile airtime top-ups as an incentive for small-scale fishers and fish farmers because it is one of the few digital touch points that are nearly ubiquitous throughout the world. If you survey a prawn farm in Indonesia it is likely that none of the farmers will have bank accounts, some might not even have IDs, but everyone will have at least one SIM card — and almost all will be using pre-paid mobile plans. The world’s seafood producing nations such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, etc. are all still primarily pre-paid mobile markets, particularly in the rural areas so pre-paid airtime top-ups are highly relevant in these markets.
Most of us who live in post-paid mobile markets tend to think of the money we spend on our mobile data like we do a utility payment — I pay my water bill each month so my faucet will turn on, and I also pay for my mobile airtime so I can talk with my friends, connect with co-workers and surf the internet. It is an entirely different paradigm in pre-paid mobile markets, where users pay for their mobile usage up front and then see their balance drain down like the gas gauge on their car. This is the situation in many emerging markets, these same markets where most of our seafood is harvested. In these markets users see mobile airtime like a currency tied directly back to the money they spent to purchase airtime in the first place.
While we are already connected to more than 600 mobile operators through our wholesale partner, our vision is to go well beyond and to align with the interests of the many mobile network operators that, whether they know it or not, are stakeholders in the seafood industry because of the data that can be transferred across their networks. This brings us to the GSMA.
Who is the GSMA (from their website)
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators with over 350 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces the industry-leading MWC events held annually in Barcelona, Los Angeles and Shanghai, as well as the Mobile 360 Series of regional conferences.
For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA
Why are they Fishcoin partners
Having lived in Indonesia, one of the world’s largest pre-paid markets, for more than 5 years, while working for one of the largest mobile operators in Southeast Asia, I have seen firsthand the value of mobile data to users, particularly those at the base of the economic pyramid such as fishers in rural areas. In such areas mobile network operators use airtime rates as a way to incentivize behavior change by doing things like providing discounts to users who can utilize their network during off-peak hours. The concept of incentivizing behavior change is central to the Fishcoin network as we are working to incentivize fishers to capture and communicate data alongside their catch.
Our team has already participated in multiple events with GSMA members and leadership, including their September 2018 board meeting at MWC Americas, where we shared our insights on how mobile can support sustainable seafood supply chains, and their Mobile360 — Digital Societies event in Bangkok, where Alistair Douglas from our team participated on a panel along with Darian McBain from Thai Union and representatives from SecondMuse and True Telecom (see the GSMA Mobile360 Blog for more). We are further initiatives that add value to the seafood industry, align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and provide sustainable and profitable opportunities for mobile network operators around the world.
Interested in becoming a Fishcoin partner?
Companies and organizations throughout the seafood industry are signing up almost daily to be rollout partners in the Fishcoin ecosystem. If you would like to know more about joining our community of partners please read through our white paper, and contact our team.
