Upstream’s Zero-D and Secure-D platforms – Hall 5, stand 5B20 – leverage emerging markets’ potential for operators in the data era.
London, February 19th, 2019 – Mobile operators in emerging markets can now offer their subscribers uninterrupted and secure access to the internet, Upstream demonstrates at MWC Barcelona 2019.
Guy Krief, CEO, Upstream, commented: “While the mobile industry is solely focusing on 5G and IoT, consumers in emerging markets have trouble going online, staying connected and doing so safely. Internet access in the data era is a fundamental human right, a democracy staple and a prerequisite for economic growth, yet billions of consumers are still deprived of its benefits. At Upstream we believe that safe and uninterrupted mobile internet connectivity in the developing world is a major industry bet going forward and that mobile operators are uniquely positioned to make this happen“.
Responding to the challenges in emerging markets, Upstream has launched and is showcasing in Barcelona two innovative products, connectivity gateway Zero-D and security platform Secure-D– that allow mobile operators to provide subscribers in emerging markets with uninterrupted and secure access to mobile internet.
Upstream’s Zero-D service already provides free access to the internet essentials to tens of millions of mobile users in Latin America and Africa. With Zero-D mobile users have uninterrupted access to knowledge, information and communication through the web, for free at any given time, even when they have run out of data. For mobile operators Zero-D is an innovative solution stimulating customer engagement and retention rates, increasing data revenues by 5% while establishing an entirely new revenue stream through mobile advertising and boosting top-line revenue by 1.5%.
Upstream’s security platform Secure-D combines machine learning algorithms with payment processing workflows to protect mobile operators and their subscribers against online transaction fraud and data depletion, caused by all types of malware and other online threats. The platform currently processes over 480 million transaction requests per month, has detected and blocked over 63,000 malicious apps and has identified more than 30 million infected smartphones around the world.
Smartphone penetration and mobile data usage have exploded across developing nations in the past few years. The number of mobile internet users in emerging markets reached almost 2.5 billion in 2018 and is expected to climb to 3.8 billion by 2025.
As more and more users in the developing world are going online, accessing the internet for the first time ever through their smartphones, mobile security threats are on the rise.
At the same time and due to the high cost of mobile data, internet access remains unattainable for many consumers in emerging markets; running out of data and remaining offline/disconnected is routine for most people. A given in the rest of the world, internet access is considered a basic human right by the majority of consumers in connectivity thirsty developing countries as Upstream’s research data shows.
Representatives from Upstream, the technology company leading the mobile internet revolution in high growth markets, are meeting with mobile operators, partners, key analysts, and media to highlight how operators can leverage their unique assets to boost and create new revenue streams while enhancing and safeguarding the mobile internet experience for their subscribers.
If you would like to meet with Upstream at MWC, please send an email to globalsales@upstreamsystems.com, or come by our stand in Hall 5, stand 5B20.
