This Week in Global Mobile | February 25, 2011

At times it's difficult to keep pace with the latest global mobile developments. I hope this selection of news stories from the past week will help you navigate the growing global network of connectivity:

  • An Egyptian man named his daughter “Facebook “in tribute to the role the social media service played in organizing the protests” that took place in late January.
  • Nancy Scola of MobileActive provided specific examples of how the cell phone camera was an essential tool in fomenting unrest in Tunisia, Iran, and Bahrain.
  • In Russia a new crowd-mapping service launched which ambitiously aims to “united all bloggers on one map” to help increase digital cohesion across the country.
  • The Communications Commission of Kenya released its latest quarterly mobile statistics, revealing that broadband subscriptions increased 450% over the previous quarter.
  • A recent study by Frost & Sullivan West African Broadband Market Tracker estimated that broadband providers’ revenues will increase over 100% to $1.9bn by 2016.
  • Chinese mobile operator Huawei finalized a deal to provide a free mobile network on the London Underground in time for the 2012 Olympics.
  • Authorities in Botswana slashed mobile phone and Internet charges, a move made possible by a direct link to the East Africa Submarine System (Eassy) fiberoptic cable.
  • Egyptian news portal Masrawy.com announced that it would host a social media Q&A between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Egyptian youth.
  • The Chinese government launched its own search engine, Panguso, to provide a “state-approved version of the Internet” to its people.
  • South Korea, which already has the world’s fastest average broadband speed, launched a pilot program to bring 1 gigabit-per-second connections to households by the end of 2012.
  • The President of the American University of Nigeria blamed declining educational standards on a weak technology infrastructure in the school system.
  • Al Jazeera explained how Tunisian protesters took to the streets with “a rock in one hand, a cell phone in the other,” using social media to break through a media blackout.
  • Hispanics trail other groups in Web usage in the United States, with 13% fewer Internet users accessing health information online than their white counterparts, reported Washington Post.
  • Global network specialist Cisco predicted an annual growth rate of 129% of mobile data traffic in the Middle East and Africa between 2010 and 2015.
  • In an attempt to “connect with the youth leaders of the January 25 Revolution,” the Egyptian military opened a Facebook page to promote its image among citizens.
  • A study of high school students suggested that “youth who pursue their interests online are more likely to be engaged in civic issues.”