Telco practically can't deliver OTT

Do Telco can provide OTT service? Most of them can’t. Not because they technically not capable, even their capability block them to deliver OTT service.  Why is that ?

This is the answer, summary of the article from wikipedia 

The term OTT or "over-the-top" refers to the delivery of content or services over an infrastructure that is not under the administrative control of the content or service provider. Originally it referred to the delivery of audio and video content, but more recently the definition has been extended to include any service or content and in a more general sense means any service available on the Internet.

Recently, over-the-top is wrongly used in the telecom world to describe any unmanaged service delivered over IP. If an operator offers an IP service (say IPTV), and that service is delivered over the operator's infrastructure (whether mobile, fixed, or otherwise), it is not OTT. If that same operator, after building a content/service model, extends the service to any IP end point on another operator's network, then it becomes OTT. Whether the operator decides to use QoS for the service is irrelevant in the definition of OTT. In other words, an operator offering a service to its own subscribers is never OTT; rather if quality and bandwidth are enforced, it is a managed telco service, and if not, it is an unmanaged telco service. Only if it is extended beyond the boundaries of that telco's infrastructure is it ever correctly referred to as OTT.

Google Initiative for music

From Bloomberg article :

Google Said Developing Subscription Music Service

By Andy Fixmer & Brian Womack - Feb 26, 2013

Google plans to start a subscription music-streaming service to challenge Spotify, which targeted for worldwide service start at the third quarter of this year.

Negotiations are under way with major record labels to license their music and discussing renewing deals that cover the use of songs in YouTube.

Spotify lists 5 million paying subscribers and 20 million users of its ad-supported service in 17 countries.

Apple, is also planning a music service that would challenge Spotify in streaming and Pandora Media in Web-based radio.

Ad supported business model

A Post-Advertising Business Model That is 6X More Valuable - Rita McGrath - Harvard Business Review

It is between interesting and irritating, the key is Relevance.

ICT for growth in Indonesia

Di sarikan dari artikel di situs DailySocial dengan judul "IDC: Teknologi Akan Mendorong Pertumbuhan Ekonomi Indonesia"


Dari laporan International Data Corporation (IDC), Indonesia diprediksi akan mengalami pertumbuhan ekonomi yang dipicu oleh berkembangnya sektor teknologi informasi dan komunikasi (TIK). Pertumbuhan investasi asing di Indonesia sebesar 22% pada Q3 2012. Dengan prediksi 15 miliar dollar US di tahun 2012.


Wall Street Journal, juga menambahkan prediksi bahwa angka ini akan melonjak mencapai 26% pada akhir tahun  dengan  rincian di sektor transportasi, logistik dan telekomunikasi, serta kertas sebagai kontributor terbesar terhadap pertumbuhan di Q3-2012.

IDC memaparkan 5 area utama yang akan mempengaruhi perkembangan TIK di 2013:

1. Meningkatnya belanja di bidang TIK pada beragam industri besar, mulai dari bidang sumber daya alam hingga ke retail dan manufaktur.

2. Layanan Data Center, dengan penggunaan yang akan meningkat secara drastis di tahun 2013.

3. Pertumbuhan Startup, meningkatnya investasi pada startup di sektor teknologi dimana para investor berlomba-lomba mencari “the next big thing”. Tahun 2012 cukup banyak pendanaan yang dikucurkan kepada startup-startup di Indonesia dari berbagai entitas baik lokal maupun luar negeri (Bukalapak  dan PriceArea oleh Gree Venture, Lazada oleh JP Morgan dan Kinnevik, UrbanIndo oleh East Ventures, atau pendanaan Stilomo dan Ifetcha dari angel investor).

4. Kebijakan BYOD, bring your own devices kebijakan perusahaan untuk mendorong pegawainya untuk menggunakan perangkat milik sendiri dalam operasional perusahaan. 

5. Perkembangan Kawasan Indonesia Timur. beragam entitas bisnis akan mencoba mengembangkan pasarnya ke kawasan Indonesia Timur selama 5 tahun ke depan. 

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Telco Strategy for OTT

Dikutip dari brosur promosi Report dari www.pyramidresearch.com dengan judul

OTT IP Messaging: Operator Strategies for Over-the-Top Communication
Global Telecom Insider / Vol. 4, No 4, October Edition

Third-party over-the-top (OTT) communication services (messaging and voice) such as WhatsApp and Skype are popular – and proliferating, especially in emerging markets. The advantage of OTT over operator services is that it is perceived as free, though a data connection is needed to access the Internet. Customers like them, but these services generate incremental traffic putting an additional strain on operators. Unless they block OTT communication, operators have to handle these services. What is worse for operators is that they do not have a direct relationship with OTT users, and as such they are effectively cut out the value chain. While the Rich Communication Suite–enhanced (RCSe) is emerging as the industry-wide standard for IP mobile communication, it’s not ready yet, and operators need interim strategies to combat third-party OTT services. But what are the best strategies? The main focus of this report is on mobile IP messaging. We examine the significance of OTT communication (voice and messaging), and more specifically the impact of OTT messaging, and take a closer look at six different strategies that operators are currently using to respond to the threat posed by OTT. The report presents case studies from SingTel, Claro, Orange, Telefonica, T-Mobile, Vodafone and Three and examines how these different operators are approaching OTT communication. We conclude with some recommendations for operators as they rethink and refine their strategies.

iTunes masuk ke Indonesia.

Artikel ini di ambil dari situs www.macrumors.com yang katanya mengacu dari press release nya Apple. Satu hal terkait dengan berita ini, saya ngebayangin ada dua hal.

Pertama, Apple akan menjadi saingan berat bagi penyedia musik online dari Telkom Group yang bekerja sama dengan SK Telkom dengan brand name Melon (Melodi Online). Meski di satu sisi ada perbedaan business model, antara beli dan hak akses segudang lagu berbatas waktu, namun layanan music Apple minimal jadi substitusi yang sangat berdekatan dengan Melon. Issue device berbasis IOS juga menjadi salah satu aspek persaingan.

Kedua, bagaimana Apple akan menghadapi music bajakan yang sudah menjadi suatu hal yang lumrah di Indonesia. Aspek ini bisa jadi menjadi hal yang positif bagi legal music service seperti Melon, karena secara industri akan mengarahkan pada program-program No Piracy, khususnya dengan menggandeng pemerintah yang nampaknya masih belum terlihat upayanya dibanding pornografi.

iTunes Music Store Launches in 56 New Countries, Movies Arrive in Four

Monday December 3, 2012 7:20 pm PST by Eric Slivka

Earlier today, we noted that the iTunes Music Store had gone live in Russia and Turkey, but now that changes have propagated throughout iTunes and we've had time to collect reports, it now appears that Apple is selling music through the iTunes Store in 56 new countries. The additions nearly double the number of countries in which the iTunes Music Store operates.

The new countries include: 

- Europe: Belarus, Moldova, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine 

- Africa, the Middle East and India: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Egypt, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, India, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Swaziland, United Arab Emirates, Uganda, Zimbabwe 

- Asia Pacific: Fiji, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan 

- Latin America and the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago 

Beyond music, four of the new countries have also seen Apple roll out access to movies: India, Indonesia, Russia, and Turkey. 

Telecom Sector in Ad Spend

Dikutip dari situs www.global-mediainsight.com

Global Ad Spend By Sector: Telecom Continues Growth Trend

Source: Nielsen Global AdView Pulse

Though many industry sectors are spending cautiously in today’s uncertain economic environment, telecommunications companies invested significantly more on advertising in the first half of 2012 than they did last year, according to Nielsen’s Global AdView Pulse report. With a 7.9 percent increase in global ad spending, the telecommunications sector saw the largest increases in emerging markets, like Latin America (+32.5%) and the Middle East & Africa (+28.3%).

After more cautious spending during the first quarter, the automotive sector also boosted ad spending by 6.3 percent during the first half of 2012, compared with the same period last year. Even in the embattled region of Western Europe, advertising spending increased by 1.4 percent when comparing 1H 2012 to 1H 2011.

Paragraph of the week : Midas Touch

Di kutip dari situs techcrunch.com dengan judul artikel Sony Mobile Chief Acknowledges Its Smartphones Suck, Promises An iPhone, Galaxy S III Competitor Soon tanggal 16 November 2012

 

Sony knows hardware and can build a fine device. No one disputes that. But it has lost the Midas touch. Making a “better” smartphone in terms of specs is not enough to sell to consumers anymore. People do not shop smartphones by specs. They shop by trends dictated by popularity and massive marketing campaigns. If Sony is to have a shot with its iPhone and GSIII competitor, the marketing message is nearly as important as the device itself.

Newspaper Advertising Revenue

Dicuplik dari situs http://www.businessinsider.com/ dari artikel dengan judul

And Now Let Us Gasp In Astonishment At What Just Happened To The Newspaper Business

Henry Blodget | Sep. 17, 2012

Over the past decade, lots of big newspaper companies have gone bust.

But when you take a look at what's happened to newspaper advertising over that period, it's a wonder they all haven't.

Below, via Mark J. Perry and Bill Gross, is a chart we've run before. It shows inflation-adjusted newspaper advertising revenue over the past 60 years.

Thanks to the precipitous decline in the last ~7 years, the industry is now back to where we it was in 1950. And it's only slightly better off when you factor in online revenue.

Journalism professor Jay Rosen of NYU observes that the peak year was the one in which blogging software first appeared.

Mobile data use leads to increase GDP growth

Dicuplik dari situs www.telecomlead.com dengan judul artikel 

Doubling of mobile data use leads to 0.5% increase in GDP growth across 14 countries: GSMA

Nov 20,2012

Telecom Lead India: Doubling of mobile data use leads to an increase of 0.5 percentage points in the GDP per capita growth rate across 14 countries.

10 percent rise from 2G to 3G penetration increases GDP per capita growth by 0.15 percentage points.

In developing markets, 10 percent expansion in mobile penetration increases productivity by 4.2 percentage points.

“Total mobile connections will stand at 6.8 billion with mobile subscriber penetration at 45 per cent by the end of 2012,” said Tom Philips, chief government and regulatory affairs officer, GSMA.

Total mobile data usage has more than doubled on average every year from 2005 to 2010 in each of the 96 countries in the sample. In Western European countries, it grew by 350 percent.

The impact of increased mobile data usage is stronger in countries where the average level of mobile data consumption per 3G connection is comparatively higher. Countries characterized by a higher level of data usage per 3G connection, such as Russia, the UK and South Korea, have seen an increase in their GDP per capita growth of up to 1.4 percentage points. The effect is more limited for countries where mobile data usage is currently less prevalent, such as China, India, Mexico and South Africa.

“This study is an important addition to the growing body of empirical evidence demonstrating the impact of broadband on economic growth,” said Robert Pepper, vice president, Global Technology Policy, Cisco.

GSMA suggests that rather than look to capture value from the mobile industry via sector specific taxation and high regulatory fees, government could seek to incent investments in mobile broadband networks, which will deliver significant economic and social benefits.

The report from GSMA and Deloitte draws from research of data usage and economic growth across 14 countries provided by Cisco Systems based on their Visual Networking Index (VNI), as well as Deloitte studies on the productivity impact of mobile in 79 countries and the impact of 3G penetration across 96 countries.

“The development of data services have the potential to drive economic development in the same way in which voice services have in previous generations,” said Chris Williams, Deloitte telecommunications partner.

Market M2M

Dicuplik dari brosur Report dari Pyramid Research dengan judul 

The Machine-to-Machine Market : A high-growth opportunity for MNOs The machine-to-machine (M2M) market is dynamic, serving diverse vertical industries with a range of different devices across multiple networks. Growth is driven by a number of different factors including new regulations, a variety of business models, innovations, falling hardware costs and technological developments. Cellular networks are well-suited to offer the connectivity for a range of different M2M applications, and operators are increasing their focus on the M2M space, particularly in mature, saturated markets. The diversity of the market makes it challenging to address, particularly for mobile operators geared to generating revenue from high volumes of subscriptions with relatively high usage requirements and a limited range of devices. Furthermore there are a number of focused M2M service providers, many with vertical market specialization, that are already addressing the market, some of which may also be existing partners, such as MVNOs and other airtime resellers. Key Findings The potential size of the cellular M2M market is enormous, providing operators with a sizable, long-term growth opportunity. We forecast that the volume of cellular M2M subscriptions will increase almost fourfold between 2010 and 2016, from 72m to 282m. There are significant differences in adoption regionally, with mature, developed markets leading the way and many emerging markets still at a very nascent stage. An important factor here is simply the level of income, which in turn dictates the adoption of machines in general, such as vehicles, consumer electronics and utility meters. Government regulations and targets are key market drivers across different regions and applications. Smart metering is an important element of environmental policies to reduce the consumption of utility services and peak demand rates in many parts of the world. Player : Amazon AT&T Bglobal Data &Mobiles Echelon Ericsson Feeney Wireless General Motors Jasper Wireless KORE Telematics Navigon Nomad Digital Nomad Innovations nPhase NTT DoCoMo

Location Based Service Opportunity

Dicuplik dari brosur Report dari Pyramid Research dengan judul Location-Based Services - Market Forecast, 2011-2015

Following many years of high expectations, the location-based services market is finally coming of age. Growing adoption of GPS devices is the key driver, helping a whole host of different applications and services to grow. For mobile operators, this is an opportunity to drive new revenue streams, but it is also a threat because it means access to location information is no longer their monopoly. Operators need to become more active in the location space by driving their own-branded navigation and local search applications on devices they distribute, maximizing smartphone sales and bundling people-finding services with packages targeting specific segments. In other segments — including social networking, in-app advertising and advertising-based messaging — the opportunity is more limited, although there are some interesting opportunities here, as well. The report provides a detailed overview of the current status and size of the location-based services market. It takes a specific look at the positioning of the mobile operators within the value chain and how they can leverage their assets to take a stake in this growing opportunity. A number of services are analyzed, but the biggest focus is on navigation, the largest in terms of revenue where various business models are establishing themselves and a range of different players are focusing their efforts, creating a dynamic and fast-changing market segment. Other services such as people finding and local search are also covered.  Key Findings The global location-based services market is enjoying strong growth. Revenue is expected to reach US$10.3bn in 2015, up from $2.8bn in 2010. There are a number of different factors driving market growth, including increasing GPS and smartphone adoption, success of new business models, continued growth of mobile advertising, and the wider coverage and higher speeds of mobile networks. Although operators are continuing to lose control over location information with the growth of GPS, this is also creating important growth opportunities. In 2008 operators gained around 80% of all location-based service revenue. This has fallen to around half, but the total market has grown more than fivefold. Navigation, local search and people-locating services are the key areas for operators to target because this is where we believe they are best positioned. Navigation applications are the largest location-based service revenue generators. Competition is intensifying among operators, handset vendors and operating system developers to capture users. While applications have cost advantages over stand-alone personal navigation devices (PNDs), Google and Nokia are shifting the business model from payment to advertising-funded.

Invetasi Telefonica di mobile service berbasis cloud

Dicuplik dari allthingsd.com tanggal NOVEMBER 28, 2012 dengan judul Telefonica, Mozilla and VCs Still Betting Big on HTML as They Pour $25 Million Into Everything.Me

Lagi-lagi Telefonica mencoba peruntungan dengan berinvestasi di mobile service dengan berbasis cloud, " ...a way to connect with the apps already on a user’s device, as well as other apps and services available from the cloud". Slogan dalam situs nya mengulas transformasi mobile phone dengan "Moving from Smart Phones to Dynamic Phones. Phones that adapt to your life, matching your apps in real time to whatever you need right now".

berikut cuplikan nya...

For Mozilla to be successful with its Firefox OS, it needs a lot of good HTML5 apps and content.

Given that, it is not terribly surprising that Mozilla and carrier partner Telefonica are part of a $25 million investment round in Everything.Me, an Israeli start-up focused on helping create such programs. That said, it is the first time that Mozilla has taken part in the equity funding of a start-up.

The company, which originally had the less-catchy name Do@, raised $3.5 million earlier this year from Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing’s Horizons Ventures.

The vision behind Everything.me, which started out more along the lines of mobile search, has evolved with its various rounds of funding.

These days, the company is positioning its service as a way to connect with the apps already on a user’s device, as well as other apps and services available from the cloud.

Mozilla’s Jay Sullivan says there is a very close alignment between what Everything.me is doing and Mozilla’s vision of a browser-based operating system.

“It’s a really good combination of what’s great about apps, and what’s great about the Web,” Sullivan said in a telephone interview.

The company isn’t sharing either its number of users or any details on how it plans to make money. It is currently available via HTML5 and as an iOS app, with plans for an Android version, as well.

Everything.me says it will continue to do native apps alongside its HTML5-only program, saying that it wants to reach as many people as possible.

Smartphone Ecosystem

Dicuplik dari brosur Report dari Pyramid Research dengan judul Smartphone Operating Systems

Ecosystem analysis and trends shaping the future of the global smartphone market 

The smartphone segment is becoming central to the development of the global mobile industry. With mobile subscriptions’ penetration of the population having already surpassed 100% in most developed markets and quickly approaching that mark on a global level, a sign of near market saturation, industry players are focusing on mobile data as the main revenue growth source for the future. In addition to network and service investments being made to pursue this opportunity, data services need user-friendly terminals and interfaces to engage customers. Smartphones are just such devices. Following a sluggish start when mainly targeted at business users, they have witnessed exploding sales in recent years, especially since the introduction of Apple’s iPhone in 2007. The iPhone delivered a landmark consumer-focused user experience and changed the way the industry did business. Further contributing to the smartphone segment’s sky-rocketing growth, the launch of Google’s Android open source operating system in 2008 enabled smartphones to reach the mass market, with more handset makers being able to enter the segment with a similar user experience to that of the iPhone and at quickly decreasing price points. The growing importance of the segment has brought operating systems (OS) and the ecosystems being created around them to the forefront, sparking a war among different platforms for dominance over the smartphone space. Mobile operating systems and the ecosystems evolving around them are shaping the way forward for the mobile industry because of their potential to attract users and drive new business opportunities in data services. In light of this it is crucial to understand which players are involved and how, comprehend how these ecosystems are evolving, and fully apprehend the influence they have in the present and future of the handset and mobile services industry. Key Findings Following a period of decreasing handset sales in 2008-2009, the global handset industry is growing once again, propelled by the accelerating smartphone segment and by strong emerging markets demand. Pyramid Research expects global handset sales to expand at a 7% CAGR between 2010 and 2015, moving from 1.33bn to 1.86bn devices. The stunning expansion of the smartphone segment has been driven by increasing popularity of these devices in consumer segments. This was first caused by the arrival of the iPhone and further boosted by Android-powered devices, which enabled smartphones to be offered at lower price points and is making smartphones the mass market device of choice. We expect these devices to continuing coming down the price ladder, becoming increasingly available to lower-income tiers and emerging markets, which will boost sales. The OS is one of the most important differentiating factors within the smartphone segment, given its central role in the handset usability experience. A renewed OS approach to handset usability gave new mobile handset entrant Apple an edge over its competitors. The importance of the OS has also enabled software companies to take a prominent role in an industry so far dominated by handset vendors.

Asia Pacific Online Game Market

1.) Online Gaming Market continues to grow in the Asia-Pacific Region

The new "Asia-Pacific Online Gaming Report 2012" by Hamburg-based secondary market research firm yStats.com compiles up-to-date information on the online gaming market in the Asia-Pacific region, excluding online gambling aspects. This includes a brief introduction about the region as well as an analysis of the markets China, Japan, South Korea and Australia.

The online gaming market is rapidly growing in the entire region of South East Asia. Revenue generated in this market is expected to more than double between 2011 and 2015. Especially social gaming has become a significant trend, drawing more and more new users and generating more revenue.

Massively client games spur growth of Chinese online gaming market
The value of the online gaming market in China is predicted to grow annually by double digit percentage figures between 2012 and 2015. Furthermore, spending by online gamers is projected to increase between 2012 and 2013 – despite slowing growth rates. In the fourth quarter of 2011, Tencent had the largest market share in the Chinese client-based online gaming market, followed by Netease and SNDA. This growth can be attributed primarily to massively client games. They are expected to generate almost three quarters of all revenue in this market in 2013.

Online gaming markets soaring in Japan, South Korea and Australia

In 2011, the largest share of the total online gaming market value in Japan was generated by mobile gaming, followed by social gaming. Conventional online gaming was, however, at the bottom of the list. While in 2010 more than 40 percent of all social gamers were women, men still dominated the total online gaming market, accounting for nearly three quarters of all gamers. Especially the social gaming market is expected to grow rapidly in Japan – between 2011 and 2012 by approximately one third. 

In South Korea, the online gaming market is also expected to grow annually by more than 20 percent between 2008 and 2012. In 2010, South Korea generated more than one quarter of all global revenue in this sector. The "Asia-Pacific Online Gaming Report 2012" by yStats.com also shows that online gaming addiction is a huge problem in this country, where in 2011, more than half of all inhabitants played online games. 

For Australia, it is forecasted that online gaming subscriptions and digital goods will account for one fifth of all sales of digital goods and online subscriptions in 2012. 

2.) KEY FINDINGS
• Online gaming revenues in Southeast Asia are expected to more than double between 2011 and 2015.
• In the fourth quarter of 2011, Tencent had the largest market share in the Chinese client-based online gaming market, followed by Netease and SNDA.
• In 2011, the largest share of the total online gaming market value in Japan was generated by mobile gaming, followed by social gaming.
• Online gaming addiction is a major problem in South Korea, where more than half of all inhabitants played online games in 2011.
• In 2012, about a fifth of the total digital goods and online subscriptions spending in Australia is forecasted to be generated through online gaming subscriptions and digital goods sales.

Top Leader eCommerce for Asia

Diambil dari situs ystat.com untuk tawaran Report dengan judul Top 350 Online Shops in Asia-Pacific 2012 tanggal 25 Juli 2012

1.) The leading online shops in the Asia-Pacific region.
In Japan, where the online market is dominated by mass merchants, Rakuten.co.jp beat Amazon.co.jp, whose visitor numbers in May 2012 were slightly lower than those of shopping mall Rakuten. In China, the market was also dominated by mass merchants. In 2011, Tmall.com generated the highest trade volume ahead of 360buy.com and Amazon.cn. In South Korea, the market was mostly dominated by local competitors. In May 2012, in terms of traffic volume, mass merchant Gmarket.co.kr came out on top with 13 million unique visitors, ahead of 11st.co.kr and Shopping.Naver.com (both also mass merchants). In India, mass merchants Jabong.com, Flipkart.com and Homeshop18.com took the lead and in Australia, mass merchant Oo.com.au had the highest number of unique visitors in May 2012 ahead of mass merchant Myer.com.au and apparel/accessories online shop Asos.com.


2.) KEY FINDINGS
• In Japan, where the online shopping market is dominated by mass merchants, Rakuten.co.jp beat Amazon.co.jp, whose unique visitor numbers in May 2012 were slightly lower than those of Rakuten.
• In China, the market was also dominated by mass merchants. In 2011, Tmall.com generated the highest trade volume, ahead of 360buy.com and Amazon.cn.
• In South Korea, the market was mostly dominated by local competitors. In May 2012, in terms of traffic volume, mass merchant Gmarket.co.kr came out on top, ahead of 11st.co.kr and Shopping.Naver.com (both also mass merchants).
• In India, mass merchants Jabong.com, Flipkart.com and Homeshop18.com took the lead and in Australia, mass merchant Oo.com.au had the highest number of unique visitors in May 2012.

Asia Pacific Online Payment Market

Diambil dari brosur jualan Report dari ystat.com dengan judul Asia-Pacific Online Payment Methods 2012 yang di release tanggal 1 Agustus 2012

1.) Credit Cards Number one Online Payment Method in Asia-Pacific Region

The "Asia-Pacific Online Payment Methods 2012" report by yStats.com – Hamburg-based secondary market research specialist – analyzes recent developments in E-Commerce payment methods, first for the entire region and then separately for 7 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, the report features the most important trends and the latest news for 9 payment companies in these markets.

With the exception of China and Thailand, in 2012, credit cards were the most popular payment method in the Asia-Pacific region. Nonetheless, many consumers in this region do not place their confidence in online payment methods due to safety concerns and mistrust of online retailers.

Predominance of Credit Cards in Japan and Third-Party Payments in China
In Japan, every resident had on average more than six credit cards in 2011, which was the most popular online payment option there. Japan is the largest online shopping market in the Asia-Pacific region, which could have been one of the reasons for PayPal to enter the market via a joint venture with Japanese Softbank in May 2012. So-called third-party payments, where a third party acts as a middleman, are especially popular in China, with Alipay accounting for the biggest market share in this sector.

Popularity of PayPal in Asia-Pacific Region soars
According to the "Asia-Pacific Online Payment Methods 2012" report by yStats.com, in 2011, credit cards were the most frequently used E-Commerce payment method in South Korea, followed by bank transfers. In India, neither E-Commerce nor online payment methods are widespread, while many banks in Vietnam have been partnering with online payment providers in 2012. Since July 2012, PayPal has also been active in Malaysia, where the company began offering mobile payment options in cooperation with Malaysia Airlines for flight bookings. In Australia, PayPal was the most popular online payment method in 2011, ahead of credit card payments.

The development of online payment markets in the Asia-Pacific region varies widely. Whereas credit cards and third-party payments are very popular in many countries, in other countries, such as India, online payment methods do not yet play a significant role.

2.) KEY FINDINGS
• In Asia-Pacific, credit cards were the most popular form of online payment in April 2012, with the exception of China and Thailand.
• The Chinese third party online payment market was dominated by Alipay, with more than half of registered users in Q1 2012.
• Credit cards represented the most popular online payment method in Japan in 2011, partly due to the high per capita average of more than 6 cards.
• Online payments and E-Commerce in India were not widespread in early 2012, as both Internet and credit card penetration were low.
• In 2011, credit cards represented the most used payment option in B2C E-Commerce in South Korea, reaching a share of more than 70%.
• In Australia, payments of online purchases were dominated by paid credit cards or money transfer services such as PayPal in 2011.