Google picks Mobile as model for mobile business

Google Inc. went far from its California headquarters to make an Alabama city its model in a new campaign to help businesses build better websites for mobile devices. The alliteration, Mobilizing Mobile, was simply too good to pass up.

It doesn't matter that mobile and Mobile (moh-BEEL) are pronounced differently.

Google spokeswoman Sandra Heikkinen said some executives in Mountain View, Calif., are still practicing the pronunciation of the city, but "we love the alliteration."

The search giant is planning a series of events and workshops in Mobile from Nov. 14-16 to help businesses build a presence on the mobile Internet and get new customers. Participants will have the opportunity to have their desktop websites developed for portable devices like smart phones and tablets the same day as the workshop. It can tell potential customers their location, phone number, hours of operation and other information designed to drive business.

"Someone can find them that afternoon," said Jason Spero, Google's director of mobile advertising for the Americas.

For Google, it's part of an international effort, GoMo, to get more businesses using mobile sites.

For Mobile, it's an opportunity for businesses to get their sites developed and hosted free for a year. It's also an opportunity for the city to turn a digital search disadvantage into an advantage.

Leigh Perry Herndon, vice president of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, said people who type Mobile into an Internet search often get more information about telecommunications companies than they do the port city in Alabama. But now that spelling problem has brought Google to the city.

"This is one of those benefits of having a name that sounds like something else," she said.

Google executives said that while Mobile's name made it attractive, research made it a cinch. They found a city with a diverse range of businesses and a tech-savvy population with heavy broadband use, but lots of potential for development with mobile devices.

Herndon said many Mobile businesses have developed websites aimed at desktop computer users, but they have not adapted to the small screens of smartphones. She said Google is giving businesses a way to get with the latest trend in finding business information.

"You have an opportunity to get on board or you find your website outdated," she said.

Spero figures people with smart phones in Mobile are like people everywhere: They carry their phones with them all the time and they want to navigate the digital world from their phones.

"I truly believe this is driving a sociological change," he said.

Internet: A human right

Communication is the basis of human interaction. We know this to be inherent. But in an age where information is leveraged for advantage definitely communication is fundamental. This is probably one of the main reasons why the U.N.’s Commission for Digital Development aims to have broadband available to half of the world’s developing countries by 2015.

The call to make broadband accessible to minimum of 40% of the population must not fall on deaf ears here in Zambia. Zambia must act decisively to be one of the best implementers of this challenge.

There are three main challenges internet service delivery faces in Zambia.

1. Cost of broadband is prohibitive in Zambia. Users pay an average of US$25 per gig per month. Internet costs go up to US$600 per month for speed around 125kpbs. Hopefully this will be solved by ensuring that more that 40% of the population has access to broadband internet.

2. Speed of internet connectivity is in Zambia is believed to be the 4th slowest in the world. This is another factor depriving users of a standard online experience. Government must prioritize the laying of fiber optics as this may solve the speed problem.

We need to be a country with our own internal fiber optics network to promote hosting of websites locally and enhance local connectivity.

3. Zambian content on the internet is scarce. This scarcity deprives users looking for information for business and education. This also needs to be sorted out expeditiously.

Reflecting on the message that the UN is sending on the need to acknowledge internet as a human right, it must be understood that internet is government’s duty. Internet is the way to reduce the cost of business. Internet can help curb corruption and enhance transparency. Internet is a must in order to give citizens access to information.

Suggestively, members of parliament must be trained regarding the importance of internet and broadband. Law makers must understand that should government maximize broadband, development can be delivered better, faster, and more effectively.

Government should not only embrace ICT. It must lead in making Zambia a connected nation. There has to be more than political will. There has to be policy in place to ensure that Zambia is a country that is in step with ICT.

The benefits of a connected nation transcend the simple ensamples of providing people with access to research material for business and education. Connectedness means that companies will be able to reduce their marketing cost, reach a wider market, and even improve delivery. Individuals will be able to study online, stay connected with family and friends, whilst also find and exploiting business opportunities.

Most importantly government itself in this connectedness policy will be able to consolidate its data and manage information better.

Here are the 5 points of the Broadband Challenge

1. We call on world leaders to ensure that at least half the developing world’s population and 40% of households in developing countries are using broadband Internet by 2015. Consumers in all countries should have access to affordable broadband Internet services, including in developing countries.

2. We call on industry to develop innovative business models needed to realize this vision.

3. We call on governments to make broadband policy universal and to develop the enabling policy and regulatory frameworks to ensure that industry has a stable regulatory space in which to operate, flourish and harness broadband for sustainable human development.

4. We call on governments to develop policies and targets for online health and education at the national level to stimulate demand for broadband services.

5. We call on governments and civil society within a fully inclusive and consultative process to stimulate local content production as well as the development of local language services and applications for an inclusive digital world.