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fees to change service providers. Other consumers of benefits to broader segments of the population,
may be locked-in because the m-services they and achievement of development goals.
like are offered by the service provider only to its
own customers (see the Safaricom and M-Pesa One of the critical pillars in driving a digital agenda
situation discussed earlier). This makes it difficult is improved standard-setting procedures and
for consumers to move their data and information increased interoperability. Legacy type-approval
from one provider to another. processes need to be reviewed in order to assure
an expanded space for mutual recognition through
Such practices raise consumer-protection and type acceptance. European public authorities are
competition concerns. While it is incumbent on particularly active in promoting interoperability.
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consumers to make informed decisions when Showing a commitment to this critical success
signing up with a service provider, it is equally factor, the Digital Agenda for Europe requires that
important that consumers be able to switch all new IT devices, applications, data repositories
providers. Responding to these concerns, the and services interact seamlessly anywhere – just
EU modified its Universal Service Directive in like the Internet. The Digital Agenda identifies
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2009 to require member states to limit customer improved standard-setting procedures and
contracts to no more than 24 months and to direct increased interoperability as the keys to success.
operators also to offer 12-month contracts.
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Many governments and regulators promote
5.3.6.5 Number portability interoperability and open systems by enforcing
anti-trust regulations and adopting open-source
Mobile telephony has re-defined connectedness software and open standards in their own digital
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to the point that calling a person is really calling a activities. French legislation, for example,
number, because people and businesses become mandates that when digital content is protected
closely associated with their phone numbers. by proprietary digital rights management
Number portability, therefore, is a huge consumer technologies, providers must give other software
and competition consideration in providing and hardware developers access to the necessary
consumer choice. Porting allows more consumer technical documentation to make their systems
choice and enables individuals to move their interoperable. For this reason, Apple’s iTunes is
number together with any m-services and apps under scrutiny both in France and elsewhere in the
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that are tagged onto that number. EU.
The idea of fostering interoperability can be
5.3.6.6 Standards and interoperability controversial, because it seemingly proposes
cooperation among competitors. It suggests
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From traditional mobile voice services to m-health, trade-offs that must be faced on the road to
m-education, m-agriculture, m-payments, universal interoperability. Indeed, some forms
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m-investment and m-donations, it is clear that we of interoperability have often received equivocal
are now in the era of m-everything! The ability support, leading to uncertainty about the strength
to interoperate and interconnect devices so they of governments’ commitments to fostering
can “speak” to one another continues to herald competitiveness in the digital ecosystem and the
numerous possibilities. aim of growing the “knowledge economy.”
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The proliferation of platforms, applications and In June 2014, Tanzanian MNOs became the first
services that cater to specific devices, however, in Africa to enter into an interoperable mobile
can create isolated islands of device ecosystems in money pact. This was achieved following months
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the absence of full interoperability across multiple of negotiation and regulatory facilitation to reach
operating systems. There is a critical need to lift “interconnection” arrangements akin to those
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traditional barriers that operators have imposed typically used for voice calling and text messaging.
to further their proprietary technologies and to This agreement will enable customers to send and
lock in commercial gain. Further, the adoption of receive money across networks, and the e-money
common standards and interoperability sets the will go directly to the respective subscribers’
stage for scaling and monetization of m-services e-wallet accounts.
and apps, allowing for cheaper access, allocation

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