In mid 2014, internet celebrated its 25th Birthday. We at Opus Communication believe that it is an innovation which has changed the world until the end of time.

Today, there are more than 600million sites around the world, 500 million tweets are sent consistently and an expected 2.4 billion individuals go online today. Individuals are presently ready to get to data and offer things in a manner that was unrealistic in a past era. Furthermore, thus, the ascent of the web and social networking have changes the way we work, the way we live and the way we convey and make and look after fellowships.

While some may contend that the web and social networking has made us be more unsociable, detracting us from the physical world and taking cover behind a screen, others accept that it has improved our associations with individuals. Humanist, Barry Wellman states

“Online correspondence – email, texting, visit rooms, and so forth – does not supplant more conventional logged off types of contact – vis-à-vis and phone. Rather, it includes to them, expanding the general volume of contact.”

With such a large number of diverse methods for conveying, it could be contended that the web has recently expanded the general recurrence of correspondence, permitting us to stay in touch and make social arrangements with individuals we know eye to eye.

Notwithstanding, the web has additionally permitted numerous individuals to shape totally new associations with individuals they never knew and never would have met eye to eye. For example, the development of web dating has soared – today 33% of couples have met online (which is relied upon to ascend by 70% by 2040) and one million infants have been conceived from individuals who met on match.com. In this manner, it is obvious that the web is not just incredible for speaking with individuals you know, additionally becoming more acquainted with individuals who you never would have essentially met.

The web has likewise changed the way we impart on a worldwide scale. In Wellman’s terms we have get to be “glocalized”. Prior to the web, individuals were limited to an informal organization that was only nearby to them including neighbors, loved ones individuals that were only a short separation away. Notwithstanding, the web has permitted individuals to keep up connections that are both neighborhood and long separation. These days, with the increment in advanced cells and online networking, we can now stay in contact with individuals wherever you are on the planet.

Furthermore, having the capacity to stay in contact with loved ones on a worldwide premise, has had an enormous effect in transit individuals live. Today, individuals are considerably more liable to venture to the far corners of the planet, and numerous are settling on the striking choice to book their global movers and carry on with the expat way of life that they generally envisioned basically on the grounds that not having the capacity to stay in touch with loved ones is no more a hindrance to debilitate them from voyaging and living in another area.

Today, we can stay in contact with individuals paying little mind to area – we no more need to put some distance between those companions from school, or neighbors who move away – the web has empowered us to keep companions forever whilst still make heaps of new ones that are not simply limited to our nearby town.

So for those individuals who accept the web has transformed us into unsociable individuals that take cover behind PC screens throughout the day, which as a matter of fact may be the situation for the minority of individuals, the lion’s share of individuals see the web as an approach to be more social and a method for speaking with individuals from everywhere.

Opus Communication believes that Now a days, when just about everything is more convenient and accessible due to advances in technology across almost all sectors, it may seem as though it’s a misnomer to even mention any disadvantages of technological advances. However, despite how far technology has taken humans and no matter how convenient it may make things, there are some disadvantages accompanying this level of access.

Advantages:

Great Discoveries In All Sectors

Technology advances show people a more efficient way to do things, and these processes get results. For example, education has been greatly advanced by the technological advances of computers. Students are able to learn on a global scale without ever leaving their classrooms. Agricultural processes that once required dozens upon dozens of human workers can now be automated, thanks to advances in technology, which means cost-efficiency for farmers. Medical discoveries occur at a much more rapid rate, thanks to machines and computers that aid in the research process and allow for more intense educational research into medical matters.

Cost Efficiency

Cost efficiency is an advantage in some ways and a disadvantage in others. As technology improves on existing processes and showcases new ways to accomplish tasks, machines are able to produce the same — if not more — output than humans in certain industries. This results in cost savings for business owners, allowing them to invest in growth in other areas of the business, which contributes on a positive level to the economy as a whole.

Disadvantage:

Dependency

The more advanced society becomes technologically, the more people begin to depend on computers and other forms of technology for everyday existence. This means that when a machine breaks or a computer crashes, humans become almost disabled until the problem is resolved. This kind of dependency on technology puts people at a distinct disadvantage, because they become less self-reliant.

Less Value In Human Workers

At the same time, human workers retain less value, which is a disadvantage of technological advances. Because machines automate processes and do the work of 10 people with one computer, companies find they don’t need to employ as many people to get the job done. As machines and computers become even more advanced and efficient, this will continue to be a growing disadvantage of technology and an issue that has a global impact.

Opus Communications takes Technology quiet seriously and make no compromise when it comes to becoming the leader of a new emerging field, similarly we follow all those who share the same ideology and tend to explore the countless opportunities of the world.

Last week, Apple had declared that soon it is going to launch a smart Home kit that will allow the IPhone users to control their house and its relative activities via their phone for e.g. Thermostat, lock and lights etc.

By building this HomeKit, Apple wants to be known as the hub for creating its smart phones into smart products that talks to one another in the home.

Though it hasn’t been confirmed yet but Google plans on doing something similar to this and might be ahead of Apple as it in recent times it attained a fire alarm and thermostat company accounting to net worth of $3.2 billion. And not only this it has been reported that it recently acquired a new venture Dropcam which makes Wi-Fi connected cameras that record the footage which can be shared in the cloud.

Looking at the current scenario it can be safely said that Google has clearly stepped into this smart home industry and plans on taking it to the next level. With two top notch tech savvy companies competing against one another, the question then ties up to the level of compatibility, expediency and the overall home mechanization.

Smart home, walled garden!!!

Apple caters to specific niche and prefers to apps and devices to itself, stopping it from becoming available to everyone and anyone. Same is the ideology that it desires to take along when it comes to smart-home experience inside a walled garden.

While Apple wants to include the third party tiers for the development of its smart-home kit, it’s the consumers who are ultimately going to decide whether they want to be a part of the Apple-Centric Smart Home. But what if a family who has kids owning Samsung Galaxy phone, but Parents with IPhone, wouldn’t it create a split smart-home experience, and would Google and Apple be able to play nicely together?

While Apple wants third-party providers and manufacturers to join Home Kit, consumers will have to make a choice if they want to be an Apple-centric home. If a family has kids with Samsung Galaxy phones but parents with iPhone will that create a split smart-home experience? Will Google and Apple be able to play agreeably together?

Regardless, it’s clear that Apple is getting serious about smart home and is planning a major shakeup that could truly affect our everyday lives. That is, unless Google gets there first. Well all we can do is waiting and see who wins this tech savvy war, will it be Google or will it be Apple? The wait is inevitable but whoever it would be, we will surely benefit from it.

We at Opus Communications support every Industry that makes a mark of its Presence in this world in terms of success and Breakthrough working methodology. We welcome all the Telco Companies who not only struggled but managed to acquire distinguished positions in the Industry against one another by acquire the license to a Breakthrough technology recently been introduced in Pakistan i.e. 3G.

Cellular users in Pakistan have witnessed a drastic and extreme increase in popularity and usage. People from all walks of life, social and economic strata and age group have become obsessed with cell phones. We all been bit by mobile bug and it would not be wrong if I say that we are totally dependent on them. Families and friends are lost in the virtual world. And now what is going to aggravate this situation a tad bit is the advent of 3g and 4g network that has just been launched in Pakistan.

After the installation of GSM and CDMA networks, companies will now be able to offer customers the wonders of 3G (Third Generation) and 4G (fourth Generation) networks in Pakistan. From consumers perspective they think that 3G is something to have fast speed and good video quality and improve communication means. Services like wide area wireless voice telephone, mobile Internet access, video calls and TV and broadband wireless data. Now, people are so much interested in buying 3G-powered devices and tools.

Already people want to buy this technology because everyone wants to enjoy the breath taking benefits of that technology. It has opened a new way of life for all hand set users.

3G internets have enormous advantages. Such as Customization mobile broadband devices and services, Fast connectivity of internet, Broadband facility everywhere, enjoying music entertainment, increased in GDP/ Employment, Improved asset and resource management and so on so forth.

So let the game of High speed internet begin! Now we Pakistanis will stand with the rest of the world and achieve all the benefits of this ground-breaking Technology.

Haris Khan – a young and intelligent Pakistani kid has become of the youngest app developer in the world. Haris named this app “Super Soccer Kicks”. The game is available on Apple’s App Store and works on Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Haris who lives in Ireland has started earning a lot media attention in the wake of this event.

His game has already crossed over 400 downloads. The game was launched on Friday 7^th February 2014 and is available for free download on the App Store.

With a $19 billion investment, Facebook could have purchased a Technology Manufacturer, Fashion Brand or maybe four aircraft carriers.  Instead, Facebook bought WhatsApp, a bit sized startup that so far has only accumulated $60 million in funding mostly via Venture Capitalist “Sequoia Capital”.  Mark Zuckerberg seems crazy, is what you might say.

But think about what exactly Facebook has bought:

Young users

About 450 million users joined WhatsApp in 5 years, with an daily active user base of almost 70%, which is about 3 times more than Facebook in 5 years and almost 10 times more than Twitter or Skype. These numbers translate into revenues and most of these users are probably on Facebook anyway.  On the other hand, Digital detox a relatively new term is what Facebook is most worried about.

A new business model

Unlike Facebook and most other Internet giants, WhatsApp runs on a subscription-based revenue model, charging users $0.99 a year after the first year of use. Further, WhatsApp commits its services to no advertising and presumably no commercial exploitation of user data, which is different from Facebook’s business model. This acquisition can presumably help Facebook understand how to successfully execute on such business models.

Enhancements to the existing business model

The daily messaging volume of WhatsApp compete the SMS volume of the entire global telecom industry, and while Facebook strives to be the largest medium connecting people and their life events, daily happenings are better captured by metadata from messaging apps. This data could then enhance Facebook’s ability to pick out people’s most important relationships, which would presumably lead to better-targeted advertising.

Internationalization

Facebook Messenger is popular in the United States of America but not in other countries.  In key markets like Pakistan, India, South Asia and South America WhatsApp is the Messenger.  And this is what Facebook was looking for, the immediate real value: to become part of the global turn to mobile on ASAP basis.

These reasons for a $19 billion deal including competitive pressure from Google and other companies, the number might not look so crazy. Time will tell definitely but regardless of how this deal turns out, the loser, in our opinion, is the global telecom industry, which currently enjoys about $100 billion per year in revenues from SMS services.

Moral of the story: Create an alternative yourself before others disrupt your business model.

Apple took only five years to become America’s largest music retailer, and seven to become the world’s largest. In eighteen short months, Google erased 85% of the Market capitalization of the top GPS companies by launching its mobile app Google Maps. Alibaba, Chinese look alike of Amazon, became a $16 billion lender in less than three years, and China’s largest seller of money market mutual funds in only seven months.

Companies seem to be venturing into new industries for growth with increasing regularity policies. In a survey by Accenture, 60 percent of executives said their company intends to make alliances, joint ventures or  willing to make acquisitions over the next five years.

This represents a big challenge to the global banking industry where, in developed markets, growth and profitability are still at about half of pre-crisis levels. As banks recover from the downturn or better known as the Global Recession of 2009, non-banks are taking advantage by proceeding aggressively with digital innovations and gaining more and more of the banking value chain. Accenture in its survey also estimates that this competition between non-banks and traditional banks revenue has the potential to erode one-third of traditional banks revenue by 2020.

Payments, which are almost one-fourth of traditional banks revenue, are one of the most fought after areas. PayPal has become the number one online payment method in some countries (unfortunately not available in Pakistan), and start-ups like Square and Stripe are already earning multi-billion dollar valuations by analysts. Retailers are moving in as well and they are fast: almost one-third of local Starbucks revenues in United States are paid through their own loyalty cards. Stonage Jeans Co, Junaid Jamshed, K&N’s Gloria Jeans Coffee are examples of earning revenues via such loyalty cards in Pakistan.

T-Mobile introduced a new checking service by the use of a smartphone app and ATM card in January 2014. Google launched its plastic debit card for its Google Wallet in November 2013. Walmart has teamed up with American Express to commence a prepaid card that is functionally a debit account; it took the stage by adding more than a million customers in less than a year. In 2009, Telenor Pakistan partnered with Tameer Micro Finance Bank to introduce branchless banking for the first time in the country.

Technology giants, telecommunication companies, and retailers have to struggle against banks, if they compete to product-for-product and service-for-service, and many analysts believe that regulatory barriers will dampen disruption. New entrants already are a threat to banks by raising their service expectations levels and creating distance between the banks and their customers.

The risk for these banks is that new competitors will are dragging them to a limited role as back-office utility, while non-banks are trying to become the new face of their customers’ financial lives.

Banks cannot respond to these threats by simply becoming “more digital,”— closing down branches and rolling out better mobile applications and online banking services is not the right plan B. If they want to defend their turf against the Googles and PayPals of the world, they themselves must move further into the commercial lives of their customers. They must learn to play a greater role not just at the moment of financial transactions but before and afterwards as well.

Banks likely possess competitive advantages in the digital world. They have large customer bases; vast amounts of customer information and transaction data.

Instead of simply enabling customers to save money and pay for things, banks have the potential to combine their vast transaction data with new digital tools to help customers make better decisions on what to buy, and where and when to buy it – whether it’s dinner and a movie or a new home. Muslim Commercial Bank recently took their step by introducing MCB Lite the world’s 1st socially connected Mobile Wallet.

As the lines between industries blur all around, financial services will take on new dimensions in the minds of consumers. To be a profitable sector, banks cannot simply rely on providing accounts and access to funds. The future of the industry will depend on its ability to provide services that help customers save and better manage money in their everyday lives.

By the end of 2014, there are chances that number of Smart phones with be higher than humans, according to the equipment-maker Cisco, and by 2016 there could be 10 billion Smart phones on Earth.

Looking on to 2020, Cisco forecasts 0.05 trillion devices of various types to be interconnected. According to Wim Elfrink, Cisco’s head of globalization, at present only 0.2 per cent of such devices are connected.

By 2017, mobile data traffic volume will be 21 times more than it was in 2011, representing a rise of…2,100%
Mobile broadband subscriptions will rise from 900 million to five billion by 2017, representing a rise of…455%