03 September 2009

MEF Announces September In-Market Regulatory Tour of Asia

The Mobile Entertainment Forum will tour four key Southeast Asian countries to foster collaboration between regulators and members and create an environment conducive for the mobile media industry’s continual growth and vibrancy. The two week tour, from 7th- 18th of September, will cover Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and India.

The mobile media industry is subject to a considerable number of regulations globally. It sees a variety of content (games, music, video, ringtones) all accessed on the mobile device. Regulators and the industry alike have been trying to ensure that any regulatory regime meets the needs of consumers, affords an appropriate level of consumer protection and also supports an innovative and rapidly changing industry.

“MEF is building on its regulatory successes in the Americas and EMEA by assisting both the regulators and the industry to ensure that regulations are fit for purpose, transparent and proportionate. The industry is showing a genuine commitment to work with MEF and with the regulators to secure a more successful future to benefit everyone, including the consumers, in the value chain. MEF recognises how fragmented the Asian market is and hopes that its efforts to conduct this tour on a country-by-country basis will deliver more positive outcomes for the industry.”
- Neeraj Roy, MEF Asia Chair and Managing Director & CEO of Hungama Mobile

“I am very excited to be leading this crucial work for MEF. India and Indonesia are two of the fastest growing markets in the world, with 0.5 billion subscriptions between them, growing at 10m per month, whilst Singapore and Malaysia are defining the commercial and creative shape of 3G / mobile broadband consumption. Underpinning this growth and the future success of the mobile entertainment industry as a whole is the essential consumer trust in mobile media services. MEF is at the forefront of liaising with the industry and regulators alike in many different territories globally and want to spearhead similar successes in Asia.”
- Suhail Bhat, MEF Policy and Initiatives Director

In April 2009, MEF Americas announced the completion of the first phase of its Mobile Sweepstakes Rules Initiative with the launch of “The Sweepstakes Rules Map: US”. This interactive map of the United States is the first ever to outline the applicable rules and laws governing mobile promotions and sweepstakes on a state-by-state basis. The map was compiled by MEF Americas in partnership with MasurLaw, a leading venture law firm specialising in technology and entertainment.

In July 2009, MEF held three separate workshops on proposed regulatory changes in the UK. Written by MEF member and law firm Denton Wilde Sapte, MEF produces Guides to key pieces of legislation such as the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and the Audiovisual Media Services Directive. In addition MEF EMEA has established a Regulatory Committee comprising of over 30 member companies with meetings held every 6 weeks to discuss regulatory issues of relevance to our members.

If you like us to incorporate your relevant concerns during this tour or simply want further details about the MEF Asia tour, please contact Crystal Chua at crystal@m-e-f.org.

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