Global USSD in action from Ivan Komarov on Vimeo.
Global USSD in action from Ivan Komarov on Vimeo.
So it has been a while after I returned from the US where I went to a conference on Ancillary Revenue and Frequent Flier Programs / Loyalty organized by Airline Information. I enjoyed the conference not the least because it was in LA and it was very warm. (I am stationed in Siberia and we always have snow and bears who steal ice cream from children.)
My impressions of the crowd at the conference are mixed. Of course, it was my first conference so I don’t know what to make of them. But many of the people there seem to be not that, shall I say, entrepreneurial as I would like them to be. Once again, I was reminded of mobile operators — big, bureaucratic, interested in the “service” not in people or making money.
On the other hand, there were many very entrepreneurial people which I hang out with. We bonded.
Overall, not much selling, but a lot of impressions, thinking, and contacts.
I came there with ArrivedOK and I duly recommend you use it. It is not free as it used to be, but it is fun and cheaper than what you would spend on SMS.
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Apart from the conference, I have also seen TripIt guys. They seem to be working very hard. Nice people reminding me of my student days. But definitely a good vibe. I wish them all the best and hope we will do more together.
I have also had a nice meeting with PayTel, and may be we will do a USSD payment system in Africa for non-profits.
And… I met with one of the US operators. We are planning to have US presence with Global USSD soon.
I know. Too many ideas. Well, what can I do?
Here is another one. Free messaging using USSD flash. But with ads on the end. And it is global and to the cell phone.
For some things like App ads it can be very good. Especially when targeted.
I will set up a demo. Stand by.
Peter reports from Pakistan:
There are 5 operators and not all of them have USSD 2.0
Isn’t it kinda cool — USSD 2.0?
I think Pakistan should get an upgrade. And who has the best terms? Eyeline.