Local cellphone owners were introduced to many new functionalities this year, making the device even more indispensable.
Services have become key to cellphone use around the globe, and SA is no different. Local network operators devised ever-more services in a bid to keep customers loyal and spending. With crime an ever-present factor in the country, many of these services were security-related.
Concerned customers can now track the whereabouts of a family member with a phone call, while call sponsoring gives concerned parents the peace of mind that their child will always be able to contact them in an emergency.
More companies entered the burgeoning cellphone services market and functionality increased accordingly, specifically in the SMS arena.
Cellphone owners can now check for unpaid traffic fines, receive the lottery numbers, or obtain exam results via SMS. From a business perspective, the increasing popularity of premium SMS saw a number of companies tapping into it as a revenue stream.
The impending arrival of 3G networks and phones also generated excitement, although 3G will only have a real impact next year. While the uptake is expected to be slow, the market will still be competitive, and will see consumers` data and speed demands skyrocket. So much so that Motorola says only its low-end phones will not feature memory card slots by the end of 2005.
Industry players believe it is unlikely 3G will revolutionise the local market straight away. However, those who can afford the heavy bandwidth costs - Vodacom is offering a 1GB per month 3G contract at R599 monthly - will be able to enjoy a new level of service, including real-time news feeds and video calls.
And the bad news is...
With Internet connectivity on phones constantly on the rise, a cellphone virus was inevitable. Initial cellphone worms like the Skulls Trojan have proved fairly toothless, with one anti-virus (AV) vendor saying it would require "an act of stupidity" to get infected.
Many AV experts believe Skulls was not designed to be harmful, but was a concept virus, created simply to show it could be done. The fact that its creators sent a copy of the worm to a number of AV vendors further substantiates this claim.
Nonetheless, the hype about a worm that could theoretically transmit itself to any Bluetooth-enabled phone, resulted in AV vendors like F-Secure and Trend Micro launching AV cellphone software for paranoid consumers, although many experts say AV is not yet necessary.
With the vast quantity of information now being stored on phones, security and confidentiality have also become areas of concern. The threat goes beyond cellphone theft, with hackers accessing certain high-end phones remotely. Experts say users should exercise the same precautions with their phones as they do with their computers.
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