Mobile application development has become a priority for the business sector and daily living. According to the Information Week 2013 Mobile Application Development survey, 41 percent of the 688 business technology respondents have custom mobile apps in place. This led to the establishment of Ericsson’s application competition.
Meanwhile, as the deadline for the Ericsson Application Awards looms, the Company has received a significant number of entries for the global competition from the sub-Saharan Africa region.
“Africa is a mobile continent and mobile application development is becoming one of the continent’s next big industries,” said Shiletsi Makhofane, vice president, Marketing & Strategy, Ericsson sub-Saharan Africa.
New behavior and emerging technologies are changing how work is organized. This year’s competition focuses on apps that will define the next generation of working life.
The theme of the 2014 competition is “Apps for Working Life”, in support of Ericsson’s vision of the Networked Society in which – through a combination of mobility, broadband, the cloud, applications and services – anything and everything is connected.
How can apps help us all in our daily working life both now and in the future? How do we contribute to making the next generation of working life an environment where people can better innovate, collaborate and balance life outside work?
Kenyan team, MedAfrica, won the 2012 global Ericsson Application Awards for the mobile application which seeks the health of communities and regions in Africa by increasing access to health-care related information and services.
Since winning the Ericsson Application Awards, they have developed an updated version of their app which was featured by the BBC showcasing how technology can do well.
This is the fifth consecutive year that Ericsson has organized the Ericsson Application Awards. Students and small- and medium-sized enterprises from anywhere in the world are invited to submit Android and iOS mobile apps.
This year, the first prize is EUR 25,000, the second prize is EUR 10,000, and there is special recognition for innovation supporting Technology for Good. Third to 10th prizes include diplomas and honorary mentions.
Additionally, this competition gives winners an opportunity to gain a foothold in the app industry, while also earning recognition and making contacts within the telecom industry.
The deadline for application submissions is February 28, 2014.