Partnership aims to put Malaysian mobile app developers on the global map
KUALA LUMPUR, JANUARY 9, 2013 – Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) and Nokia, via its MSC Malaysia ‘ICON’ (Integrated Content Development) program, today announced a partnership to foster the development of local mobile app content on the new Windows Phone 8 platform.
The joint collaboration will offer customized training and community support to up to 100 ICON developers to help them learn about the Windows Phone 8 platform and build a knowledge base for technical expertise. On top of the training, Nokia will offer its Nokia Premium Developer Program (NPDP), a quick start-up programme that provides developers with the right tools and services. These tools are designed to help developers create, maintain and deliver world-class mobile apps.
Nokia will drive the growth of the developers’ businesses further by introducing new monetisation and analytics capabilities such as in-app purchasing, in-app advertising and Nokia Ad Exchange. The ICON developers’ apps will also be prominently featured in Malaysia across advertising material, retail channels, events and roadshows. Apps from this programme will also be included in a dedicated collection in ‘App Highlights’, preloaded on all Nokia Lumia devices in Malaysia.
Launched in 2009, ICON was conceived to encourage and facilitate the creation of local mobile apps by developing capacity and building the ecosystem for local developers to enter the global apps market.
“We are excited to partner with a brand like Nokia. Working closely with such key industry partners will equip local mobile app developers with the right technical skills while also giving them market exposure and device integration capabilities throughout the app development lifecycle. The ICON programme also explores new business opportunities for local developers to monetise their mobile apps to the international market via a global medium such as the Windows Phone Marketplace” said Ng Wan Peng, Chief Operations Officer of MDeC.
Ng continued, “MDeC believes that new mobile platforms such as Windows 8 will push the standards of app development to greater heights and broaden the options for new markets. These could potentially be the new revenue streams and market opportunities for our local developers, which are in line with MSC Malaysia’s long-term strategy of honing local talent to create practical and creative solutions that appeal to the global market.”
According to Gary Chan, Nokia Pan Asia Head of Marketing, “We are partnering with ICON to build a vibrant ecosystem which integrates distribution, awareness and monetisation in one place to ensure that Malaysian developers receive the maximum opportunity for their great ideas and hard work while minimising the financial risks involved. The promise of Windows 8, Windows RT (for ARM-based tablets) and Windows Phone 8 is a shared core operating system across all platforms. Apps can be developed with shared components that will run on a PC, tablet and smartphone, allowing developers to reach more than 400 million devices in 2013 alone, as estimated by Microsoft. This represents an unprecedented opportunity for Malaysian developers”.
The first run of ICON from 2009 to 2010 saw 1,100 individuals exposed to the basic knowledge of app development, out of which, 221 developers successfully completed the advanced training in iOS and Android platforms. MDeC approved financial grants to 60 projects, which saw 180 jobs created and 96 mobile apps created.
The success of the first ICON prompted MDeC to launch ICON2 in July 2010, which offered two-tier structured assistance and facilitation opportunities. The lower-tier called ICONapps, targeted fresh graduates and new developers who were ready to pitch ideas to create mobile apps. As at the end of 2012, a total of 200 developers across the nation have successfully pitched their ideas and more than 80 mobile apps have been created and marketed in both iOS and Android stores.
The upper-tier, called ICONdap, is aimed at funding online and mobile content developers to create ideas into a proof-of-concept thus, encouraging entrepreneurship. So far, MDeC has approved funding for 20 projects, out of which, two have been completed whilst the rest will be completed in stages by the first quarter of 2013.
The ICON and Nokia collaboration announcement was held in conjunction with a roadshow to launch the latest Nokia Lumia 620.
To find more details on the MSC Malaysia ICON program, kindly visit www.mscmalaysia.my/ICON.
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