With 2012 - dubbed by industry observers as the year of mobile - officially behind us, Web services firm Native's December Mobile Report looks at newsworthy events and statistics that are likely to make news again, in some form, this year.
Here are seven highlights from the report:
1. December marked the 20th anniversary of the first SMS ever sent. According to telecoms and tech author Tomi Ahonen, SMS is still the most used mobile service in the world, followed by voice. One in six people have a mobile phone and are connected to a mobile network.
2. World Wide Worx estimates that a million tablets had been sold in SA by the end of 2012. The research house also reveals new data showing that broadband access in SA has doubled, with growth of 128%.
3. Big four bank Standard Bank took a significant step in the adoption of contactless payment technology. It is set to begin the rollout of near-field communication-enabled credit and cheque cards, allowing South African customers to use the "tap-and-go" method of payment.
4. Third mobile operator Cell C joined the ranks of Vodacom, MTN and 8ta with its trial launch of LTE technology, with a select group of heavy data customers that fall within the company's coverage areas.
5. The first African-designed smartphone was launched by Congolese inventor Verone Mankou, who also designed what was billed as Africa's first tablet computer last year.
6. LinkedIn reported its South African user base had reached two million users.
7. According to online Facebook statistics portal Socialbakers, Egypt, Nigeria and SA were the top three African countries on Facebook as of December.
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