Ncell App Camp 2014: Teams learn about monetizing their app idea

Facilitating the participants to compete in the Ncell App Camp 2014, Ncell today hosted a seminar on ‘mobile application trends; marketing and monetization‘ at Hotel Everest, as 150 teams move ahead to implement their ideas.

Addressing to the participants as a keynote speaker, Biswas Dhakal, president of Cash On Ad Pvt. Ltd.,encouraged the young developers to add creative fluid to their ideas. “Engagement is another aspect you should consider while making apps. You should plan in advance how you can bring users to your product”, said Dhakal who emphasized that the developers should implement appropriate promotion and branding strategies while making apps. “Social media are the most effective tools for viral marketing to decrease user acquisition cost of your apps.”

Keynote speech from Biswas Dhakal was followed by a panel discussion where panelists discussed on business potential, legal and technical challenges of mobile application development in Nepal. They stressed on the growing trend of using apps as business tools to minimize cost and increase connectivity.

“Initially, we could not create job opportunities in Nepal using internet technology when most developed countries were already doing it. But now we can see mobile phones in the hands of almost every Nepali. It is important for us to follow the trend,” said Sanjay Golchha, director of Golchha Organization.

Stressing that the government should facilitate local operators in Nepal to have their own app store, Golchhaadded, “Apps provide a better platform for emerging entrepreneurs. However, the telecom operators should help create such platforms by facilitating the sector.”

Motivating the participants, Aadish Shrestha, managing director of Focus One Nepal, said that the mobile applications have been largely contributing in the businesses. “Data collection has become easier and faster due to data enabled mobile apps,” said Shrestha who argued that there are companies who want to invest in such apps that help in their businesses.

Vahdat Zehtab, head of B2C department at Ncell, asked the app developers to look outside Kathmandu Valley to explore their potential markets. “Data consumption is rich in Nepal but when compared to that of the other developed countries, it is still not good enough. I believe Nepal will leap forward in this sector,” said Zehtabarguing that going global is not the major issue for developers to meet their goals. “It is just that you have to be very specific to what you target. Let us make sure, what we want to solve.”

Interacting in the program, the competing team membersraised questions regarding copyright issues and challenges in payment gateway facing young developers mainly in Nepalese context. Mobile applications are mostly taken as intellectual property in Nepal and are dealt under the Copyright Act 2059. This law does not require the application be necessarily registered. “However, registration helps putting ideas into tangible form which makes it easier for the developers to be secured in future,” said Anju Upreti Dhakal, advocate atPioneer Law Associates.

Kailash Neupane, spokesperson of Nepal Telecommunication Authority said that the government has been reactive to the technological developments when it comes to legal provision and government facilitation. “The government should also see it from the perspective of revenue and think of how it can bring such developments into legal frameworks.”

Out of total 457 ideas received, Ncell has selected the best 150 ideas to compete in the app camp. These selected teams are working on their ideas on different sectors; agriculture, tourism, education and corporate solutions. Once the teams submit their refined ideas, 6 best ideas from each category – that is 24 teams in total – will be selected for the final competition, which will be held through December 9-11, 2014.

The thematic winners would win cash prize of Rs. 250,000 each and the overall winner will bag additional Rs. 500,000 in cash along with Ncell sponsorship to participate in a similar overseas app camp.

Learn more about Ncell app camp 2014 at it’s official website http://ncellappcamp.com