France Telecom-Orange (NYSE:FTE) and Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) have said that Orange Money customers will soon have access to Visa prepaid account features inside their Orange Money accounts – a significant step in bringing Visa-quality payments to consumers in developing markets.

Orange Money is the mobile phone-based payment service designed by Orange to meet the needs of customers in Africa and the Middle East. It offers Orange subscribers applications such as person to person transfers, bill payments, and agent-based cash-in and cash-out services for loading or withdrawing funds. Launched in cooperation with local bank partners, the service was first introduced in 2008 and is presently available in eight countries across Africa and the Middle East. Orange plans to introduce Visa payment capability to Orange Money subscribers in select markets by the end of 2012.

Leading provider of small cell mobile solutions, ip.access, recently announced that leading Middle East operator Zain Bahrain will be deploying its nano3G femtocells and picocells which will be supplied and installed by E-Pay International.

Klomptek, an innovative software development company specializing in mobile device management and security solutions, introduces a new direction for mobile operators seeking to increase SMS revenue through licensing of the company’s remote security technology with the use of operator internal SMS Gateway.

Airtel Kenya introduced the fastest mobile internet in Kenya with the launch of its 3.75G platform in the country.

• First 3.75G network in Kenya

• Latest technology, same as that being rolled out in Europe and USA, to offer world-class 3G experience to consumers

• 3G capability will allow users to make video calls, watch live TV, send and receive emails and download music from internet enabled devices

Canalys today released the results of a recent App Interrogator survey of the top paid-for and free apps from the leading consumer app stores to clients of its App Store Analysis service. The survey reveals that the top paid-for Android apps are priced dramatically higher than those on iOS for the iPhone.

MWM Tech (www.mwmventures.com) the leading mobile app developer, is adding Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwic h” or “ICS” development. Android 4.0 is the latest version of the Android platform for phones, tablets, and more. It builds on the things people love most about Android – easy multitasking, rich notifications, customizable home screens, resizable widgets, and deep interactivity – and adds powerful new ways of communicating and sharing.

There’s no avoiding it – apps and smartphones are effecting how consumers connect to brands. Apps are everywhere, and a branded application that provides utility is a most powerful way to engage consumers. According to the Nov. 29 2011 of Nielsen, “44% of mobile phone owners in the United States have a smartphone; and 71% of them have an iPhone or Android.”

There is a new free mobile broadband service coming in the 2nd half of 2012. FreedomPop, backed by Skype’s co-founder Niklas Zennstrom, has formed a partnership with Clearwire to provide an innovative and disruptive 4G mobile broadband service in the United States.

Here is more from their press release today:

Clearwire Corporation (Nasdaq:CLWR), a leading provider of 4G mobile broadband services in the U.S., and FreedomPop, the disruptive wireless broadband company backed by Niklas Zennstrom, recently announced the formation of a strategic wholesale relationship that will support FreedomPop’s innovative and disruptive 4G mobile broadband service in the U.S.