Wireless

November 8, 2005
MOBILE 365 adds India, China to its global footprint

SINGAPORE -- In a strategic response to the dramatic market growth opportunities presented by the world’s two largest and fastest growing mobile markets, Mobile 365, the global leader in mobile messaging and data services, further extends its global presence with the launch of its new office in India and another in China.  

India is the fastest growing and second largest mobile market in Asia, and one of the biggest in the world with 57.4 million [1] mobile subscribers. The Indian market is expected to swell to nearly 200 million subscribers by 2008. Mobile 365 India is located in Gurgaon, a satellite town of New Delhi that plays home to numerous Indian telecom and service industry bigwigs.

At the helm of this new operation is Mobile 365’s Country Manager, Kaustuv Ghosh, who brings a wealth of experience in the wireless industry from his previous appointments at NDTV and ACL Wireless. Kaustuv will spearhead the deployment of Mobile 365’s global client-base in India, create indigenous business opportunities, and establish Mobile 365 as a leading provider of mobile messaging and data services in the Indian market.

In China, Mobile 365 has set up its third operation in the southern city of Guangzhou, following its successful foray into the cities of Beijing and Shanghai, where the mobile phone is deemed as both a status symbol and a fashion statement. China is the largest mobile market in the world, with more than 363 million [2] mobile subscribers, surpassing fixed-line subscribers at 337 million. According to In-Stat / MDR, the number of mobile subscribers is projected to grow to 497 million by 2008.

SMS has become a major communications tool for China and is expected to remain as the largest revenue generator in the wireless value-added service markets. With existing direct SMS connections to both China Mobile and China Unicom, and connectivity to China Mobile MMS, Mobile 365 has now achieved WAP connectivity with Shanghai Mobile enabling WAP billing in Shanghai Province.

Matthew Talbot, m anaging director, Asia, Mobile 365, said: “India’s nascent mobile market presents exciting opportunities for domestic companies looking to monetise content, as well as international content companies seeking expansion into growth markets. With reach to more than 500 mobile operators around the world —including all the operators in India—we believe that mobile messaging and WAP services such as music, games, and entertainment will be key revenue drivers for the Indian operators over the next couple of years . The mobile billing dynamics in China differs very much from its counterparts in the rest of the world. In the rest of Asia and Europe today, we can deliver content like polyphonic ring tones via PUSH WAP and bill by Premium SMS (PSMS). In China, it’s technically illegal to bill via PSMS for GPRS content delivery. The operators demand that 2G content, like monophonic ring tones and logos, must be billed by PSMS; GPRS delivered content like polyphonic ring tones and wallpaper via WAP or MMS; and JAVA/BREW content via the China Mobile JAVA billing platform or equivalent China Unicom Brew network. With this deal, Mobile 365 is continuing to show our commitment in helping customers gain access to the Chinese market via SMS, MMS, and WAP connectivity.”

Contact:
Mobile 365
www.mobile365.com

[1] Source: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India – TRAI, June 2005
[2] Source: China Ministry of Information Industry