Business News Holding

Tag: mobile-services

  • Mobivox Links VoIP Services With New Micropayment System


    Mobivox has announced an agreement to make its voice-activated mobile services platform the engine for the VoIP-services component of a new global online e-wallet system called WorldAxxess.

    Under the agreement, MTC Telecom plans to use Mobivox-powered international long-distance services to attract customers and build revenue for MTC’s new WorldAxxess micropayments business.

    Both service lines are to be introduced in August.

    The WorldAxxess micropayment application will allow users to make small-metered online purchases of goods or services – such as newspapers, or downloaded music or ringtones – and pay from small amounts of currency they store online.

    It has been designed to be a simple, easy-to-use online debit system that is convenient for users and also gives retailers an alternative to processing credit-card payments for small purchases.

    Jan Kling, MTC Telecom owner, said that as a complement to the micropayment system, WorldAxxess users will be able to place low-cost international calls from and to virtually anywhere.

    He said WorldAxxess will rely on Mobivox for the full range of its platform’s capabilities, including voice-activated calling, online storage of users’ address books, and network origination and termination services.

    "We wanted to introduce a combination of international VoIP services and micropayments based on tremendous synergies between the two offerings," he said.

    "We chose Mobivox after considering partnering with other VoIP providers or building our own platform. The Mobivox platform is a turnkey solution we can get up and running rapidly.

    "It’s very sophisticated, yet easy to use."

  • Growth of Mobile Content and Services Sector Threatened


    The UK’s mobile content and services market could be in for tough times if research from mobile research and analyst house Direct2 Mobile bears out.

    Its survey found that over 7 per cent of consumers have stopped, or intend to stop, their spend on content and services until better economic conditions emerge.

    D2M said that figure represents 3.96 million users – or almost 50 per cent of the existing mobile content and service user base.

    Nearly a fifth of respondents (17.8 per cent of men / 16.3 per cent of women) – or around 10 million users – said they will not subscribe to mobile content and service subscriptions, such as mobile Internet access, mobile TV and mobile music services, until the economic environment changes.

    Nick Lane, chief researcher at D2M, said the glass is half full for the mobile operators and half empty for the mobile content and service industry.

    "As almost half the advanced data users are reverting to talk-and-text only usage, the mobile entertainment companies should remain vigilant for the foreseeable future," he said.

    "And with 20 per cent of the UK’s mobile population unlikely to subscribe to mobile data subscription services during the recession, it threatens to seriously impact on growth in the mobile content and services sector."

    The UK mobile entertainment market was worth approximately UKP£505.8 million in 2008, according to D2M.

    The survey, conducted by Lightspeed Research, asked a representative sample of 1,000 UK consumers about their changing spending attitudes and habits on mobile.

  • WinMo And Mobile Services Microsoft


    Interest continues to grow over Microsoft’s intentions for next month’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

    Among the expectations are an update to its mobile software and services strategy.

    This could extend to the unveiling of three mobile services:

    • SkyBox to synchronize a phone’s information with the web
    • SkyLine to synchronize with Microsoft Exchange servers
    • SkyMarket – a mobile marketplace.

    If they take place, the announcements will set them up against Apple’s MobileMe and App Store.

    Microsoft is also expected to reveal the latest update of Windows Mobile – version 6.5 – at the telco show.

    The first tranche of WinMo 6.5-based devices could then be available in the third quarter of the year.

  • South Korea's KT Absorbs Mobile Unit In Battle For customers


    South Korea’s fixed-line operator, Korea Telecom (KT), is to merge with its majority-owned mobile unit, KTF, the country’s second-largest mobile operator.

    The merger is an effort to offer bundled fixed and mobile services and increase its global exposure.

    KT’s move is seen as necessary if it is to compete with SK Telecom and LG Telecom.

    South Korea’s mobile and household broadband markets are approaching saturation and operators in the country are battling for customers.

    This has led to the offering of products bundling fixed-line, broadband, Internet TV and mobile services.

    The deal ends months of speculation and will see KT absorb the mobile unit, of which it owns 54 per cent.

    NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest mobile operator, also owns 11 per cent of KTF.

    The terms of the deal mean KTF shareholders will receive 0.719 of a KT share for every KTF share they own.

    KT is also to sell USD $253 million bonds exchangeable into its stocks to DoCoMo as part of the merger plan.

    The Japanese firm will transfer 60 per cent of its holding in KTF to KT.