Africa is the Next Frontier for Mobile Email Services
Mobile email vendor, Synchronica says that it is now running service trials with three mobile operators in Africa following the take up of licenses by two mobile operators in the continent. The software uses industry standards for push email and synchronization and works with more than 1.5 billion phones in use around the world today.
Speaking from TM Forum Management World Africa, where he is presenting on 'mobile email in emerging markets’, Carsten Brinkschulte, Synchronica’s CEO, said: “Africa is at a metaphorical crossroads: mobile operators in the region now have the unique opportunity to establish the mobile phone as the primary device for accessing the Internet, but many are unsure about which applications to focus on. Forward-looking operators have identified mobile email as a key differentiator, and more importantly as a way to reduce churn while also increasing ARPU. Mobile email is a valuable and addictive service with mass-market appeal that can be offered on a subscription basis - or even as a free service funded with in-line advertising.”
Brinkschulte continues: “Our solution offers mobile operators a low-risk yet lucrative path: our zero-footprint technology works with the majority of phones in the market today, both with smartphones as well as with mass-market feature phones. Unlike other solutions, Mobile Gateway uses industry standards Push-IMAP and SyncML and does not require additional software to be installed on the device. This makes it ideal for Africa, where the addressable market is dominated by low-end devices. With Mobile Gateway, operators can finally offer their subscribers a 'BlackBerry for the masses.”
Mobile Gateway delivers push Email and synchronization services for calendar and contact data targeting consumer and business users with built-in connectors to mass-market mailboxes such as Yahoo or Gmail as well as business users Microsoft Exchange or Lotus Domino accounts. With Mobile Gateway 3.5, even the most basic phones can receive email via an Email to SMS Gateway. Another benefit for subscribers in emerging markets, where PC penetration is low, is that they are able to sign up for the service from their handset via WAP, removing the need to sign up via a PC.
Lindsey McDonald, ICT Analyst at Frost & Sullivan Africa, comments: “There’s definitely a lot of interest in mobile email from companies and prosumers, and a service like Synchronica’s, that does not require people to go out and buy expensive mobile phones, makes a lot of sense.”
Posted to the site on 15th July 2008
