 |
|
|
fpo50px |
 |
 |
nefpo100090s |
 |
Altobridge to:
Altobridge Limited – leaders in technology that cuts the cost of delivering voice and broadband data services across wireless networks – has, today, announced that Intel Capital and IFC will together invest US$12 million in the company.
This Series C funding round, led by Intel Capital, will provide Altobridge with additional capital to accelerate the pace of roll-out of its award winning low-capital-cost/ low-operational-cost wireless communications solution. This solution is coming under increasing demand to meet the wireless communications requirements of remote communities, enterprises and schools of the world’s emerging markets. The funding will also allow the company to commercialise its mobile broadband solution: Altobridge Data-at-the-Edge™ - a technology that demonstrates a significant reduction in data bandwidth requirements on mobile networks.
Mike Fitzgerald, Altobridge Chief Executive, said, “Our technology enables mobile network operators in emerging markets to cost effectively extend their broadband services to the billion people of the world on the other side of the digital divide. Our Data-at-the-Edge™ solution reduces mobile network operators’ backhaul requirements by at least 50%. This strategic investment by Intel Capital and IFC will enable us to scale commercially and to advance our R&D to further reduce transmission costs for mobile network operators.
“Data congestion in urban area wireless networks and connecting remote communities in rural areas are major challenges for communication service providers,” said Marcos Battisti, Director of Intel Capital Western Europe and Israel. “Altobridge has developed the technology and is marketing products that address these issues in a cost-effective way. Our investment in Altobridge will help accelerate the company’s growth and wider adoption of its technology”.
Commenting on its investment, Kent Lupberger, IFC Global Head of Telecom, Media and Technology, said, “Altobridge offers an affordable, energy-efficient, solar-powered solution that will improve the ability of telecom operators to deliver low-cost mobile communication services in developing countries, helping spur innovation and increase economic growth.” • 14-3-11
Altobridge wireless network solutions provide a lower capital and lower operating cost option for the delivery of voice and mobile broadband services, enabling mobile network operators to connect unconnected communities and enterprises at minimum cost.
Central to this lie a series of patented and patent-pending technologies namely: Data at the Edge™ (data optimisation in wireless networks), Local Connectivity™ (local voice switching) and Split Architecture™ (transmission and power optimisation), all of which – individually and combined - drive down communications delivery costs for mobile network operators, by reducing backhaul and power-consumption costs.
Altobridge solutions are deployed and operational in over 20 countries worldwide.
The company is headquartered in Ireland and has four further bases in Malaysia, Indonesia, China and the US covering sales, R&D, customer support and manufacturing.
Initial data roaming traffic increases are resulting in corresponding revenue rises up to 40% more than those generated by voice and SMS traffic
Comfone, an experienced leader in roaming and hub service technology, today announces that 23 new mobile network operator (MNO) customers from across Africa, Asia and Europe, have joined its new Data Roaming Solution on its successful Key2roam Hub. In addition to these new, fully operational customers implemented since the data solution was launched in May, more than 25 other networks are currently being added to the solution, with a growing number of further contracts being signed.
By embedding its new Data Roaming Solution on its well-known and successful Key2roam Hub, Comfone has taken the major step of extending the hubbing principle to data roaming. As a result, with all data roaming traffic now centralised on the hub, the set-up and maintenance of data roaming relations is drastically simplified and the operator’s involvement is minimised to service and system debugging and troubleshooting within their own network.
Markus Bigler, Comfone’s Senior Product Manager Hubbing, commented, “As we expected, the need for a simplified Data Roaming Solution is prevalent and operators are more than happy to be relieved of the need to manage their own complex data roaming set-ups. Our numerous roaming connections, which are now live and carrying data traffic, are working very reliably. Based on our long-standing experience with hubs, we can support operators with all their complex data roaming challenges and, with our Data Roaming Solution on Key2roam, offer them an excellent platform on which to manage all their data roaming issues.”
Analysis of recent GPRS traffic on Key2roam shows a clear increase in data roaming traffic, compared to voice and SMS. GPRS traffic is, therefore, generating an ever increasing percentage of the roaming revenues, which, in certain relations, can be as high as 40%. Besides the popularity of such data-bearing services as Blackberry’s support for email, mobile Internet access enabled by the plethora of smart phones entering the market offers huge potential for the generation of data roaming revenues. With average session times of around three quarters of an hour becoming the norm, these trends underscore industry forecasts emphasising that increases in data roaming traffic will result in substantial increases in roaming revenue. Therefore, the faster mobile network operators open additional GPRS relations by using Comfone’s Data Roaming Solution, the earlier they profit from increased revenues. • 20-10-10
Comfone, provider of roaming services to over 300 operators in over 130 countries worldwide, is known throughout the telecoms industry as an international mobile roaming specialist. The company's industry know-how owes itself to over ten years of experience in the roaming sector during which it has acquired unsurpassed customer-orientated, in-house expertise.
Through its unique portfolio and additional value added services, Comfone fully optimises the setting up of each operator's roaming processes, facilitating the opportunity of reducing overall costs. The portfolio ranges from the complete outsourcing of roaming services, to the provision of individual elements, such as signalling, data, convergence, clearing and WLAN services. Comfone's pioneering hub solutions provide mobile operators with worldwide coverage, interconnection and clearing through only one agreement with Comfone and one connection to Comfone's central platform.
Comfone's active participation in GSMA Working groups, the WiMAX Forum and the Wireless Broadband Alliance ensures that its innovative solutions are market-driven. From Comfone's headquarters in Switzerland and regional offices covering Northern and Eastern Europe, Latin America, North America, Central Asia and Asia Pacific, Comfone is well placed to support and meet the requirements of its substantial worldwide customer base.
Orange Money customers will have access to a Visa prepaid account • The service enables Orange, in partnership with financial institutions, to offer Visa prepaid account services on mobile phones to unbanked and under-banked consumers
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.
“We already provide secure and convenient payment capability to 3.5 million unbanked or financially under-served African citizens,” said Jean- Paul Cottet, Orange’s Executive Director for Marketing and Innovation.
"By combining the convenience of Orange Money with the reach of Visa's global payment network, we can offer new payment capability to Orange Money customers in their home country and abroad.”
Visa Mobile Prepaid, a new Visa product introduced in October 2011, enhances the security, scale and interoperability of mobile money programs, such as Orange Money, by enabling account holders to make person-to-person payments, retail and e-commerce purchases at merchants where Visa is accepted, or withdraw funds at Visa ATMs.
“Mobile technology has become one of the most important enablers of financial inclusion and its ubiquity is allowing mobile network operators, financial institutions, and Visa to connect financially under-served consumers to each other and the global economy,” said John Partridge, President, Visa Inc.
“The convergence of mobile and financial services networks helps to remove service barriers, accelerates the pace of change and is transforming the lives of consumers in developing countries.”
Visa Payments with Orange Money: How does it work?
By integrating Visa Mobile Prepaid accounts into Orange Money accounts, Orange is connecting existing mobile money subscribers to VisaNet, Visa’s global payment network that is today utilized by 2.2 billion account holders, 30 million merchants and provides access to 1.9 million ATMs globally.
Working together on a multi-national basis, Orange and Visa will provide Orange subsidiaries and their local financial institution partners with the ability to offer all the features of Visa Mobile Prepaid accounts to their customers, including:
One of India's largest and fastest-growing mobile technology companies, IMImobile, today completed its 100per cent acquisition of UK mobile content and services company WINplc • Creates 600-strong mobile technology and services company • Offers DaVinci Evolved Service Platform worldwide
The resulting company, with a global workforce of over 600, has strong relationships with Tier One mobile operators in Europe and the emerging markets. It marries the strength of IMImobile's market-leading DaVinci Evolved Service Platform with WIN's expertise in service creation for both operator and enterprise markets.
Announcing the completion of the deal, Vishwanath Alluri, Chairman and CEO of IMImobile said: “This is an important step for IMImobile as we aim to create and drive an open global mobile marketplace for new applications and services and to help operators realize the “network-as-a-service” model and make their networks smarter.”
“Our two companies share a single vision,” he added. “We understand that the mobile device will lie at the heart of a compelling and powerful mix of services and applications for business, entertainment, leisure and lifestyle needs. The challenge is to realise that potential with fast-to-market, easily configurable services in a technically complex environment. Our unique managed service model allows our customers – operators, enterprises and media companies – to quickly create, deliver and access an advanced range of mobile applications and services.”
IMImobile's vision of an open global mobile marketplace for services and applications is shared by WIN and is designed to be compatible with industry-wide initiatives such as the Wholesale Application Community (WAC) project.
WIN's former CEO, Graham Rivers, who becomes an Executive Director of IMImobile in the new company structure, commented: “In IMImobile we have found the perfect match to realise the ambitions we held for WIN’s business globally. They bring scale, reach, technical excellence and diversity to the WIN proposition in Europe and beyond. In turn, we can help IMI with its European and Global ambitions.
“Together we can become a very powerful global player in the new mobile centric world,” he said.
After the acquisition of WIN, IMImobile’s DaVinci Evolved Service Platform (ESP) will power a broad range of managed services to more than 100 operator and blue-chip enterprise customers in some 70 countries around the world. The company’s managed service business model helps reduce time to market for new services whilst lowering capex costs and quickly generates new revenue streams.
IMImobile is focused on providing core technology infrastructure for value-added mobile data, voice and video services. Its customers include mobile operators, media companies and international corporations. • 21-10-10
IMImobile is a pioneer in the mobile data space offering a rich portfolio of managed services for mobile operators, media companies and enterprises.
The industry leading DaVinci Platform™ powers a wide range of services created, delivered and managed by IMImobile including: social aggregation, contact management, mobile advertising, mobile marketing, messaging, storefronts, ring back tones and digital music services.
These services are enabled through robust technology platforms including carrier grade messaging platforms and gateways, voice platforms, content management and 3rd party application aggregation systems. IMImobile’s modular product portfolio delivers a ‘connected’ experience across consumers’ digital lives.
With over 500 employees and headquartered in Hyderabad, India, IMImobile has a global presence across Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Africa. The company hosts its technology platforms and services in data centers worldwide and currently enables over 77 mobile operators in 66 countries generating 40 million billing transactions every month and reaching over 780 million subscribers worldwide.
WIN is an industry leading mobile services provider. We run operations for mobile networks, we create mobile marketing campaigns for brands and we make it easier for businesses – from broadcasters to logistics companies and banks to utilities – to attract and retain their customers.
Many of the world’s biggest brands trust us to deliver competitive advantage, drive service differentiation, generate new revenue streams and reduce operational costs.
We have customers in over 20 countries around the world and WIN’s systems manage 40 million text messages and 4 million picture & video messages every month… all delivered within strictly defined Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
As well as working with mobile operators and manufacturers – including Vodafone, O2, T-Mobile, Maxis and Sony Ericsson – we also have partnerships within the enterprise, marketing and broadcast sectors. Our current client list includes the BBC, Yell.com, ADP, Fujitsu, Centrica, E-on, The Guardian, Blue Arrow and The AA.
In business for over 15 years, WIN has 130 employees based in 5 offices around the world. Choosing WIN means you’re choosing an established partner with a proven track record of success and innovation, a clear understanding of industry regulations – and a reputation for delivering successful, timely projects.
So whether you’re looking for innovative ways of engaging with your customers or would like to find out how you can create new revenue streams using mobile technology, we’re the people who can help.
Telco Updates
Telco spots on TwitterPropuestas en Brasil
Cabo Frío: paraíso a 200 km de Río • Niterói: playas, arquitectura y agenda cultural • El camino de Niemeyer: recorrido arquitectónico
Propuestas en Argentina
Ruta Nacional 40: Recorrido por la parte Norte • Centro (Cuyo) • Sur (Patagonia)
