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Mobile 365: MMS to take off over next 18-24 months(BNamericas.com Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)US mobile messaging and data services provider Mobile 365 expects Central American telecommunications operators to make a big push to promote multimedia messaging services over the next 18-24 months, Mobile 365 Americas region VP Gregory Dunn told BNamericas. According to Dunn, Central American telecommunications operators are following trends seen in more mature markets such as the tendency for mobile data services to start with SMS text messaging, progressing to SMS traffic to international destinations. "Once a solid base of users is established [they will] begin introducing standard and premium rate mobile content. We are already seeing Central American operators pushing MMS, beginning with person-to-person MMS messaging, for example, photosharing, [and this will be] followed by [full] MMS content within 18-24 months," Dunn said in an email response to questions. Dunn sees the region following trends in North America more closely than those in Europe in adopting MMS photosharing. Europe has been slower to adopt MMS than the US due to interoperability issues concerning the technology they use. Mobile 365 provides SMS interoperability for operators using different mobile technology standards including GSM, CDMA, TDMA and iDEN. It initially provides Latin American operators connection to North American operators and then in a second stage access to over 500 operators around the world. According to Dunn, the growth of SMS traffic has been satisfactory and Mobile 365 sees it as one of its key growth markets over the next several years. Ringtones is one of the most demanded content services in Latin America as is the case across the globe, Dunn said. Mobile 365 competes in Latin America primarily with Syniverse Technologies and to a lesser extent Versign. According to Dunn, Mobile 365 differentiates itself from the competition in Latin America because it is the sole provider of international SMS service to the US's largest operators including Verizon Wireless, Cingular, T-Mobile (for all non-GSM traffic), and Sprint-Nextel. "With the large Latin American population in the United States, we're the logical vendor to provide LatAm operators reach to this key destination," Dunn said. The company announced this week it has allied with Honduran and El Salvadorian mobile operators Al and CTE Personal - both owned by Amrica Mvil (NYSE: AMX) - and with Venezuela's Mvilnet, owned by Cantv (NYSE: VNT). Mobile 365 currently has alliances with 25 operators including Amrica Mvil, Telefnica (NYSE: TEF) and Vodafone in 15 Latin American countries. |