Synchronica sets sights on Africa with 'BlackBerry' like solution

Details: Category: Wireless Networks; 25 July 2008; 9254 views

Synchronica, a provider of mobile email and synchronization solutions, is offering Mobile Gateway, its mass-market push email infrastructure software in response to major mobile operators in Africa wishing to provide affordable 'BlackBerry like' services. The software, which has already been licensed to two major African operators, uses industry standards for push email and synchronization and works with more than 1.5 billion phones in use around the world today.

This makes it ideal for consumers as well as small businesses in Africa, where basic handsets are the norm and where mobile email solves the inherent problems caused by low fixed-line/PC penetration.

The company believes that Africa is at a metaphorical crossroads and that mobile operators in the region have a unique opportunity to establish the mobile phone as the primary device for accessing the Internet. Many operators, however, are unsure about which applications to focus on. Forward-looking ones 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. Forecasts point to emerging markets as a breakthrough area for mass-market mobile email. Nigeria, for example, saw a 38% year-on-year growth in new mobile subscribers during 2006 to 30 million. Informa predicts that there will be 4.81 billion mobile phone subscribers by 2012.

The Synchronica solution offers mobile operators a low-risk but lucrative path. Zero-footprint technology works with the majority of phones in the market today and 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. 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.

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. Synchronica is currently in trials with further three operators following the take up of licenses by two mobile operators.

About Synchronica: Synchronica plc develops and markets industry standard mobile email and synchronization solutions for the vast majority of devices in the market today. Mobile operators, device manufacturers and service providers in emerging and developed markets use Synchronica products to offer mobile email, PIM synchronization and backup & restore services to their consumer and corporate customer base.

More info: http://www.synchronica.com/