Mobile communication services to small and medium sized businesses will increase by around seven hundred percent, to a value of just over 31 billion U.S. dollars, by 2013. This is one of the key findings of a recent whitepaper from the Radicati Group, an independent analyst. The SMB sector currently accounts for the use of approximately twelve million smartphones, excluding BlackBerry devices. Mobile carriers should take advantage of this multi-million dollar opportunity, increasing their value offerings to the SMB. By offering business-grade mobile value-added services for SMBs, they will generate significant additional revenue and increase customer loyalty in a highly competitive, increasingly lucrative market.
Mobile carriers need a powerful technology platform to offer business-grade mobile services for the SMB smartphone. CommuniGate Systems unifies the most important factors for this class of service offering:
Unified communication: A future-proof platform brings together key communications features such as push-mail, mobile calendaring and contact management, business-class instant messaging and content backup to a Smartphone.
Security: Automatic synchronization ensures important data is always backed up to a secure server. With remote wipe and remote lock-down functions, the security of sensitive data can be assured should the mobile device be lost or stolen.
Zero installation: Utilising the native mobile clients, there is no need to install complicated software on the mobile device. Not only does this reduce the time to market and the introduction of new handsets, but it also enables rapid provisioning, and a “walk out working” experience for high street store customer provisioning.
Groupware and collaboration features: Ubiquitous access to shared and group calendars facilitates better working practices across the increasingly mobile workforces of today’s SMBs. Having access to the right information and people, at the right time enables SMBs to deliver a more personalized and competitive service to their customers – something any successful business values.
Standardized interfaces: Compatibility with today’s core networks and tomorrows’ applications is essential for any new service platform. CommuniGate Systems delivers an IMS compatible platform, with Open APIs which allow easy integration with third party applications and services.
Convergence of mobile and fixed networks: Mobile carriers face increasing competition from all fronts, including from fixed line operations. Fixed-Mobile-Convergence (FMC) can help mobile carriers deliver more compelling, integrated value added services across both mobile and fixed environments.
Simplicity: Time to market (TTM) and return on investment (ROI) remain key factors and issues for mobile carriers today. Yet, as services become more complex, so too does the deployment and business model. CommuniGate Systems offer services with rapid TTM and ROI.
“We see huge opportunity for the mobile carriers,” said Jon Doyle, Vice President, Business Development, CommuniGate Systems, “MobileOffice delivers the tools that today’s SMB needs to be successful, in a way that is easy for the mobile carrier to operate and monetize.”
The White Paper "CommuniGate Systems’ MobileOffice – Mobilizing the Small Business" by The Radicati Group is available for free download at http://www.communigate.com/billion