WIN, a specialist in interactive mobile entertainment and information, says it has opened the doors to Greece for premium mobile content services to be sold by large brands and media owners. According to WIN, the untapped market had previously been difficult to penetrate as it uses a different billing system to most countries and the technology required to make it accessible is expensive. With all the major Greek networks on board and QTelecom joining imminently, the service is ready to go.
WIN has made it possible for its customers to take their subscription-based services to Greece by setting up a Mobile Terminated (MT) billing connection. This allows consumers to text in a keyword to a shortcode and receive alerts-based messages, or to join clubs to receive the latest mobile content. Until this point Greek Mobile Network Operators only had the option of Mobile Originate (MO) premium billing. Relying on the customer to send a message to content providers before being billed, it has been proven that MO systems do not suit the subscription business model.
With a mobile penetration of 138% and roughly three times more mobile traffic than any other European territory, Greece is a key emerging market with a lot of opportunity. Mindful of this, WIN Plc has an office in Athens so that it can offer its customers local knowledge and significant media contacts to help them broker marketing and promotional deals. Services such as front line customer support can also be delivered from base, meaning consumers have access to local language speakers.
WIN says it has also tackled the technological expense its customers face when reaching into new markets. They can use their existing API connections to easily integrate their existing service frameworks. The solution is not only affordable it minimises the headache of setting up a new network infrastructure, can be quickly implemented, and keeps running costs low. Feedback from customers who have already launched in Greece has been impressive, with some already exceeding their KPI targets. "We love our mobiles in Greece, believe me it's hard to get us off them. Our obsession is something WIN clients are already reaping benefits from. Early reports suggest high growth curves for the first wave of companies using us to deliver subscription based services; and we're expecting a lot more enquires in the months and year to come," says Kerstin Trikalitis, MD, WIN Greece.
"To remain competitive in this business you've got to see things from the eyes of your customer. International development is a must and we need to make it easy for them. The Greek market is a big opportunity for our customers to increase their revenue; most people in Greece have more than one phone and they have a ferocious appetite for content. In fact, Greece is such a prime market that I wouldn't be surprised if some of our competitors start using us for connectivity in the interim", concludes Graham Rivers, CEO of WIN.