Synchronica Targets Africa wi

RNS Number : 0526Z

Synchronica PLC

15 July 2008

 



Synchronica sets sights on Africa with affordable 'BlackBerry-like solution for the masses'

Further three mobile operators currently in trials to use Synchronica solutions following take up of licenses by two mobile operators

TM Forum Management World Africa, Johannesburg - 15 July 2008 - Synchronica, the international 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, prosumers 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.

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

Speaking from TM Forum Management World Africa, where he is presenting on 'mobile email in emerging markets', Carsten Brinkschulte, Synchronica's CEO, comments: "Africa is at a metaphorical crossroads: mobile operators in the region now have the unique opportunity to establish the mobile phone as the primary device for accessing the Internet, but many are unsure about which applications to focus on. Forward-looking operators 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."

Brinkschulte continues: "Our solution offers mobile operators a low-risk yet lucrative path: our zero-footprint technology works with the majority of phones in the market today, both with smartphones as well as with mass-market feature phones. 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. With Mobile Gateway, operators can finally offer their subscribers a 'BlackBerry for the masses'."

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.¹ Informa predicts that there will be 4.81 billion mobile phone subscribers by 2012, with the next billion subscribers coming from emerging regions such as Africa, where PC and fixed-line penetration is low and consumers rely on their mobile phones for communication. 

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. With Mobile Gateway 3.5, even the most basic phones can receive email via an Email to SMS Gateway. 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.

Lindsey McDonald, ICT Analyst at Frost & Sullivan Africa, comments: "There's definitely a lot of interest in mobile email from companies and prosumers, and a service like Synchronica's, that does not require people to go out and buy expensive mobile phones, makes a lot of sense."

Synchronica's second product, Mobile Backup, is also ideally suited to emerging markets, where the mobile phone is increasingly becoming the primary repository of choice for social and business contact information for people in these regions. Mobile Backup 1.2 features two fast and simple ways for consumers to sign up easily to this service directly from their phone, which is important for emerging markets. Customers can now register via a straightforward WAP interface or through a simple SMS sign-up procedure. A built-in client provisioning module automatically configures the phone.

¹ Data from Light Reading, March 2007 (statistics show growth between Dec '05 and Dec '06). Other countries that feature in Light Reading's Top Ten Emerging Mobile Markets report include: Pakistan (up 147% to 48.3 million) and Bangladesh (up 135% to 21.8m).

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. Products include the push email and synchronization solution Mobile Gateway and the mass-market device backup solution Mobile Backup. Headquartered in the UK with a development centre in Germany and a presence in Hong Kong, Dubai and U.S. Synchronica plc is a public company traded on the AIM list of the London Stock Exchange (SYNC.LN). More information is available at www.synchronica.com.

For more information, please contact:

Nicole Meissner
Chief Marketing Officer
Tel.: [phone]
Mobile U.K.: [phone]
Mobile D: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[e-mail]

 

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