Maximising Mobile Messaging: The Dawn of a New Age and Opportunity for Mobile Operators

READING, England, October 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –

Acision Broadband Messaging Service Centre (BMSC) – the one-stop-shop of

messaging services over 2G, 3G and LTE

Based on its own consumer research and expertise in the mobile industry, Acision, the
global leader in mobile messaging, today reveals why operators are presented with a major
opportunity to enrich the mobile messaging experience and enhance applications and
services in the ‘smart’ device world. As we move into a new era of communication and
connectivity, where ever-richer IP-based services are now prolific, operators are in a
unique position to set themselves apart from other messaging providers. By enabling
seamless messaging across all networks (2G, 3G, 4G/LTE), devices, social networks and
communities, operators can provide an unmatched user experience to boost loyalty,
retention and revenue.

Marco Wanders, EVP Product Division at Acision, commented: “Today, operators’ most
significant messaging service, SMS, continues to prove popular and generates huge amounts
of revenue. At the same time, a new breed of messaging services are taking the world by
storm. These are rich, IP- based services with an enriched user experience, pioneered by
Over-The-Top (OTT) messaging. Their market uptake has been augmented by user perception
that these services are free and this has put increased pressure on operators’ messaging
revenue as users opt for ‘free’ solutions when online over other methods of communication.

“To combat these pressures, operators need to act now while the opportunity is ripe,
by providing enriched messaging services which resonate with the user. As experienced
service providers, with a solid customer base, reputation of trust and quality, as well as
insight into user behaviour, they are in a unique position to leverage existing assets
while integrating new messaging services into their offering, like those defined under the
GSMA’s Rich Communication Suite (RCS) [http://www.gsma.com/rcs ] initiative – providing an
optimum user experience with ubiquitous availability regardless of handset, network or
location.”

To reinforce the significance of the operator opportunity, Acision’s own messaging
research indicates that there is a clear appetite for a rich, ubiquitous messaging service
provided from operators. Questioning 1250 Smartphone users about their messaging
requirements (from the UK and US), respondents were asked about the attractiveness of a
new operator-based service that provided SMS/MMS/IM/group chat and file/video sharing that
reaches all mobile users. Over half of Smartphone users questioned (52%) stated they would
use such a service, with just 5% stating they would not use it at all. Even in the younger
age bracket of 18-34 years, where OTT apps are prevalent – 60% of Smartphone owners stated
they were highly interested in such a service from their mobile operator.

When asked what this messaging service should look like, top requirements were related
to service characteristics rather than features. Price, already identified as the main
driver to OTT service uptake, was also the number one requirement for adoption of a new
rich messaging service, including lower price compared to the existing service (63%) and
service included in package (57%). The second most important requirements all relate to
Quality of Service, and corresponded to strengths of SMS including reliability (50%),
instant delivery (45%) and ability to reach everyone (42%). Finally, there was also a
clear need for enhanced messaging features including: support for multiple devices (35%);
content sharing (32%); ‘is-typing’ indication (24%); conversational view (24%); group chat
(18%) and status sharing (14%). For further insight or to download our report on “Seizing
the Opportunity in Mobile Messaging”, please click here
[http://www.acision.com/Report-Registration.aspx?id=%7bE1523EE2-A10F-4ECB-B3E9-8549EEC53F81%7d ]
.

Wanders continued: “Our research clearly demonstrates that key user requirements are
twofold. A need for universal reach with the uncompromised Quality of Service they expect
from their operator, as well as the rich features, such as file share and group chat. With
this in mind, many operators are well positioned to carve out a clear role in the new
mobile messaging ecosystem, as they compete with internet players to serve user demand. To
remain the messaging provider of choice, operators can provide a one-stop-shop, which
offers the rich features of IP messaging, combined with the reliability and ubiquity that
consumers have grown to appreciate in SMS. In particular, the reach of SMS is an extremely
powerful enhancement that operators can exclusively offer as part of IP messaging
services, setting them apart from other players. Acision is completely committed to
helping operators make IP messaging services a global success by leveraging our unique
expertise and market-leading technology in messaging.”

Acision Broadband Messaging Service Centre (BMSC):

Acision’s Broadband Messaging Service Centre (BMSC) enables mobile operators to
quickly move forward, take the lead and differentiate through rich, IP messaging services.
As a single integrated communications solution which works across all networks from 2G to
LTE, Acision BMSC provides the full set of IP messaging services, including SMS, MMS,
voicemail and the GSMA’s Rich Communication Suite (RCS) of services such as instant
messaging, group chat, file transfer and video sharing.

As a unique value add to operators, Acision BMSC goes beyond RCS standards by enabling
a consistent user experience across all messaging services:

        - 3rd parties and enterprises benefit from the richer messaging services
          using RCS capabilities as enhancements to the popular SMS / MMS services we know
          today.
        - Network Value Added Services (auto-reply, copy forward, parental control)
          applied across SMS, MMS and RCS.
        - Seamless interaction across mobile and internet messaging communities and
          social networks.

This provides early RCS adopters with connectivity to the global mobile community of 5
billion users from day one, while extending the existing SMS user experience with enriched
features and enabling operators to monetise the growing RCS user base with premium
services, applications and content. For more information on Acision BMSC click here
[http://www.acision.com/Products-and-Solutions/Carrier-Infrastructure/Mobile-Messaging/Products/Acision-BMSC.aspx ]
.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Methodology

The Acision messaging research was carried out in 2012 by Vanson Bourne, a specialist
research-led consultancy, which carries out user research within a technology context. The
research was conducted with a sample of 1,000 adults in the UK and 1,000 adults in the US.

About Acision

As the global leader in mobile messaging, Acision connects the world by powering
relevant, seamless messaging services, which enrich the mobile communications experience
and create new opportunities for carriers and enterprises across the world. For more
information, visit Acision at http://www.acision.com

SOURCE Acision UK Ltd