There are times when keying in an short message (text) is a hassle especially when done in a hurry and cannot give voice to your message. Most times text messages don’t convey your emotions which is frustrating most of the time. Besides, who wants to work with a keypad when you can speak right from your heart?
Significant disadvantages of text messaging include the time it takes to type out a message using the limited mobile phone keypad and the lack of emotion that only a voice can deliver. Many people resort to the cryptic computer-speak prevalent within computer messaging today, leaving a mobile user in receipt of these abbreviated messages at a disadvantage.
In a bid to bridge the gap, telecommunication companies have introduced Voice SMS or texting as part of the services on offer. Voice SMS is a feature/product that allows users to send voice messages to mobile phones using SMS in a non-intrusive way.
Voice SMS is a fast way to send a short message to another mobile subscriber that can be retrieved at the subscriber’s convenience. In that sense it’s similar to an SMS text message but a cheaper version. This is because there are no keystrokes to compose the message, you just talk.
When a Voice SMS is sent, an SMS text message is received saying “You have a Voice SMS. Click here to listen to your message.” One click and you’re listening to your new message via a human voice. In some implementations, it says “Dial *0* to listen to your message. That’s four clicks with the “Send” key, but it’s equally easy for users.
For example MTN’s and UTL Voice SMS services are based on pioneering Voice SMS technology from Kirusa, a leading vendor of Voice SMS and a leading developer of mobile value added services. The good thing about Voice SMS is that it is bolstered by additional innovative features like Scheduling and Dynamic Group Voice SMS.
Voice SMS allows the subscribers to send messages by voice, eliminating the need to type. It enables the subscribers to communicate faster, easier, and with added personal touch by conveying emotions, to their friends, relatives and colleagues. The Voice SMS facility has achieved vast acceptance across the globe for its benefits in surpassing the limitations of text messages.
For Information contact www.routesms.com
Monday, August 31, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Mobile Financial Services
Nokia launches Nokia Money, a mobile financial service
Nokia has introduced Nokia Money, a new mobile financial service offering consumers with mobile device access to basic financial services. For many consumers, this will be the first time they have had any access to such financial services.
Nokia Money has been designed to be as simple and convenient as making a voice call or sending an SMS. It will enable consumers to send money to another person just by using the person’s mobile phone number, as well as to pay merchants for goods and services, pay their utility bills, or recharge their prepaid SIM cards (SIM top-up). The services can be accessed 24 hours a day from anywhere, meaning savings in travel costs and time. Nokia is building a wide network of Nokia Money agents, where consumers can deposit money in or withdraw cash from their accounts.
4 billion mobile phones but only 1.6 billion bank accounts
“We believe mobile financial services offer a market opportunity with long term growth potential. In many countries, mobile phone ownership significantly exceeds bank account usage, suggesting that many mobile phone users have very limited or no access to basic financial services. With more than 4 billion mobile phone users and only 1.6 billion bank accounts, global demand for access to financial services presents a strong opportunity to combine mobile devices with simple but powerful financial services such as Nokia Money”, said Mary McDowell, EVP and Chief Development Officer, Nokia.
Mobile payments will be the next step for delivering financial services to hundreds of millions of people, both urban and rural, who are underserved by existing payment means, especially in emerging economies.
“Rural consumers will particularly benefit from money transfers and, for urban consumers used to online services, we are enabling services such as payment of utility bills, purchase of train and movie tickets, top-ups, all through their mobile phones. Nokia Money is simple to use, secure and available across different operator networks and on virtually any mobile phone. This means millions of new consumers will soon be able to manage all their financial needs from their mobile phone”, said Teppo Paavola, VP and Head of Corporate Business Development, Nokia.
For More Information Contact us at http://www.routesms.com/
Nokia has introduced Nokia Money, a new mobile financial service offering consumers with mobile device access to basic financial services. For many consumers, this will be the first time they have had any access to such financial services.
Nokia Money has been designed to be as simple and convenient as making a voice call or sending an SMS. It will enable consumers to send money to another person just by using the person’s mobile phone number, as well as to pay merchants for goods and services, pay their utility bills, or recharge their prepaid SIM cards (SIM top-up). The services can be accessed 24 hours a day from anywhere, meaning savings in travel costs and time. Nokia is building a wide network of Nokia Money agents, where consumers can deposit money in or withdraw cash from their accounts.
4 billion mobile phones but only 1.6 billion bank accounts
“We believe mobile financial services offer a market opportunity with long term growth potential. In many countries, mobile phone ownership significantly exceeds bank account usage, suggesting that many mobile phone users have very limited or no access to basic financial services. With more than 4 billion mobile phone users and only 1.6 billion bank accounts, global demand for access to financial services presents a strong opportunity to combine mobile devices with simple but powerful financial services such as Nokia Money”, said Mary McDowell, EVP and Chief Development Officer, Nokia.
Mobile payments will be the next step for delivering financial services to hundreds of millions of people, both urban and rural, who are underserved by existing payment means, especially in emerging economies.
“Rural consumers will particularly benefit from money transfers and, for urban consumers used to online services, we are enabling services such as payment of utility bills, purchase of train and movie tickets, top-ups, all through their mobile phones. Nokia Money is simple to use, secure and available across different operator networks and on virtually any mobile phone. This means millions of new consumers will soon be able to manage all their financial needs from their mobile phone”, said Teppo Paavola, VP and Head of Corporate Business Development, Nokia.
For More Information Contact us at http://www.routesms.com/
SMS Voting
SMS Voting
SMS Voting solution, based on Voting service in SMS Studio, enables you to create various types of attractive SMS voting events - surveys, opinion polls, quizzes, etc.
SMS Studio allows you to run and manage unlimited number of Voting services at the same time. By using advanced filtering options (e.g. message prefix, short code, incoming account, sender, recipient...), incoming messages will be forwarded to appropriate Voting services.
Within Voting service, received messages are classified according to the list of predefined voting answers. Each voting answer may include multiple keywords which will be used as synonyms.
Automatic replies, which may contain various parameters, can be sent as responses to received messages. For example: "Your vote for %AnsName% has scored %AnsVotes% votes." will return the information about the current score of the answer.
Voting service has comprehensive support for setting the limits for the number of accepted answers per contact (e.g. each contact must send at least three different answers).
Voting service in SMS Studio works in real-time - changes to its settings (e.g. modifying the list of voting answers or changing the limits options) are applied immediately and reflected to voting results.
The visual appearance of voting results chart is fully configurable. For the purpose of presenting it to the public, the chart can be displayed in full screen mode on any monitor attached to the system (e.g. video beam, TV out, secondary monitor...).
Voting results may be automatically exported to external data source, allowing you to use external applications for further processing (e.g. web publishing).
For more information contact : http://www.routesms.com/
SMS Voting solution, based on Voting service in SMS Studio, enables you to create various types of attractive SMS voting events - surveys, opinion polls, quizzes, etc.
SMS Studio allows you to run and manage unlimited number of Voting services at the same time. By using advanced filtering options (e.g. message prefix, short code, incoming account, sender, recipient...), incoming messages will be forwarded to appropriate Voting services.
Within Voting service, received messages are classified according to the list of predefined voting answers. Each voting answer may include multiple keywords which will be used as synonyms.
Automatic replies, which may contain various parameters, can be sent as responses to received messages. For example: "Your vote for %AnsName% has scored %AnsVotes% votes." will return the information about the current score of the answer.
Voting service has comprehensive support for setting the limits for the number of accepted answers per contact (e.g. each contact must send at least three different answers).
Voting service in SMS Studio works in real-time - changes to its settings (e.g. modifying the list of voting answers or changing the limits options) are applied immediately and reflected to voting results.
The visual appearance of voting results chart is fully configurable. For the purpose of presenting it to the public, the chart can be displayed in full screen mode on any monitor attached to the system (e.g. video beam, TV out, secondary monitor...).
Voting results may be automatically exported to external data source, allowing you to use external applications for further processing (e.g. web publishing).
For more information contact : http://www.routesms.com/
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Mobile Number portability
Mobile Number portability : A synonym for telecom revolution
Now, consumers could start changing their mobile phone service providers without having to surrender their numbers by this year end.
Indian Telecom regulator TRAI has formulated the guidelines for mobile number portability (MNP), which will be introduced by August-end. TRAI also asked operators to keep their networks ready to roll out the services quickly.
Also, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) confirmed that the telecom operators are actively working on that, but they still need some clarification, but the association substantiates that MNP should come by September this year.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had issued guidelines for MNP implementation in August 2008. Also, in March, DoT had selected two US companies, Syniverse and Telcordia, as technology providers for the implementation. Syniverse will implement the technology in north and west, while Telcordia would handle the services in the south and the eastern states.
Now the question is what MNP is and what are its benefits to common user? Is there any hidden agenda or ill-effects of this transformation? Let’s check it out in the feature.
Mobile number portability (MNP)
MNP enables users to retain their mobile telephone numbers when changing from one mobile network operator to another, avoiding the costs of switching to new numbers. Like India, various countries asked mobile telephone network operators to offer MNP, but the question is whether it can produce positive net benefits.
Benefits of number portability
1. It facilitates consumers to choose across mobile operators, as it removes the inbuilt cost of a number change when moving to a new provider.
2. Any number change involves a natural cost to the user, who would otherwise have to notify friends, family, partners and allies of their new number or re-print cards or stationary.
3. With MNP, consumers can move in between operators, where they may get a better deal on tariffs or services with another operator.
4. The service will be available to both pre-paid and post-paid subscribers.
Number Portability problems
1. High end-user charges for MNP can deter usage of the facility. According to the state-owned Telco BSNL, upgrading networks to allow MNP would cost the company about Rs 1,200 crores and only 2% of the elite customers were likely to use this facility, which suggest that it will cost about Rs 6,000 per user to port their number. Hence, various telecom companies want users to bear number portability cost.
2. Consumers who have wireless connection or any contractual agreement with the service operator could be in trouble by losing its contract or remaining money on the operator, as there is no clear guideline available yet.
3. Also, the process of switching to the new operator will take time and it can run upto 5 days.
4. For a new vendor, with limited infrastructure, it will be very difficult to sustain in the competitive atmosphere and hence, the change-over rate will be higher when MNP is there.
Conclusion
Various customers switch operators at some point after their new mobile subscription, which has many reasons, e.g. changes in individual demand patterns, service innovation, operator new offerings and changing price and quality propositions. So, with the help of new portability, consumers would not change the number but only the service provider without paying any cost
Now, consumers could start changing their mobile phone service providers without having to surrender their numbers by this year end.
Indian Telecom regulator TRAI has formulated the guidelines for mobile number portability (MNP), which will be introduced by August-end. TRAI also asked operators to keep their networks ready to roll out the services quickly.
Also, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) confirmed that the telecom operators are actively working on that, but they still need some clarification, but the association substantiates that MNP should come by September this year.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had issued guidelines for MNP implementation in August 2008. Also, in March, DoT had selected two US companies, Syniverse and Telcordia, as technology providers for the implementation. Syniverse will implement the technology in north and west, while Telcordia would handle the services in the south and the eastern states.
Now the question is what MNP is and what are its benefits to common user? Is there any hidden agenda or ill-effects of this transformation? Let’s check it out in the feature.
Mobile number portability (MNP)
MNP enables users to retain their mobile telephone numbers when changing from one mobile network operator to another, avoiding the costs of switching to new numbers. Like India, various countries asked mobile telephone network operators to offer MNP, but the question is whether it can produce positive net benefits.
Benefits of number portability
1. It facilitates consumers to choose across mobile operators, as it removes the inbuilt cost of a number change when moving to a new provider.
2. Any number change involves a natural cost to the user, who would otherwise have to notify friends, family, partners and allies of their new number or re-print cards or stationary.
3. With MNP, consumers can move in between operators, where they may get a better deal on tariffs or services with another operator.
4. The service will be available to both pre-paid and post-paid subscribers.
Number Portability problems
1. High end-user charges for MNP can deter usage of the facility. According to the state-owned Telco BSNL, upgrading networks to allow MNP would cost the company about Rs 1,200 crores and only 2% of the elite customers were likely to use this facility, which suggest that it will cost about Rs 6,000 per user to port their number. Hence, various telecom companies want users to bear number portability cost.
2. Consumers who have wireless connection or any contractual agreement with the service operator could be in trouble by losing its contract or remaining money on the operator, as there is no clear guideline available yet.
3. Also, the process of switching to the new operator will take time and it can run upto 5 days.
4. For a new vendor, with limited infrastructure, it will be very difficult to sustain in the competitive atmosphere and hence, the change-over rate will be higher when MNP is there.
Conclusion
Various customers switch operators at some point after their new mobile subscription, which has many reasons, e.g. changes in individual demand patterns, service innovation, operator new offerings and changing price and quality propositions. So, with the help of new portability, consumers would not change the number but only the service provider without paying any cost
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Mobile Banking and SMS
We’ve turned a corner in mobile enterprise. Bank of America recently announced that its customers preferred online and mobile banking to dropping by the branch office. They’re shutting down several branches, leaning on their popular online and mobile services. As companies like BofA increase their dependence on mobile, new opportunities and concerns arise. This month we’ll look at what BofA and other banks have done and lessons we can all learn. Our other articles detail some of the challenges for the mobile enterprise – including availability and performance. How are you capitalizing on the rising tide of doing business on mobile?
Tim Murphy
Keynote Marketing Manager, Mobile Quality
Tim Murphy
Keynote Marketing Manager, Mobile Quality
Saturday, August 22, 2009
SMS an Integral part of our Life we can not stop our self to send ……
Bhubaneswar, Aug 21 (IANS) Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Friday said he had sent an SMS to vote in favour of a dance group from the state that has reached the final round of TV reality show “India’s Got Talent”, which will be telecaast live Saturday.
“I have already sent my SMS in favour of the group,” Patnaik told reporters here.
Thousands of workers and leaders of Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD) have also sent similar SMSes, a BJD leader told IANS.
Prince Dance group from Berhampur town, nearly 180 km from here, has been selected out of 45,000 competitors to perform in the grand finale round of the show to be telecast live on Colors channel Saturday.
The team that comprises 26 artistes will compete with 10 other groups for the prize. Mostly below 22, none of the team members are professional dancers. Their 26-year-old dance teacher Reddy said he also never had any formal training.
They had earlier danced to the tune of “Sare Jahan Se Acha” and the audience and the judges — Shekhar Kapur, Kirron Kher and Sonali Bendre — were spellbound.
“We are practising for more than eight hours every day. We hope people of our state will send SMS votes for us in large numbers,” Reddy told IANS over phone from Mumbai.
Relatives, friends, corporate houses, social activists and sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik were among those to have launched campaigns in the past few days and appealed to people to vote for the group.
[LM1]
“I have already sent my SMS in favour of the group,” Patnaik told reporters here.
Thousands of workers and leaders of Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD) have also sent similar SMSes, a BJD leader told IANS.
Prince Dance group from Berhampur town, nearly 180 km from here, has been selected out of 45,000 competitors to perform in the grand finale round of the show to be telecast live on Colors channel Saturday.
The team that comprises 26 artistes will compete with 10 other groups for the prize. Mostly below 22, none of the team members are professional dancers. Their 26-year-old dance teacher Reddy said he also never had any formal training.
They had earlier danced to the tune of “Sare Jahan Se Acha” and the audience and the judges — Shekhar Kapur, Kirron Kher and Sonali Bendre — were spellbound.
“We are practising for more than eight hours every day. We hope people of our state will send SMS votes for us in large numbers,” Reddy told IANS over phone from Mumbai.
Relatives, friends, corporate houses, social activists and sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik were among those to have launched campaigns in the past few days and appealed to people to vote for the group.
[LM1]
Friday, August 21, 2009
Mobile Internet Usage is Driving a New Wave of Mobile Banking Services
Mobile Internet Usage is Driving a New Wave of Mobile Banking Services
A new report from Arthur D. Little has identified investment in mobile banking as a promising revenue growing opportunity for the global financial services industry. Moving well beyond simple text-based balance updates, Mobile Banking 2.0 will capitalize on customers' increasing mobile internet use to carry out complex transactions and introduce novel ways to reach customers through the mobile medium.
Around the world, customers' banking behavior is changing, with a significant decrease in branch use and a steep increase in the use of internet and telephone banking. In its new report, Arthur D. Little argues that mobile banking is reaching product maturity, and the traditional SMS-based mobile banking service is simply no longer enough to meet customers' increasingly sophisticated telecommunications expectations. There are four specific areas driving the development of next generation mobile banking, all of which have scope to increase banks' revenue, customer retention, and brand equity. These are:
•Convergence - no longer just industry jargon, convergence is now a reality. Today's internet user is increasingly mobile (for example, 29% of Chinese internet users have no computer access, and access the web via mobile handsets)
•Advanced handset technology - the iPhone and other internet-ready mobile devices are driving integrated web- and telephone-based banking services, supported by specific mobile applications
•Security concerns - increased risk of fraud, theft, etc. further boost mobile banking with its incorporated personal security safeguards such as PIN-protected chips and operator-controlled functions
•Near field communications - technology that allows mobiles to communicate with other nearby devices could be revolutionary in offering online payments, providing authorization and processing services, and supporting a range of location-based services and marketing opportunities
"The mobile phone has become one of the most indispensable devices the modern consumer carries with them each day. For banks to deliver on personalized service and an exceptional customer experience, offering sophisticated mobile banking solutions will be a key differentiator in the coming years," said Dr. Gerrit Seidel, Managing Director and Global Head of Arthur D. Little's Financial Services Practice. "There is clearly a great deal more banks can do to develop and upgrade their mobile banking offers in order to move beyond the SMS-based model. However, the most significant benefits will come to the banks that invest now and take the lead as early innovators in next generation mobile banking."
Benefits to the banks
Given the current economic situation, banks are understandably cautious about making investments into new technology platforms or unproven products and services. However, with banks under pressure to retain customers, develop new revenue streams, and maintain their competitive advantage, Arthur D. Little's new report argues that next generation mobile banking offers several benefits that outweigh the set-up and operating costs. These are:
•A decrease in call centre queries - a major cost savings for banks
•New revenue opportunities - from personalization- and location-based services
•A new tool for customer acquisition - attracting niche customer segments (i.e. technophiles)
•Improved brand image
"With mobile internet at the precipice of mass adoption, the banks that will succeed in making the most of their mobile banking offers must act fast. Developing innovative technology solutions that are efficient, secure, and cost-effective while understanding the customer's growing desire for personalization and real-time access are the dual tracks to successful Mobile Banking 2.0," concluded Dr. Gerrit Seidel, Managing Director and Global Head of Arthur D. Little's Financial Services Practice.
Read more: http://www.cellular-news.com/story/36891.php#ixzz0OqIzh8Ka
A new report from Arthur D. Little has identified investment in mobile banking as a promising revenue growing opportunity for the global financial services industry. Moving well beyond simple text-based balance updates, Mobile Banking 2.0 will capitalize on customers' increasing mobile internet use to carry out complex transactions and introduce novel ways to reach customers through the mobile medium.
Around the world, customers' banking behavior is changing, with a significant decrease in branch use and a steep increase in the use of internet and telephone banking. In its new report, Arthur D. Little argues that mobile banking is reaching product maturity, and the traditional SMS-based mobile banking service is simply no longer enough to meet customers' increasingly sophisticated telecommunications expectations. There are four specific areas driving the development of next generation mobile banking, all of which have scope to increase banks' revenue, customer retention, and brand equity. These are:
•Convergence - no longer just industry jargon, convergence is now a reality. Today's internet user is increasingly mobile (for example, 29% of Chinese internet users have no computer access, and access the web via mobile handsets)
•Advanced handset technology - the iPhone and other internet-ready mobile devices are driving integrated web- and telephone-based banking services, supported by specific mobile applications
•Security concerns - increased risk of fraud, theft, etc. further boost mobile banking with its incorporated personal security safeguards such as PIN-protected chips and operator-controlled functions
•Near field communications - technology that allows mobiles to communicate with other nearby devices could be revolutionary in offering online payments, providing authorization and processing services, and supporting a range of location-based services and marketing opportunities
"The mobile phone has become one of the most indispensable devices the modern consumer carries with them each day. For banks to deliver on personalized service and an exceptional customer experience, offering sophisticated mobile banking solutions will be a key differentiator in the coming years," said Dr. Gerrit Seidel, Managing Director and Global Head of Arthur D. Little's Financial Services Practice. "There is clearly a great deal more banks can do to develop and upgrade their mobile banking offers in order to move beyond the SMS-based model. However, the most significant benefits will come to the banks that invest now and take the lead as early innovators in next generation mobile banking."
Benefits to the banks
Given the current economic situation, banks are understandably cautious about making investments into new technology platforms or unproven products and services. However, with banks under pressure to retain customers, develop new revenue streams, and maintain their competitive advantage, Arthur D. Little's new report argues that next generation mobile banking offers several benefits that outweigh the set-up and operating costs. These are:
•A decrease in call centre queries - a major cost savings for banks
•New revenue opportunities - from personalization- and location-based services
•A new tool for customer acquisition - attracting niche customer segments (i.e. technophiles)
•Improved brand image
"With mobile internet at the precipice of mass adoption, the banks that will succeed in making the most of their mobile banking offers must act fast. Developing innovative technology solutions that are efficient, secure, and cost-effective while understanding the customer's growing desire for personalization and real-time access are the dual tracks to successful Mobile Banking 2.0," concluded Dr. Gerrit Seidel, Managing Director and Global Head of Arthur D. Little's Financial Services Practice.
Read more: http://www.cellular-news.com/story/36891.php#ixzz0OqIzh8Ka
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