Monthly Archives: June 2012

Make Communications Mobile Centric

Posted by Gintel on 28/06/2012 None comments
Many hosted solutions are orientated towards fixed users and do not adequately address the needs of mobile devices. Typically, they simply divert calls to the mobile, but the mobile is not fully integrated into outbound and inbound calling and cannot access the same features as desktop devices. It’s as if mobile devices are an additional extra.

But they are not. They are an essential part of business communications and, in an increasingly mobile world, their importance is likely to increase. It’s time to think of a more mobile centric approach, in which mobiles have parity with desktop devices.

The reality is that all devices should be equivalent. The communications channel used should be the preference of the individual user, but beyond that, they should all be functionally equivalent. If a user places a call on their mobile phone during office hours, the company main number (or his DDI) should be the number displayed, not the mobile number.

If the user wishes to transfer calls, set up conferences, diverts – in other words, do all the things that they can from a desk phone – they should be able to do so. There should be no restrictions, should a user select their mobile, fixed or IP device.

Mobile communications is fundamental to how we do business today. Mobile devices are readily available and cheap. There’s no need for expensive desk phones for all users, but there is a need to access the same functionality. And, there will be an increasingly diverse set of SMEs, many of which do not need and do not want an expensive office-based infrastructure.

That’s why mobility is so important, but there is no need to compromise between fixed and mobile. There should be seamless integration between all domains.

With Gintel, operators can deliver solutions that offer powerful integration between fixed and mobile networks, enabling them to offer services via whatever mode the customer prefers.

The next generation of hosted enterprise solutions have to pay more attention to mobility. We already do, so we are perfectly placed to help you develop solutions that are truly accessible for all your customers, with no compromise.

How to Grow Mobile Revenues in Emerging Markets?

Posted by Gintel on 28/06/2012 None comments
This is an important question and one that is the focus of considerable debate. According to many analysts, however, the answer is clear: focus on the business market.

When mobile subscriber growth slows and penetration levels rise, business subscribers offer better potential for revenue and profit growth. As Pyramid Research notes in a recent report, business customers typically deliver higher margins.

This applies to emerging as well as mature markets – growth in subscriber numbers delivered strong revenue and good margins, but as growth rates decline, it is important to find new sources. That means paying attention to business customers and thinking about market structure.

Customer segmentation is an important activity, but it needs to go beyond simply dividing consumer from business customers. To really capitalise on the business market, mobile operators need to consider how to segment the business market, horizontally and vertically.

In the same report, Pyramid suggests that operators need to understand the sizes of businesses, the mix in terms of vertical markets and employee demographics. How many companies are in the SME sector? How many in the large corporate segment? How many are micro enterprises?

How many work in agriculture? Manufacturing? Building, or tourism? What do companies of different sizes want from their communications services? By understanding how the market is structured, an operator can create a strategy and deploy its resources to address the market. This kind of information is readily available and it can be supplemented with research.

Armed with this knowledge, operators can target solutions and packages towards different customer groups. But to do so effectively means having a communications solution that is sufficiently flexible to support a range of services, not a one-size fits all offer. Businesses and markets are very different. While most share a core set of requirements, tailoring and customisation enables operators to launch more targeted offers.

Gintel’s Mobile PBX platform can enable operators to provide a range of differentiated services targeted towards different horizontal and vertical markets but with a common set of core components. With Gintel, operators can deliver a solution that fits their market. You can’t fit a square peg into a round hole. But what if you can offer round pegs, square pegs, and triangular pegs?

With Gintel, you can. By selecting Gintel to build an enterprise offer, based on hosted voice communications packages, you can unlock new revenue and drive growth.

Enterprise and SME Investments Pay Dividends

Posted by Gintel on 28/06/2012 None comments
A recent article in the Financial Times noted that mobile operators are increasingly looking to the SME market to provide growth. Operators are starting to learn that investing in services for enterprise and SME customers generates revenue and profit.

We already know this. We see proof from our customers’ results. What’s more, mobile operators have an advantage in delivering enterprise and SME services, as users increasingly demand access across mobile devices.

Even in highly competitive markets with >100% penetration, it’s possible to achieve growth. From a standing start, one of our customers has grown to almost 100,000 enterprise and SME customers, generating annual revenue of more than €7,500,000 from subscription fees alone.

That’s a significant business – and it doesn’t include revenue from airtime, messaging, roaming, data and other services. A business like this can be built on a simple investment, providing a stable platform for growth and service enhancement.

This is a proven model and it works. Why not find out how you can benefit from new revenue and profit by addressing the enterprise and SME market?

Telenor – Leading through Innovation with Mobil Bedriftsnett

Posted by Gintel on 11/06/2012 None comments

Telenor, Norway’s leading mobile and fixed operator – and one of the largest mobile operator groups in the world – has long been known for outstanding innovation. The latest chapter in this distinguished history is being written with the launch of the Mobil Bedriftsnett product and the MOVE project that is behind its success.

Telenor is determined to retain its leading position in the Norwegian market, in the face of growing competition. Mobil Bedriftsnett and MOVE are part of its response to an increasingly competitive environment. Combining simplicity, rich functionality and ease of use in a mobile environment, Mobil Bedriftsnett is expected to be adopted by a significant number of Telenor’s existing subscribers, as well as to play a leading role in building additions to the strong subscriber base.

The innovation behind the service has also been recognised by the wider market, and Mobil Bedriftsnett is expected to attract many new customers to Telenor, increasing market share. Gintel AS, a trusted supplier and partner of Telenor, has played a leading role in the evolution of the service offer.

Mobil Bedriftsnett has a sophisticated attendant application that is accessible by users and this is based on the Easy Switchboard application from Gintel. It is a key part of the solution and provides exceptional ease of use, allowing users to manage inbound calls to their enterprises and businesses.

The Mobil Bedriftsnett is just one part of the strategy, however. Fundamental to the evolution of the service is the launch of a set of APIs that are available to partners. The APIs allow Telenor’s partners to integrate rich telecoms functionality into their applications, which can then be offered to end-users. The APIs enable Telenor to build new revenue streams through two-sided business models, with partners paying for access to the APIs and end-users paying for access to an enriched set of applications.

Gintel AS has provided a key element that supports API exposure, the Telenor Service Gateway. This vital component is the glue between Telenor’s network and partner services, ensuring real-time exchange of data necessary to underpin applications.

Mobil Bedriftsnett and MOVE represent a significant investment by Telenor in the business market. Telenor intends to sustain this investment and to continue to evolve and enhance the services supported, and to broaden the partner community that can leverage them. Gintel AS is proud to be a trusted supplier to Telenor and looks forward to playing a continuing role in the evolution of this innovative service portfolio.