safira solutions

The Mobile Internet is the intersection between two very large and powerful industries: The Internet & the Mobile Telephony. On the one hand, the Mobile Internet industry offers new opportunities for all types of companies looking to reach a vast audience world-wide and create a closer relationship with their consumers, but on the other hand, it means having to deal with new technology issues unfounded on traditional PC Internet.

Internet-enabled mobile phones are to become the vast majority of mobile phones in the World by 2009, according to handset manufacturers' forecasts. Moreover, mobile penetration rates and coverage areas are increasing strongly, especially in developing countries. We must bear in mind that Mobile Internet is the only way for some areas in developing countries that individuals have to access the Telephone network, as well as accessing the Internet. Currently, in some developed countries there are already more mobile phone lines than inhabitants.

PDA's and cellular phones have become so popular that many businesses are beginning to use m-commerce as a more efficient method of reaching the demands of their customers. For example, banks and other financial institutions are exploring the use of M-Commerce to broaden/retain their business by allowing their customers to not only access account information, e.g. bank balances, stock quotes and financial advice, from anywhere, but also the possibility to make transactions, e.g. purchasing stocks, remitting money, via mobile phones.

However, the Mobile Internet faces different challenges compared to conventional PC Internet:

Business Challenges: Companies getting on the Mobile Internet need to know that there are many players engaged in the industry (e.g. Network operators, mobile handset manufacturers, mobile software developers, content owners/aggregators, billing aggregators, etc.), each of them playing a different role within the value chain. Deploying a successful Business/Marketing Mobile strategy is possible by understanding how each of these players interact to create value on the Mobile Internet.
Technology Challenges: The key and most important barrier to entry is the lack of wide-spread technology standards associated to the Mobile Internet. This poses a significant challenge for delivering consistent content to a wide variety of mobile devices each with a different operating system. There are few companies in the world that have the capacity to overcome these technological challenges and offer solutions that guarantee content delivered to any mobile device. Safira Solutions is a leader among this small group of companies.
User-Experience Challenges: Developing service sites for end users on the Mobile Internet requires a unique approach. Many apply website design rules and ignore solving the challenges of delivering enriching, friendly-user, compelling content on a small mobile screen. Navigation on Mobile Sites is completely different than on PC Internet.

Here we highlight some of the key differences between conventional Internet (Computer-based) and Mobile Internet:

Opportunities

Mobile Commerce is currently one of the fastest growing markets and is quickly becoming a primary mean of reaching out to customers. Market analytics forecast that by 2008 the mobile data subscriber market will reach 1.2 billion on full-feature handsets. Furthermore, Juniper Research forecasts that mobile entertainment revenues will reach $51.1 billion by 2008 world-wide.

Mobile commerce is currently mainly used for the sale of mobile phone wallpapers, ring-tones and games. As 3G/UMTS services roll out it is increasingly used to enable payment for location-based services such as maps, as well as video and audio content, including full length music tracks. Other services include the sending of information such as football scores via SMS.

Sports and entertainment are areas that have also grown with the demand for mobile related services. Shopping and reservation services are now more accessible when using mobile devices. Corporations are now using m-commerce to expand everything from services to marketing and advertisement.

The Mobile Internet's huge market size offers a great number of business opportunities for any kind of company that is willing to reap the benefits of it. The key commercial opportunities on the Mobile Commerce are clear and straightforward:

Increase market scope
Increase sales
Reduce costs
Strengthen brand equity
Improve customer loyalty
Deliver personalized services

Those who move first to conquer the new frontier will benefit from the unlimited opportunities it offers.

Challenges & Barriers

To create a successful pure-play mobile commerce business or to include it in your company's overall marketing strategy, it is critical to understand that the Mobile Internet is a unique and complex channel that requires a mix of technologies, business skills and marketing expertise. We have learned from our experience that the Mobile Internet is not a reflection of PC Internet and should be treated as a separate but complementary medium.

The main challenges & barriers to get the full potential of Mobile Commerce are the following:

No Technology Standards

Several Operating systems (e.g. Symbian, Palm, Windows Mobile,..)
Several programming languages to create mobile sites (e.g. XML, HXML, PHP,.)
Thousands of different mobile devices on the market each with unique configurations and features for running applications
Continuous entry of new mobile models to the market

Complex Industry with Many Players

Numerous players in the Mobile Value Chain
A great number of Network Operators in different count
Different currencies and billing systems
Different legal regulations across different countries

Poor Consumer Experience

High navigation costs (connection fees & cost of use)
Difficult to find quality content and services
Difficult to navigate outside of the Mobile Operator's Portal
Lack of data on consumer behavior on Mobile Internet

Fortunately, key industry players are helping to overcome these challenges. For example, Network Operators are decreasing Mobile Internet navigation fees, thus making navigation more affordable for end-users. Off-portal billing aggregators are also facilitating Mobile Commerce transactions by offering secure billing options for mobile sites.

For all the rest, Safira Solutions removes the complexity by providing reliable technology solutions for building a mobile site or shop while saving you time and money in the process.

Solutions

To simplify the task of creating a mobile presence, Safira Solutions has developed Wapsitebuilder®, a leading technology platform that is easy to use and flexible enough to integrate with any operator portal or off-portal billing provider. The Wapsitebuilder® platform provides the following key advantages:

It allows you to easily design and develop mobile sites
It insures that your mobile site and content will be delivered to the vast majority of mobile devices in the market worldwide
It is a platform designed to integrate mobile sites with any mobile operator, off-portal billing aggregator or any other payment system (direct billing, paypal, credit card etc.)
It supports a wide range of content types for mobile (text, images, ringtones, video, games etc.)
It includes comprehensive statistical features to measure traffic, downloads, handsets used and more

In addition to the technology solution, Safira Solutions offers its deep expertise in the Mobile Internet arena to assist you with:

Elaborating a Mobile Internet Business Plan
Designing and developing your mobile site
Developing tailor-made mobile solutions to fit specific needs
Elaborating a Mobile Media Plan that allocates your marketing budget in selected mobile channels to maximize traffic
Integrating your mobile site with the mobile operator or off-portal billing system of choice
Project Managing the day-to-day activities of your mobile site

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