Mobile Operators | Overview
Just like every other part of the mobile communications industry, messaging – in all its forms –
is being forced to adapt rapidly to new technologies, to new service models and new competitors.
The two main revenue streams of basic voice and data that drove the mobile business model for the
last decade or more are now being eroded as cheaper and more open options become available to end
customers.
While these new challengers – such as VoIP, WiFi and Instant Messaging – have yet to fully impact on
the mobile mass market, they are already beginning to make waves, especially amongst the already fickle
youth community and in enterprise markets.
If mobile service providers are to successfully ride out the major changes of the next few years, then they
will have to update their existing investments in messaging infrastructure and systems - while simultaneously
controlling costs. They will also have to open up previously closed technology and service platforms and relationships
to take advantage of new concepts and tools like IMS and SOA, as well as the revenue potential of increased community,
advertising and person-based messaging options.
Openmind Networks can square this circle, protecting mobile operators’ existing messaging platforms from growing complexity
in other parts of the service chain while exploiting their maximum value in the creation and roll-out of newer and 'stickier' services.
High speed ability (Connectivity) to connect people (Communities) with their passions (On Demand Services) when requested, are the
underlying market forces. Chances are that some or nearly all of the issues raised below are impacting your ability to profitably address
the emerging market forces. And all of the necessary changes are to be implemented at Internet speeds.
"Our new business plan says I’ve got to bring my operating costs down – but our SMS and MMS traffic has also got to keep going up..."
Openmind Networks has developed messaging solutions that not only increase the throughput, lifespan and flexibility of existing systems, but
also free users from having to constantly reinvest in legacy technologies. Through a deep understanding of the real world dynamics of messaging
systems and traffic, Openmind solutions take the pressure off core messaging platforms - while simultaneously putting much more power into the hands
of the messaging team to deliver on low-cost routing, internal and customer SLAs, and supporting new business and applications models.
"Our business development team is pushing me to try and extract more useful data from message flows to help them plan for the future. I don’t have
the resources to build this myself but, if I can’t cooperate in time, my whole department is going to look bad..."
Openmind Networks messaging solutions allow operators to easily extract and analyse a rich variety of information from traffic flows and message content
– in secure and application-appropriate ways – for both operational and strategic purposes. This data can be used to create and enhance community and social
networking applications, identify key influencers and
"Our CTO’s pressing us for a response to his plan for introducing IMS. How can I tell him that our current messaging architecture doesn’t have the right
interfaces and the vendor’s dropped the product line...?"
Openmind Networks allows service providers to deploy new IMS and SDP architectures, easily integrate these with current messaging platforms and create a more open
application environment for service creation and partnering.
"Our IT department has just started migrating to a SOA environment and I’ve got to work out how I can get our twentieth century messaging systems to talk to
twenty-first century applications..."
Openmind Networks is already active in the SOA area, working closely with leading vendors such as IBM to ensure that both applications and networks can extract the
maximum benefits from new IT concepts such as SOA and J2EE. By allowing customers to focus on the high-level business logic while Openmind Networks’ systems do the
'heavy lifting', both time to market and cost overheads are greatly reduced.
"Our new revenue assurance program is going to be a real headache to implement with our current messaging systems – especially where roaming’s concerned. I know
we’re leaking billing data and the whole system’s as transparent as mud, but I’ve got to deliver these improvements on time..."
Openmind Networks has developed its solutions to specifically ensure that message and billing data quality and integrity remain high - even where the supporting systems
are highly distributed – and can provide hard evidence of major savings made by existing customers. As messaging transactions increasingly involve multiple service providers,
access networks, signalling technologies and device types, vulnerabilities can only increase
"Our marketing department needs us to find new ways for our customers to personalise their messages and manage their own accounts directly. They might want to add a corporate
logo – or a heart to a Valentine SMS – but our current system’s as user-friendly as brick..."
Openmind Networks clearly recognises that much of the value of the new telecommunications world will only come through service providers finding new ways to couple their network
capabilities with the creativity of more specialist application developers and content owners.
"In developed markets we’re looking to exploit growing consumer demand for social networking and Web 2.0-like applications. In developing countries, I’ve also got to find new
ways to apply messaging applications that fit with the local culture and their ways of living and working. Where do I start...?
Openmind Networks well understands the complex interplay between communities, applications and the underlying connectivity – and how a service provider can develop messaging platforms
and services to make the best technical and commercial use of these resources. It also recognises the crucial importance of control in the context of community services – by allowing
end-users, content and application partners, corporate sponsors and advertisers to manage their communications channels and personal and corporate brands in the most secure and
user-friendly ways possible.