Announcement provides immediate route to market for European mobile content and service providers looking to leverage 150 million US mobile users
Netsize, the global leader for mobile business and entertainment solutions, has announced the launch of its two-way premium SMS offering for the United States. The announcement, made at this week’s CTIA Wireless show in the US, opens up the North American market to UK mobile content and service providers looking to leverage the country’s 150 million mobile users.
The Premium SMS market in the United States is still relatively new. Common short codes were launched in October 2003, and Premium SMS, currently the only efficient means of micro-payment in the US, recently became available on the networks of all tier one operators (AT&T, Cingular, Nextel, Sprint PCS, T-Mobile and Verizon).
“The US is an avid consumer of infotainment across all media channels,” explains Stanislas Chesnais, Chairman of Netsize Group. “And now that mobile penetration rates are quickly reaching a level comparable to Europe, this represents an enormous opportunity for companies who have the right mix of technical know-how and compelling mobile content.”
Industry analysts have estimated that whilst the European Premium SMS market will be worth over $4 billion by 2006, this could be eclipsed by a potential $4.5 billion in the US, driven by mobile marketing, downloads and television interaction.
Using the Netsize Multimedia Vending Machine (a carrier-grade content management platform that offers content providers an immediate route to market, managing the hosting, delivery and billing of content) the announcement means that Netsize can now offer a single point of access to a global network of 500 million billable mobile consumers.
This international framework is complemented by a local presence in 18 countries (including the United States) that allows Netsize to customize its solutions for specific markets in order to take into account differences in language, culture, regulations, currencies and technologies.