iTouch is delighted to announce that it has today completed the acquisition of Jippii, the Finnish mobile services provider, announced on 21 July 2004, for an initial consideration of €12.0m in cash.
The acquisition of Jippii has given iTouch access into Russia, one of the fastest growing markets in Premium SMS services, worth $100m in 2003. The Jippii brand is one of the leaders in the region with 16 operator network relationships and access to a significant number of Russian mobile users. Since the announcement, the Group has successfully launched the direct channel model in the region. Jippii also has a strong relationship with MTV in Russia and is one of the major sponsors, alongside Panasonic, of the MTV Awards ceremony which will take place on 16 October. Jippii will be facilitating the mobile voting services for the event.
In addition to the Russian opportunity, the Jippii transaction has taken iTouch connectivity to 92 network operators giving access to over 400m mobile users in 25 countries worldwide securing iTouch’s position as one of the market leaders in the distribution of mobile content.
Wayne Pitout, CEO of iTouch plc, commented: “Our immediate intention is to launch our direct channel model in key Jippii territories like Russia, Switzerland and Belgium. We will then focus our attention on the other 11 new territories that Jippii brings to the table and are excited about driving our model into new developing markets like the Baltic territories and the Ukraine. “