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The mobile user initiates an SMS MO (Mobile
Originated) to submit a vote for a TV contest, for example.
Mobile Terminated SMS (MT): where the
message is sent from a server, software application or another user
and is received by the mobile phone.
Information such as football results or
voicemail alerts has been generated by the Application and is sent
as an SMS MT (Mobile Terminated) to the mobile user.
2. SMS ROUTING
There are two ways to route a message: Directly or Indirectly.
Direct routing is where SMS transmission is via direct connections
which Mobileway has established with Mobile Operators across the
globe. Mobileway has developed the widest direct connection
infrastructure globally.
Transmission of SMS through direct connections offers a number of
benefits :
- Widest Coverage
Mobileway offers the widest coverage available for SMS transmission
worldwide. Using direct connections minimizes the risk of delivery
failure to subscribers of operators who block transmission of SMS
traffic originating from foreign networks. There are countries where
operators may only be reached via direct connections.
- Most reliable and consistent service
The time to deliver a message to a handset will on average be lower
than if a roaming route is used. The delivery time will also be more
consistent and there will be a reduced risk of messages being lost
between Mobile Operator networks.
- Enhanced Message Delivery Notification
With direct connections the notification of message delivery to the
SMS Centre (SMS-C) of the recipient's Mobile Operator can be
provided. Delivery notification to the recipient's handset can also
be provided where the Mobile Operator supports this feature.
- Avoid surprising inter-operator (interconnect) tariffs for SMS
Using direct connections to send Push SMS avoids the incurring of
any unpredictable supplementary charges which the operators may levy
for SMS sent in national and international roaming.
Indirect routing is where SMS transmission is via
interconnection through a roaming partner of the destination
carrier.
The choice of routing will have an impact on the features
available and the cost of the service.
Premium services cannot be offered via indirect routes.
3. SMS FEATURES
4.
SHORT AND LONG NUMBERS
Mobileway
offers two types of service number, these are necessary to initiate
a campaign and are the numbers that are published when advertising
the service.
a.
Long Number: a single nationwide number that can be used as the
service number by all mobile users within a particular country
b.
Short Number or Short Code: a 4-6 digit number assigned on a per
operator or per country basis, often used in association with retail
promotions or marketing campaigns as they are easier for users to
remember.
Both
services are available with two service options:
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Shared Number |
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Mobileway has a base of pre-reserved service numbers (long or
short) which can be shared by several customers
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Differentiation between individual customers and services is via
short "keywords", which must be entered by the mobile user
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Fast service
implementation, high flexibility, easy to deploy
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· Dedicated
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A dedicated service number (long or short) can be reserved by a
single customerNo keywords are required, ideal for visible, high
volume applications
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5.
SMS PRICING
The
Mobileway SMS pricing model comprises three elements:
a. A
set up fee, this covers:
· The creation of Mobileway customer accounts and set-up of the
routing chain
· Use of Mobileway's set of off-the-shelf applications and
Marketing Connectors
· Use of an Alphanumeric Sender ID where possible
· Full pre-test process
· Technical support for client integration and client testing phase
· Debug support if necessary (e.g. for wrong numbers, wrong format
etc)
· Client acceptance tests in a live environment
b. A
monthly fee supported by a Service Level Agreement, this covers the
following services:
· Constant operation and regular testing of operator connections
· Access to customer care and technical support 24x7x365 for
premium SLA holders
· Access to extranet for statistics
· Itemized monthly billing
· Automatic message filtering
3. A
routing fee, this covers the cost of routing the message.
In
the case of revenue-sharing projects, Mobileway will take a
pre-determined share of the monies collected from the operator.
6.
PREMIUM
SMS AND REVENUE SHARING
Premium
SMS Services or SMS Revenue Sharing allow service providers to
create additional revenues for mobile or web-based value added
services. It works in a similar way to premium voice business models
(IVR) or the successful DoCoMo I-Mode business model.
With
Premium SMS services, mobile users are charged a premium price for
SMS transmission (i.e. SMS-MO) and/or SMS reception (i.e. SMS-MT).
Mobile operators transfer a percentage of the revenue generated to
the service/content providers, this amount is variable dependent
upon the tariff levels and traffic volumes.
On
the surface revenue sharing is a very attractive and simple business
model. However the logistics behind managing the delivery of the SMS
messages, the billing and settling the funds accordingly is far from
simple. Business models offered by mobile operators are highly
complex and vary from country to country. Even within a country,
business models may differ in terms of:
- The
end-user tariffs available
- The percentage of revenues the operator agrees to share
- The minimum traffic level
- The policy regarding short code pricing and set up or monthly fees.
Mobileway
takes away this complexity by providing:
·
Cross-operator connectivity and billing capability
· A portfolio of off-the-shelf applications (including support and
customisation)
· Management of provisioning and running of wireless service
· Cross-network-operator clearing and settlement facilities
7.
APPLICATIONS OF SMS
Aside
from basic peer-to-peer communications, SMS is the ideal conduit for
Value Added Services which can be classified into different
categories: Mobile Information, Mobile Communication, Mobile
Entertainment, Mobile Marketing, Mobile Commerce and Corporate
Mobilization. These applications may use a mix of MO and MT SMS
transmission and can be billed based upon the Revenue Sharing model.
Mobile
Information - alert services for groups of people requiring specific
information while on the move, e.g. News, weather forecast, stock
movements, health appointment reminders, support messages etc.
Mobile
Communication - services for groups of people eager to share common
interests such as community chat rooms, dating or flirting services
Mobile
Entertainment - services enabling users to truly personalize their
mobile phone by purchasing fun ringtones and logos, take part in SMS,
vote for their favourite celebrity, play some of the latest mobile
games and place bets.
Mobile
Marketing - services using the phone as a direct marketing
channel,
on-pack promotions, broadcast competitions, prize quizzes, or even
viral marketing where messages are forwarded from friends.
Mobile Commerce - SMS can be used to trigger an
order, carry out a
micro payment billed back to the user's phone bill or prepay account,
use a Stored Value Account or even authenticate larger
cardholder-not-present transactions.
Corporate Mobilization - enterprises can use SMS as a tool for
out-of-office support, communication as well as for
machine-to-machine telematics.
8.
OPERATIONS AND SUPPORT
Mobileway's
Global Network is operated 24 x 7 x 365 on behalf of Mobileway's
customers through a range of Service Levels Agreements suitable for
different types of applications. Mobileway operates multiple hubs
for redundancy and regional optimization purposes. The hubs are
monitored and maintained by staffed, fully redundant, battery
backed-up Network Operating Centers (NOCs), and incorporate the
highest level of security features including full fire protection.
Mobileway currently has three operational NOCs in France, Singapore,
and the United States.
Mobileway provides customer support via Hotline or/and email 24 x 7
x 365 - according to SLA.
Mobileway provides several added value services such as an extranet
service where its customers can monitor their services and access
statistics, a customer complaints resolution tool (CSC Tool),
a logo and ring tone conversion tool (RTTTL Tool) and a WAP
Push service.
The TCP/IP connection to Mobileway can be established via Internet,
Leased line or Frame Relay.
Mobileway provides support for multiple customer interfaces: SMTP,
HTTP, UCP, SMPP and operator specific interfaces.
Mobileway's routing service support all GSM, TDMA and CDMA on SMS
compatible handsets and has full compliance with ETSI and ANSI
standards. |
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