Synchronica, an international provider of mobile messaging services, has received a purchase order for deployment of its carrier-grade IMPS mobile Instant Messaging infrastructure software with the Russian subsidiary of a pan-European mobile operator group.
With the initial order, the operator purchased professional services and licenses worth USD 246,000. In addition, the operator will pay Synchronica a recurring service fee based on the registered each month. This is the first purchase order that Synchronica has secured in concert with its new global reseller partner, Acision.
The operator is part of a pan-European mobile operator group which owns GSM licenses across 37 Russian regions, and covers an addressable population of approximately 61 million. This purchase order represents Synchronica’s first deal with a subsidiary of the group. The operator will use Synchronica’s IMPS infrastructure to offer their own carrier-branded Instant Messaging service to their 18 million subscribers, in addition to providing access to mainstream IM communities. Synchronica is scheduled to deliver the service in early 2011, with the Operator launching shortly thereafter.
With its messaging infrastructure products already being used by two of the country’s top-3 operators, Synchronica is becoming a strong player the Russian mobile market. Synchronica’s IMPS technology enables operators to provide a complete, scalable and OMA standards-compliant service which subscribers can connect to from IMPS-enabled handsets. This appealing, carrier-branded service acts as a churn inhibitor, because defecting to a rival carrier would mean the loss of a customer’s mobile IM identity.
Portio Research expects that by 2012, there will be 867 million worldwide mobile IM users generating $12.4 billion in revenues. Mobile IM is still in its infancy stage in Russia according to Visiongain, but has been widely accepted, especially amongst the youth segment.
Carsten Brinkschulte, CEO of Synchronica, said, “We are pleased to secure this deal in collaboration with our new partner Acision, demonstrating again the strategic importance of our global reseller network. With Synchronica’s solutions already being used by two of Russia’s top-3 operators, we are now in the pole position of this important market. We’re committed to using our experience to help our new customer launch an innovative, popular and indeed lucrative ‘churn-busting’ IM service.”