Frost & Sullivan: client design can increase value-added services and the uptake of unified communications

[PRNewswire] White Paper Highlights Mobile Unified Communications Value Added Services for Mobile Network Operators to Deliver Mobile Office Capabilities and Increased ARPU

Frost & Sullivan whitepaper highlights how a range of factors including good client design can be fundamental to increasing value added services through the uptake of Unified Communications (UC) by both consumer and enterprise users and obtaining increased ARPU - average revenue per user - for ISPs and mobile network operators in providing value added services.

The whitepaper on behalf of CommuniGate Systems outlines a key determinant of the overall success of a UC service, and obtaining increased ARPU, is the UE (User Experience) of that application, and the UI (User Interface) is a critical component of the overall end user experience.

It is significant that British Airways is using this same technology to connect its entire mobile workforce, connecting its 30,000 frontline ground and air staff to mobile email http://tr.im/oEfO . These staff work in baggage and maintenance areas, on the tarmac, or in the company's large air fleet, rather than at a fixed PC. They needed to be able to access their emails at all times, so that they can be kept up to date with important messages.

Key whitepaper findings include:

- For service providers a good client design must be coupled
with delivery features that are low impact and suitable for large
scale deployments where thousands of companies with potentially
hundreds of users each will access the UC solution as a value added
service following a Software as a Service (SaaS) model.

- Installation on the desktop should be straightforward and be held at a
minimum, lending the requirements directly to Web 2.0 technologies
like Adobe Flash and AJAX. A good UI must also have a mechanism to link
to other value added service applications the service provider offers
in order to increase ARPU.

Delivery of video content such as IPTV/VOD (IP Television / Video on Demand) is an important value added service (VAS) many providers have invested in for their triple play strategies to increase ARPU. A modular system with open APIs is fundamental to insure the operator has the ability to add new applications to the UI quickly.

Ronald Gruia, Principal Analyst, Emerging Telecom with Frost & Sullivan, comments: "The UC market is poised to grow at a tremendous pace and the one segment that still remains somewhat underserved is the SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) space. A feature rich, high capacity and multi-tenant SaaS UC solution such as CommuniGate Pro and its Flash based web 2.0 client Pronto! can surely address this opportunity and help operators address the sweet spot of the enterprise market, namely the SME segment."

"We see data ARPU growing at a 20-30% annual rate, and robust increases in Internet access revenues and multimedia messaging volumes, which all indicate that data will be the key catalyst for future increased ARPU," continues Gruia. "CommuniGate Systems Mobile Office is well positioned to enable operators to capture some of that data growth opportunity within the value added services (VAS) segment."

Simon Paton, managing director of CommuniGate UK explains, "We continue to see a growing demand for tailored UC applications for specific market verticals, such as medical, legal, and transportation that tie into business processes. The delivery of these technologies in the SaaS model is key for network operators to leverage volume and obtain increased ARPU in the SME market. Adaptable SaaS platforms like CommuniGate Pro enable operators to add significant value to their offering and build custom applications to grab SME market share, which is especially important as more organisations look to introduce mobility into their processes."

A recent IDC study stated that 75% of the global workforce would be mobile by 2011. Enterprises are investing in mobile unified communications solutions that increase worker productivity and can help shed costs from operations. A survey by CommuniGate Systems among fixed-line and wireless providers found that Mobile Business Subscribers have six times less churn rates than consumer or residential subscribers and on average present an increased ARPU of almost four times as much http://tr.im/oEge .

Frost & Sullivan White Paper Highlights Opportunities for Mobile Value Added Services and Increased ARPU for ISPs and Mobile Network Operators
see also Communigate and White Paper