MVAS platform needs revamp

Mobile VAS operators consider the need of revamping the VAS platform to suit the Indian context and demand in an event, VAS Asia 2011 held in New Delhi. They also opine that 3G and 4G technologies will drive shopping, healthcare, education, financial services etc on-the-go. The industry also predicts that mobile smart phone would also become a platform for providing a level playing field for people from different socio-economic communities. BSNL chairman and managing director, Rakesh K Upadhyay inaugurated the conference.

“It is a huge opportunity as the market for value added services is set to expand beyond voice and phone, from entertainment to utilities and services” explained Jason Stirling, senior vice-president, Asia Pacific, Nuance Communications giving the key note address. This would bring scalable, cost effective secure ways to deploy VAS to masses especially in rural areas.

Voice biometrics on mobile for instance would enhance efficiency, security and customer experience. With voice biometrics phone banking authentication, real time fraudsters detection and private banking security among other benefits accrue. It could also help in government and homeland security, and other secure access to many services.

"Application developers need to work across all sections of people's lives bringing them entertainment, education, healthcare, financial services among others. VAS market in India was all set to change radically as the reach of the mobile gets to people never exposed to such technological yet simple access devices that cross all sorts of traditional barriers, thereby improving access to information that gets more sophisticated by the day, Stirling said.

“It is an exciting world of applications” said Rahul Saighal, chief marketing officer, Aircel, describing the 3G mobile phone as ushering in the 'Pocket Internet' to push a 'Data Revolution' in India.

Predicting smart phone penetration to rise from 5.2 per cent of the mobile subscription base to 14 per cent by 2014, Sandip Biswas, director of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India said, growth, listed M-Commerce, M-Law, M-Governance, M-agriculture and M-education as the areas to develop in value added services on the mobile phone. He cautioned about the “huge gap of understanding” between telecom service providers and VAS providers that could affect growth. For the full benefits of this transformation to be realized he wanted policy framework that now was thin, initiative of much greater depth from the private sector, among other requirements.

"How value added services on the mobile phone would help push inclusion in the government services reach was evident in the proposed cash subsidy disbursal to the target population using the mobile phone. This was possible because of the wide reach of the mobile", pointed out MTNL executive director A. K. Bhargava. The VAS innovators should think beyond formulae as was being attempted by the Bollywood producers now to come up with content that appealed to the youth, Bhargava advised.

Other lead players who participated in the event include Dialogic, OnMobile, RadiSys, Motricity, Netxcell, Avaya, Donjin, MapmyIndia, Spice, Tieto India, Wipro, One97 Communications, Buongiorno etc.