Member News

SLA Mobile, a global mobile solutions company has unveiled a contemporary new look and feel that will be showcased at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The new look, together with a strong focus on how mobile operators can leverage the API Economy, has been created to reflect the current corporate strategy of the 10 year old company.  The company has adopted “SLA” as its global brand name supported by a new logo and brand driver “Mobile Solutions by your side.”

Nic Stirk, CEO of SLA said, “After an outstanding performance over the past couple of years it was the right time for a significant investment in the brand.  The new look and feel for the company builds on the success we have had to date by attracting new global and influential mobile operators to leverage the API Economy and monetise their network and data assets.”

In line with this year’s Mobile World Congress, SLA will demonstrate how they can help mobile operators and merchants capture their audience and unlock network and data assets to the API Economy.  Through a managed service approach the company provides a white labelled solution which gives mobile operators the capability to bring innovative third party services to their customers.

“Through our Managed API Exposure solution we help our clients deliver new services and applications that increase customer engagement and drive new revenues.” Says Nic.  “We do the heavy lifting and take control of the entire project providing 24/7 management and support.”

SLA’s managed service solution will expose a range of APIs from billing to profile and location which is set to transform the mobile experience for merchants and consumers alike. Direct Operator Billing is an example of just one of the services that the company offers to clients.

“With Direct Operator Billing, operators have the opportunity to engage with their customers, increase revenue and access previously hard to reach demographics in new and emerging markets.” Says Nic. “However operators have many network and data assets that can be monetised and Direct Operator Billing is the stepping stone to greater things in terms of increasing consumer loyalty and competitiveness.”

To find out more, the company will be showcasing their new look and API services at the Mobile World Congress – visit stand 7C40.  Also visit the new website for further information at www.sla-mobile.com

Following the success of direct carrier billing implementations with Windows Phone Store in Spain and Germany, Telefónica’s Global Payment System is now live allowing O2 customers in the UK to use ‘Charge to Mobile’ when making a digital purchase through the Microsoft Windows Phone Store.

Whether buying digital services from a website, mobile site or within an application, Charge to Mobile enables the customer to simply pay via their mobile phone bill or prepaid credit.

Charge to Mobile is automatically available to all O2 consumer customers, with no requirement to register for the service.

Enabling Charge to Mobile has proven to increase revenue for the Windows Phone developer community as the customer experience encourages propensity to spend. It has also been well received by customers who value the speed and simplicity of the transaction.

According to data from a Kantar Worldpanel ComTech report* for the three months leading up to August this year, Windows Phone-based devices accounted for close to 12% of smartphone sales in Telefónica’s European territories including the UK, Germany and Spain.

In addition, Windows Phone developers earn three times more revenue per active user on average in markets where Charge to Mobile is offered (and six times more revenue on average in emerging markets where credit card usage is more limited).

David Plumb, Digital UK Director at Telefónica said: “Charge to Mobile supports our digital strategy and we’re delighted to add Microsoft to our growing portfolio of technology companies who offer it. The service allows us to put digital at the heart of the customer experience.”

Charge to Mobile for the Microsoft Windows Phone Store is now live across a number of Telefónica’s operating businesses. The new higher pay-out rates also enable merchants to offer consumers a wider range of services payable to their mobile.

Comic Relief, the UK charity that uses entertainment to raise money to help poor and disadvantaged people at home and overseas, has chosen leading mobile engagement company and AIME Sponsor Member OpenMarket to drive SMS mobile donations for its 2014 Sport Relief fundraising campaign.

“We chose OpenMarket for its proven track record in the charity sector, delivering a reliable mobile platform that can scale to support  multiple concurrent fundraising projects, all running nationwide,” said Jacqueline Hill, Head of Campaign Management at Comic Relief.  “We were particularly impressed by OpenMarket’s in-depth knowledge of the mobile donations domain and the speed with which they delivered a solution that met all of the needs of our 2014 Sport Relief campaign.”

The OpenMarket platform supports text-based donations for more than 20 separate Sport Relief fundraising projects across the UK. OpenMarket is providing four charity donation SMS short codes so that donors have the choice of donating different amounts of money via SMS.  The SMS donation campaign began on January 13 with special Sport Relief editions of the BBC show “The Great British Bake Off”. The programme featured an on-screen message that invited viewers to donate money by sending a text message to a short code supplied and managed by OpenMarket. The campaign will continue with other shows and events, culminating with the Sport Relief Games on March 23.

Comic Relief is the latest charity to enlist OpenMarket’s help for its mobile requirements. The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is currently using the OpenMarket Mobile Engagement Platform for donations made via Premium SMS for its Philippines Typhoon relief appeal. Children in Need, the BBC’s charity for disadvantaged children and young people in the UK, also used OpenMarket for SMS-based mobile donations for its 2013 campaign.

“Our selection to support Sport Relief reinforces OpenMarket’s market position as the mobile provider of choice for major charities and high profile broadcast campaigns,” said Adrian Sarosi, Director of Marketing and Business Development at OpenMarket EMEA. “With the experience and insight of our team, plus the tried-and-tested reliability of our technology, organisations can properly capitalise on the value of mobile devices as an affordable, convenient and flexible channel to reach and engage with large numbers of end-users.”

Sport Relief is one of the UK’s biggest fundraising events, and encourages people to raise money through sponsored sport-related events and activities leading up to the weekend of Friday March 21 to Sunday March 23 2014.  The money raised is spent by Comic Relief to support projects helping poor and disadvantaged people in the UK and around the world. Supporters of the cause can text FIVE to 70510 to donate £5, terms and conditions apply. Texts cost £5 plus the standard network charges and donors must be 16 or over and have the bill payer’s permission.

 

Theresa Marks from Add HR summarises how an apprentice scheme can be set up, the government funding and the grant schemes that are available to employers. Click here to download the Add HR Newsletter

 

AIME Sponsor Member Oxygen8 has launched Oxygen8PAY, a PCI compliant e-commerce, mobile and IVR card payment solution designed to simplify merchants’ card payment operations through a range of communication channels.

Complementing and integrating with Oxygen8’s current portfolio of products, such as mobile marketing platform Evolve and its Web Page Builder tool, Oxygen8PAY provides a full service proposition to businesses looking to engage with customers across multiple channels.

The solution creates a quick and easy method of paying for products without the need for costly human resource. As a PCI compliant solution, Oxygen8PAY also holds a highly robust infrastructure with established policies and processes in place to ensure optimal security.

Commenting on the launch, Maria Grant, Head of Product Development at Oxygen8 said: “We are delighted to be enhancing our product portfolio with the launch of Oxygen8PAY, which offers customers a complete and incredibly feature-rich payment proposition. The solution will introduce significant benefits to merchants, ranging from improving the measurement of ROI to full visibility of real-time reporting on transactions. It will also minimise human error and improve consumer confidence, which will help improve brand reputation.”

Oxygen8PAY includes:
• A flexible and scalable cloud platform: Oxygen8PAY can be integrated with existing payment solutions quickly and easily. The low set-up costs and high levels of stability ensure that merchants are provided with a cost-effective and reliable platform

• Multi-device capabilities: Businesses can view Oxygen8PAY on the move. The platform is not only viewable on a desktop, but is also available on a mobile device and tablet, making the solution easily accessible at any time

• Trusted global payments: Oxygen8PAY has the capability to authorise and settle card payments promptly from anywhere in the world, increasing global reach

• Real-time dashboard: Oxygen8PAY’s dashboard, which can be viewed on any device, provides quick and easy analysis of transactions, meaning that businesses can measure ROI in an efficient and timely manner

Oxygen8 has the capacity to help businesses add new payment channels to existing services efficiently, providing support through the application, set up and implementation process.