New Board members announced

Throughout February we were accepting nominations from members to join the aimm Board.

We had 6 positions available and received 4 nominations from candidates so there is no need to go to a vote. This means we are able to announce our new Board members to you now.

  • Naomi  Hone – EE
  • Ana-Rosa Broster – Telefonica

We are also pleased that two members of the existing Board decided to re-stand and will continue to serve on the Board:

  • Rob Weisz – Fonix 
  • Alan Partington – Telecom2

You can learn more about our new Board members from the Candidate Information sheet.

Please join us in congratulating them, and we look forward to working with them, when they officially start their new roles on the 1st April. They will now hold their seats on the Board for the next two years.

 

 

Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash

aimm launches new consumer information site PhoneCharges.org

Today is a really great day, as we launch our brand new consumer-facing website PhoneCharges.org.

Consumers needed a better way to investigate unknown charges on their phone bill, identify who charged them, and resolve their query as quickly as possible, and this is why PhoneCharges.org was born. In its simplest form, the site will signpost consumers to their own network’s number checker or to the PSA’s service checker to quickly identify who has charged them and obtain their contact details. It also contains basic information around what phone-paid services are, why consumers may have been charged, when refunds may be due etc.

PhoneCharges.org will provide users with links to the relevant pages of their mobile networks’ website or to the Phone-paid Services Authority Number Checker so that they can find out quickly where any charges have come from. Additionally, it will provide easy-to-understand information about how phone-paid services work, why users may have charges on their bill and when a refund may be due. It will also provide topical news stories from within the industry which will help consumers understand the types of services that use charge-to-mobile billing.

The website is funded by aimm and its membership, but has been built free of charge by The Cute Group who have a wealth of experience in handling customer queries in this area.

Andrew Fisher, CEO of The Cute Group said ““When aimm approached The Cute Group with a concept to help consumers navigate the maze that is the phone-billed services industry, we knew immediately it had our name on it. As a leading UK player supporting digital services for brands, publishers and content owners, Cute has rich experience understanding the kinds of queries, frustrations and confusion consumers face – and how to resolve them helpfully, and with as little fuss as possible.  We are excited to partner with aimm to bring PhoneCharges.org to life, building the site itself and contributing our experience to support the project as a whole.”

Joanna Cox, General Manager of aimm said “More often than not, queries about phone-paid services are due to a lack of post-purchase information and consumers end up complaining to the regulator who are unable to resolve specific cases. PhoneCharges.org is there to help consumers get the information they need and solve their queries as quickly as possible.”

We hope this site can help consumers better resolve any issues they have, increase their confidence in phone-paid services and, ultimately, create the conditions for growth in our industry.

Rupen Patel joins Dynamic Mobile Billing

Dynamic Mobile Billing appoints Rupen Patel as Head of Sales and Marketing.

Rupen brings a wealth of experience, with a career that spans over 20 years, including his time as Product & Lead Commercial Manager at mobile operator Three UK, as well as previous industry experience gained at Telefónica and Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF).

DMB CEO Kev Dawson comments on the appointment: “Rupen joins the UK Management team at an exciting growth time for the business.  We are seeing new revenue growth opportunities across both existing and new sector clients and Rupen offers extensive experience and capability to help drive DMB UK offerings in these areas.”

Rupen adds: “I’m delighted to be joining DMB at this promising time and hoping my experience can directly contribute to the mutual success of both myself and the business.”

Rupen started his career in the Media & Advertising sector, including stints at ITV, Channel 4 and WPP covering Sales, Business Development and Account/Client/Product Management.  He’s worked across all the major Media Agency groups and managed a portfolio of clients that included BT, Vodafone, Unilever, Mars, Procter & Gamble and GlaxoSmithKlein

At Three UK, Rupen was initially hired within the Payment Services team and was responsible for managing both Direct Carrier Billing & Premium Rate Services. For the last 20 months his focus has been solely on managing and growing the Premium SMS and Voice business working within the Wholesale Team.

As DMB are a member of aimm, we look forward to working with him, and hope to see him at the working groups.

 

Member Spotlight: Meet Telecom2

We would like to introduce you to Telecom2, one of our Fixed Line providers, and also a long standing member of our Board.

We interviewed Rob Johnson the Chairman for Telecom2 and he told us they are a technical development operation specialising in telecoms and billing, and their clients include TV companies and Premiership Football Club!

You can read the full interview here: Telecom2 Spotlight Member Feature

 

Member Spotlight: Meet Fonix

We are on a mission to help our members and their businesses. One the ways we are doing this is to give them an opportunity to tell us more about their business and the services they offer, and promote them however we can. Supporting our members is supporting business, and future growth across the industry.

Our first spotlight interview is with Fonix, who is a mobile payments and messaging services provider. Please feel free to reach out to them if you are interested in what they do and want to learn more.

Read the full interview: Fonix Spotlight Member Feature April 2020