'Mobile IM Can Replicate SMS if Positioned Correctly,' Says visiongain Report.

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON -- As mobile operators across Europe and Asia look to deploy customised (operator owned and branded) mobile IM services by the end of 2006, a new visiongain report warns that incorrect pricing seriously throws open the possibility of MIM cannibalising SMS service revenues. E[acute accent]The report, "Mobile Instant Messaging Report 2006-2011: Deploying successful mobile IM services", argues that operators must carefully evaluate how MIM services will fit into their overall service portfolio and adopt the appropriate pricing strategies. While some SMS erosion will inevitably occur in the process, the right bundling and positioning of MIM with complementary services will boost overall ARPU, especially if combined with community features. E[acute accent]Visiongain believes that if mobile operators play their cards right with respect to pricing and marketing strategies, MIM holds significant potential worldwide. In Europe alone, visiongain estimates that compelling MIM services will generate almost $1.5 billion in service revenues by 2009. E[acute accent]"The interest in mobile IM is being driven by perceived benefits such as increasing data ARPU, service differentiation, churn reduction and building customer loyalty," says visiongain analyst and the report's lead author Prachi Nema. "The announcement in February 2006 that a group of 15 mobile operators worldwide - including Tier 1 players such as Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile - plans to roll out interoperable mobile IM services shows that MIM is seen as a significant potential revenue generator by the operator community." E[acute accent]One challenge for operators in offering comprehensive MIM services is identifying the right business model. Attracted by fee-based services in the mobile space, fixed IM service providers such as Yahoo, Microsoft, AOL, Google and ICQ are eagerly expanding into the mobile domain and trying to gain a dominant position in the MIM market. E[acute accent]"The tug of war between operators and the fixed line IM service providers is becoming complex," says Nema. "Would consumers prefer a white label operator offering to more trusted brands such as MSN? Operator-centric MIM services offer a wide range of benefits but may not be the best choice for operators in the long term. Instead, a cooperative model where operators leverage the brand strength of fixed-line IM service providers will enhance the value proposition to end-users, and help operators tap into the existing fixed IM customer base more easily. Interoperability here is key." E[acute accent]This comprehensive report establishes the potential of MIM services in consumer and corporate markets worldwide, providing subscriber, handset and revenue forecasts. It describes in detail the underlying technologies, pertinent issues and players in the MIM value chain. It also analyses current market dynamics, operator deployment plans and market evolution until 2011. Finally, the report discusses MIM's positioning to services such as SMS, MMS, e-mail and push-to-talk.

E[acute accent]Notes for Editors

E[acute accent]If you are interested in a more detailed overview of this report, including the Executive Summary, charts and images, please send an email to [e-mail] or phone Sara on [phone].

E[acute accent]About visiongain

E[acute accent]Visiongain is one of the fastest growing and most innovative independent media companies in Europe. Based in London, UK, visiongain produces a host of business-2-business conferences, newsletters, management reports and e-zines focusing on the Telecoms, Pharmaceutical and Defence sectors. 'Visiongain has a global client base, with offices in London and San Francisco. E[acute accent]Visiongain publishes reports produced by its in-house analysts, who are qualified experts in their field. Visiongain has firmly established itself as the first port-of-call for the business professional, who needs independent, high quality, original material to rely and depend on. E[acute accent]For more information on visiongain, please visit the website: www.visiongainintelligence.com