Can you tell us about Shemaroo's partnership with Israel Mobile and
Communication Association?
We have been in the mobile space for a little over two years now, especially
in the VAS segment. And the main reasons to get into this partnership were to
extend and increase our services in the near future. Israel is a hot bed for
technology in the mobile segment, and IMA is an umbrella organization of a
hundred technology companies. And with their technology we plan to give complete
offerings to operators.
What is your plan in terms of providing services in the VAS space?
We have been providing content like ringtones, wallpapers, and images. But
now we are planning to provide customers with regional content like Rajasthani
and Himachaly. We also have a strong video catalogue and we are trying to offer
video-on-mobile, as it is at a very nascent stage but is surely going to witness
a boom with 3G looming just around the corner. We are working on some new
innovations and have come out with fifteen minute movies, which are basically
existing movies edited into fifteen minute volumes.
As for the telecom industry, basic services have become commoditized and
there is a price war going on. So the margins are very low. The only way for
operators to increase ARPU is through VAS. The content perspective mobile is
becoming the personal entertainment device for people, and consumption of
content is shifting from physical to digital. So this is an important revenue
stream for us to be present in.
What key challenges are you facing being a relatively new entrant in the
telecom space?
One key challenge we are facing is that we are just a content provider, and
now the operators' expectations have run higher as we have partnered with IMA.
Another key challenge that we face is that operators are the gate keepers, and
the revenue shares are usually loaded them. It's like a walled garden and most
of the revenue tends to go in the hands of the operators. This is a key
challenge faced by anyone in the VAS space. One more thing is the time taken in
launching of the 3G policy. This is holding back the VAS segment.
Any new plans for the telecom sector form your side?
We are offering several other solutions as well. We deal in transfer of data
from phone to phone or a PC or to the Internet. The same device can load
content, especially applications, seamlessly. We also provide solutions that can
be used for rich MMS, smilies, and fonts. Planning are to give operators a
mobile advertising platform that will help them target advertisements to the
right customers.
Sunny Sen
sunnys@cybermedia.co.in
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