messaging in africa mms explosion financial clearing upgrades

3R E G I O N A L U P D A T EAt Syniverse, wemake mobile workin every way,everywhere inthe world. FromTampa to HongKong, MexicoCity to Dubai, wemaintain officesin every region ofthe globe to ensurewe have expertstaff located onthe ground whereour customers dobusiness.Asia PacificWe are gaining significanttraction with data andfinancial clearing, andSCCP signaling serviceswith GSM operatorsacross Asia Pacific (AP),having recently signedmulti-year data clearingdeals with leadingoperators in India, Chinaand Taiwan. We’ve longprovided similar servicesto CDMA operators inAP, and now we’re seeingmore GSM operatorselecting to move to Syniverseaway from otherproviders. We also havestrengthened our AP salesteam, with Veni Folta nowleading sales in the northernpart of the region,including China, Korea,Japan and Guam. MahganZand Farid also has joinedSyniverse to lead our salesteams in Oceania, includingAustralia and NewZealand.Caribbean &Latin AmericaOne of our newest roamingsolutions, SyniverseGAIN Roaming BusinessManagement Services,recently was selected byTelefónica for 11 of itsproperties across LatinAmerica. GAIN providesoperators of all sizesand types with roamingspecialists and resourcesto help accelerate andenhance operators’ roamingrevenue and speedtime to market to meetsubscriber demand. Wealso have seen significantmessaging success inthe Caribbean and LatinAmerica (CALA), wherewe’ve signed almost 20messaging contractsthis year. One is OpenMobile of Puerto Rico,a long-time networkcustomer that now relieson us for both in-countryand international SMSinteroperability.Europe, MiddleEast & AfricaA number of operatorsacross Europe, theMiddle East and Africa(EMEA) are migratingto Syniverse from otherproviders for both dataand financial clearing,driven partially by ourrecently upgraded FinancialClearing Services.You can read more aboutthese upgrades on page 8.Solidifying our in-regionsales support function,Mike Furey has relocatedto London to lead our solutionsengineering teamin EMEA. Additionally,Giorgio Miano, based inRome, has transitionedinto a new role as VicePresident of Sales and isfocused on delivering thesolutions operators inthis region need to meetsubscriber demands andremain competitive inthe marketplace.North AmericaSyniverse continues togrow in the enterprisemessaging space in NorthAmerica (NA), havingrecently added a numberof significant MobileEnterprise Services contracts,including anotherleading global financialservices company plusone of the world’slargest internationallogistics companies.Our momentum alsocontinues to grow withnew entrants to the mobilespace. M2M leaderNumerex recently signedmulti-year agreementsfor Syniverse network,roaming and messagingsolutions that expand itsreach globally. Finally, asthe leading IPX gatewayinto NA, we’ve won morethan 20 IPX contractsin the region, includingfour of the largest mobileoperators.

5E M P L O Y E E S P O T L I G H TRanga Jagannath, Senior Product ManagerSynergy: Tell me a littleabout your transition toSyniverse.Ranga: The transition hasbeen quite smooth for me,and I’m pleased that I’vebeen able to contributeto the company in myshort time here. My coworkers– both thosewho joined Syniversewith me and those whowere onboard prior to theacquisition – continuallyinspire me with theirdepth of knowledge. I alsoam extremely proud to bea part of an organizationwith such a strong focuson putting its customersfirst.Synergy: How has yourbackground helped you besuccessful in your currentposition?Ranga: Discipline wasa core value in myhousehold growing up,so I’ve always instilled astrong sense of disciplineinto my work. Later in life,I was a part of a start-upcompany that showedme how experimentationand taking the pathless traveled can payoff with great success.Combining the best ofthese experiences andtaking a disciplinedapproach to exploringinnovative, new ideas havebeen integral to both mypast achievements and mycurrent role at Syniverse.Synergy: How do you helpkeep Syniverse’s customerssatisfied?Ranga: I consider myselfthe eyes and ears of thecustomers in my region.By providing crossfunctionalsupport toteams like sales, customersupport and operations, Iam able to understand andtranslate the market needsinto the MES productroadmap and portfoliothat I manage.Synergy: What’s your life likeoutside of Syniverse?Ranga: In addition to work,I also am in the processof earning my master ofbusiness administrationdegree, so free time isextremely precious! Myworld revolves around myamazing wife and daughterwith whom I love spendingtime whenever I can. Ialso really enjoy reading, aswell as anything outdoors,especially playing sportslike cricket and fieldhockey. J“If technology canhelp complete a taskfaster and moreefficiently – use it!”That’s the mottoRanga Jagannathlives by and embracesas Senior ProductManager forSyniverse’s MobileEnterprise Services(MES) in Bangalore,India. Ranga joinedthe Syniverse team aspart of the VeriSignmessaging businessacquisition in 2009,and he recently spokewith Synergy abouthis life and work atSyniverse.

6By Jeff GordonChief Technology OfficerWe’ve all heard the word “evolution” used to describe changesin the mobile ecosystem. However, I believe that we’re seeingsomething much bigger and more far-reaching than an evolution.Our society is actually experiencing a full-fledged mobilerevolution that’s changing how billions of people around theglobe think and behave.WINNING THE MOBILE REVOLUTIONThree Key Operator Challenges to Overcome

7In just a few years, mobile phones havemorphed from brick-sized luxuries used forvoice calls into multi-purpose devices that are,in essence, irreplaceable mobile life managementsystems.Today’s use cases are vast and evolving quickly.We take photos and videos, and send them tofamilies, friends, colleagues and customers. Wemake purchases with mobile wallets, check in forflights and join live video calls. I even have an appthat identifies the planets and constellations in thenight sky visible from my exact location.Such radical change in the way we exchangeinformation has presented clear opportunities formobile operators. However, with the constant appearanceof new ecosystem players looking for theirshare, operators must tackle three key challenges tomake the most of this revolution.Cont. on page 10

8F I N A N C I A L C L E A R I N GAutomation Upgrades Add Value to Financial Clearing Services“The changeswe’ve made willsignificantlyimprove the wayoperators managetheir roamingbusinesses, enablingthem to be moreefficient andeffective”Mary ClarkVice PresidentClearing and Fraud ControlEach monthmillionsof voice,messaging and dataroaming transactionsthat require financialclearing and settlementservices occurbetween operatorroaming partners.With growingdemand for seamless global connectivity bysubscribers, the average number of roamingpartners per operator has climbed to morethan 300. To address the associated increasingcomplexity of financial clearing, manyoperatorsaround theworld offloadthis task toSyniverse– a neutral,trusted thirdparty.“Clearing and settlement is one of Syniverse’sspecialties, and our top priority ismeeting the diverse and evolving needs of ourcustomers,” said Mary Clark, Vice Presidentof Clearing and Fraud Control. “We recentlyinvested heavily in strengthening the automationcapabilities of our Syniverse MORE SMFinancial Clearing Services to ensure we cansuccessfully meet this objective.”The newly upgraded clearing platformensures reliability by leveraging financialindustry best practices and state-of-the-artwork-flow tools. Syniverse’s financial clearingteam is highly experienced, and Mary pointedout that the newly implemented tools minimizehuman intervention, resulting in fewer errors.“Our staff is now focusing on exceptionmanagement and customer requests,” Mary said.“As a result, our customers can expect a higherlevel of support with the newly upgraded platformthat delivers fast, secure and controlledfinancial settlement.”The recent improvements also haveresulted in greater efficiency and accuracy,with 80 percent of receivable positions allocatedautomatically and 90 percent of payableinvoices reconciled automatically. These highpercentages lead to quick and consistent transactionprocessing. In addition Syniverse hasadapted its dynamic reporting tool Analyzerfor financialclearing, materiallyincreasingtransparency,functionalityand customreportingcapabilities.Ultimately, Mary said the upgrades toSyniverse’s financial clearing solution ensure acustomer can focus on its core roaming business,instead of spending time performingmanual, routine processes.“The changes we’ve made will significantlyimprove the way operators manage their roamingbusinesses, enabling them to be more efficientand effective,” she said. “By handing offthe huge task of clearing roaming transactionsto Syniverse, our customers can rest easy knowingtheir transactions are being settled withthe right partner, for the right fee, and on timeeach month.” J

9C U S T O M E R C O N N E C T I O NApp Maker Pinger Capitalizes on Messaging PopularityThe popularity of mobile messaging is undeniable,especially among teenagers. Infact, teens that own mobile devices in theUnited States are sending an estimated 3,146 textmessages per month, according to Nielsen – preferringthis medium to traditional voice calls. Unfortunatelyfor thosefooting the bill,the rate at whichthese heavy usersare sending andreceiving SMSmessages can resultin enormousmonthly charges,especially if userssurpass their allotted maximumamount of texts.Pinger, a member of Syniverse’sgrowing customer roster ofnew entrants to mobile, is helpingto eliminate this with its TextfreeUnlimited application for theiPhone and iPod Touch. This freeapp allows users to send and receivean unlimited number of SMS messagesover an Internet connection.“What sets Textfree apartfrom the hoard of other textingapplications is that each user is issued an actual10-digit phone number from which the messagesare sent, rather than an email address,” said GregWoock, CEO and co-founder, Pinger. “And withSyniverse’s SMS-IP solution as the power behindthe app, the messages can be sent to or receivedfrom any mobile operator in the United States withthe high quality of service and delivery they expectwhen sending an SMS.”RGreg said Pinger selected Syniverse for its SMSinterworking needs because the company offered ahighly scalable, cost-effective solution with a quickimplementation timeline, and because of the unparalleledreliability that Syniverse’s carrier-grade callprocessing platform brought to the table.“Our users know messages sent via Textfree willreach their destination, which is not always the casefor other similar apps that use less-dependable deliverysolutions,” he said.Thanks to Syniverse-ensured reliability, andPinger’s innovativead-supportedbusiness modelthat keeps the appfree for consumers,Textfree hasbecome wildlypopular. In fact,Pinger distributed1.6 million Textfreephone numbers tousers in the firsttwo months it wasintroduced. Theapp also has beenconsistently rankedamong the top appsin the Apple iTunesstore, and was a runner up in the TechCrunch DisruptCup conference.The Textfree story continues to evolve as Pingerincorporates new functionalities and looks to expandgeographically. As it does, Greg said Syniverse will playan important role.“We’ve really enjoyed our experience workingwith Syniverse, and look forward to continuing ourrelationship together as we grow,” he said. JGreg WoockCEO and Co-Founder of Pinger“What sets Textfreeapart from the hoardof other textingapplications is thateach user is issued anactual 10-digit phonenumber from whichthe messages are sent,rather than an emailaddress.”

10REVOLUTION Cont. from pg. 7Jeff GordonChief Technology Officer“Almost any operatorcan look to thrive inthis dynamic environmentby establishingan indispensable roleas the ecosystem’s‘smart pipe’ ”Challenge 1: Maintaining relevancy in the ecosystemNew players are entering the mobile ecosystem on a daily basis, including cable MSOs, M2M, Internetand VoIP providers as well as thousands of over-the-top application developers. And just as operators are,they’re all focused on achieving end-user interaction and tapping into the revenue streams that have beencreated by the mobile revolution.Fortunately, almost any operator can look to thrive in this dynamic environment by establishing anindispensable role as the ecosystem’s “smart pipe,” delivering value to its subscribers, other operators andnew mobile players.The road to “smart pipe” status requires an operator to become an ecosystem partner rather thanstanding alone. This means working with these new entrants and thinking about how an operator can addvalue to the relationship.By sitting in the middle of the industry’s tremendously complex communication structure and havingthe proper business intelligence tools in place, an operator can analyze the massive amount of data flowingthrough its systems to create value for its ecosystem partners and customers. As a result, the operator iswell-positioned to offer its partners valuable, actionable information, such as presence and location. Moreover,the operator is able to create a superior user experience by proactively managing operations.Challenge 2: Transitioning to LTEThe transition to 4G is at the forefront of the mobile industry right now – and rightfully so, as thisnext-generation technology opens up bandwidth highways to take the mobile revolution to the next level.Without a doubt, moving to LTE is much more complicated than simply launching a new network.Success depends heavily on how customer experience and business operations are addressed.First, operators must ensure subscribers have seamless interoperability, both horizontally and vertically.A 4G transition has to provide users with a seamless experience across all flavors of mobile networktechnologies, including the legacy systems of traditional mobile operators as well as a growing numberof new entrants. Just as importantly, an operator moving to LTE has to provide its subscribers withflawless interoperability with its own legacy network and with futurenetwork iterations.Another key tenet of LTE transitionis roaming. If LTE is to be successful, eachoperator must be able to give its subscribersthe ability to roam and access a full array ofLTE benefits beyond that operator’s ownnetwork islands.Finally, an operator’s legacy networklikely will be operating in parallel with itsLTE network for many years. Running independentoperation silos for each network is not only expensive, butalso creates significant complexity from a customer support perspective, which will be unacceptableto subscribers. To overcome this, the rollout of LTE needs to be accompanied by a set ofbusiness operations fully integrated with the operator’s legacy business systems to create a simplified,seamless user experience.Challenge 3: Maximizing customer experienceThese first two challenges clearly lead into the third because it’s all about the end user. The mostCont. on page 11

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