Major UK mobile operators join leading networking providers to map the way forward for innovations in mobile services

  • Every industry – banking, gaming, travel and even government - looking to exploit mobile channel
  • Symbiotic partnerships to reap the most benefits
  • User behaviour dictating the sector's evolution
  • Predictive Analytics to help identify true customer profitability opportunities
1st September 2009 – At an ITP seminar, sponsored by SAS, the leader in Business Analytics software and services, a panel of senior executives from the UK's leading network providers and mobile operators discussed innovation drivers and future development opportunities in the mobile market. At a time when every industry, from banking, gaming, travel and even the government, is looking to exploit mobile as the next big thing, the key challenge was identified as the need for simple, better collaboration within the industry to attract and help third parties, who have previously found the industry too difficult to deal with, gain access to the mobile market.

The 'Innovation in Mobile Services' seminar brought together satellite broadcasters, mobile operators, network access providers and ISPs who agreed that an end-to-end customer experience was the primary focus for the mobile sector going forward. Enhanced usability and richer services were identified as key influential factors for innovation. These would be achieved by partnerships between operators and across sectors, outlining a new business model that would deliver benefits to both businesses and consumers.

“From a SAS perspective, 'Innovation in Mobile Services' represents the sought after opportunity that operators need to capitalise on, to create new revenue streams. There has been some discussion in the market around the need to evolve to a two-sided business model, where the operator drives new revenues by handling transactions on behalf of partners – now we can see that the time for this step change is really here,” commented Tajinder Jagdev, Head of Communications, Media and Entertainment Practice, SAS UK. “Although the concept sounds attractive, operators are challenged by how to go about this and what initial steps should be taken to generate a return.

“There is a route forward. By re-defining the handset as an advertising channel for brands, operators can target advertising into their customer base and drive contacts that can be 400 per cent more effective than SMS and MMS – and charge for the privilege,” continued Tajinder Jagdev. “With SAS’ software, the reaction to these third party offers can be determined instantly as the customer’s decision and chosen action is captured in real-time. This approach is a great example of Mobile Innovation and offers a tangible first step for operators wishing to drive revenues from this two-sided business model.”

Demands for increased functionality, more integrated services, as well as richer applications are at the top of consumers' agendas and are areas that have the potential to generate additional revenue for the industry and third parties. Combined with predictive modelling capabilities, provided by SAS’ Business Analytics software for example, customer retention and customer loyalty can be increased and customer spend can be identified and maximised through customer segmentation and profiling capabilities.

“Faced with greater market saturation, higher cost of acquisition and shifting customer demographics and expectations, operators need to find new ways to market their services and drive revenues. Adding predictive modelling to the mix, operators can know exactly which customers really are profitable, which customers they should seek to acquire and how to measure total customer value,” concluded Tajinder Jagdev.

A podcast of the event that includes additional comments from the panellists is accessible at this link:
http://www.theitp.org/UserData/root/Files/ITP%20Innovation%20in%20Mobile%20promo.m4a

About SAS
SAS is the leader in business analytics software and services, and the largest independent vendor in the business intelligence market. Through innovative solutions delivered within an integrated framework, SAS helps customers at more than 45,000 sites improve performance and deliver value by making better decisions faster. Since 1976 SAS has been giving customers around the world THE POWER TO KNOW®. SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. ® indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright © 2009 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.

Additional information is available at http://www.sas.com/uk/press_office

Manuela Whittaker
IBA – PR for SAS
mwhittaker@iba-international.com
+44(0)1780 721 433

Claudette Cameron
SAS – Press Office Manager
Claudette.Cameron@suk.sas.com
+44 (0)1628 490 396

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