-- Industry leaders renew their agreement to provide innovative mobile media
content, delivery and support services to the multi million and growing
Indian mobile users
HONG KONG, Nov. 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Buongiorno (MTAX STAR, Italian
Stock Exchange: BNG), a leading multinational operating in the digital
entertainment market, today announced that, its subsidiary Buongiorno Hong
Kong Ltd has signed a new, larger and more comprehensive agreement with Times
Internet Limited (TIL) -- the Internet venture of India’s largest media
house, the Times Group.
The new agreement supersedes the previous one signed in September 2005,
by means of which Buongiorno has been providing the Indian Partner with its
expertise in conceiving and delivering interactive mobile services and in CRM
implementation and management, along with global support for implementation
of its proprietary platform B!3A in TIL’s headquarters in New Delhi.
Based on the new Buongiorno-TIL agreement, Buongiorno will provide
technological, operational, marketing and CRM know-how and expertise, as well
as products, applications and contents aimed to reinforce TIL offering to
consumers, with the final aim to enhance and strengthen Indiatimes 8888, the
first and largest value-added premium website service in India.
The joint or combined action of the two market leaders will also maximize
the value and the revenue streams in the B2B area by means of a strategy
which is meant to provide full support to mobile telecommunications operators
in different key areas -- both providing support in licensed model and ASP
managed services.
A senior team composed of Buongiorno-TIL local and international
professionals has already been designated and deployed with the aim to bring
the project to complete successfulness and fulfilment.
Activities have recently started and a daily management of about 30
million messages(1) is already taking place through B!3A, the Buongiorno
Group’s proprietary technology platform conceived to design, build, manage
and provide high quality services to leading businesses and mobile consumers
globally.
India is to become the world’s 3rd largest mobile population by 2007:
According to Wireless World Forum’s "Indian Mobile Market 2006" statistical
handbook, mobile ownership will be well beyond the 100 million mark in 2007,
this being a direct consequence of the ‘largest middle class in the world’
taking up mobile ownership.
"We have seen the powerful appetite consumers have for mobile media in
Europe and the US and we decided to partner with a company which would bring
along that kind of market expertise. The alliance with Buongiorno will allow
us to further strengthen ourselves by leveraging Buongiorno’s B2B and B2C
successful practices." said Mr Dinesh Wadhawan, Managing Director and Chief
Executive Officer of TIL. "We believe that the leading digital entertainment
company, Buongiorno is the perfect partner to give our customers a content-
rich, carrier-grade battle-tested solution."
TIL’s Telecom Director Mr. Sanjive Sethi also welcomed the attainment of
the alliance by declaring: "Buongiorno’s international expertise, best
practises and market knowledge will furthermore increase TIL’s presence on
the Indian telco B2B market."
Simone Ranucci, Chief Executive Officer of Buongiorno Hong Kong
declares: "We are delighted to announce our broader scope of cooperation with
TIL. TIL and its parent group are the ideal partner for B! in addressing such
an important market as India which will be soon one of the largest markets
worldwide in our sector. Following the global alliance on mobile data with
Mitsui and the set up of the joint venture in Hong Kong, we confirm our
commitment to develop globally, with a specific focus into emerging and fast
growing Asian market. The new Strategic Alliance signed with TIL is a
prosecution of a successful roadmap defined by our Companies with the aim to
reinforce our common assets from products, to capability execution up to the
Value Proposition of mobile Operators, in the fast growing and highly
competitive Indian mobile content market".
Services to TIL will be supplied through Buongiorno Hong Kong Ltd. -- the
joint venture between Buongiorno and Mitsui & Co., Ltd., one of Japan’s
largest general trading companies. The Shareholders resolved to invest in the
Joint Venture US$ 7.6 million pro-quota (Buongiorno owns 49%, and Mitsui
51%), Inside the Hong Kong business plan, which leverages on both
Shareholders’ expertise -- on Mitsui’s regional alliance network and on
Buongiorno’s global mobile technical and operational skills --, the new deal
signed with TIL offers the Joint Venture the opportunity to expand and
strengthen its business activities from Russia, Indonesia and Thailand to
India.
