VAS Application Widgets
The emergence of Mobile Application Stores is a growing
trend that can open up new revenue streams for operators, handset OEMs and
application developers. The telecom VAS space in recent years, led by the
successful launch of the Apple Apps Store, has clearly belonged to the
application stores. According to a research from the O’Reilly group,
applications distributed through app stores are expected to have an initial
growth of almost 170%.
In order to ride this wave, many service providers have also launched their
own versions; the pioneers being Verizon and JIL (a consortium of Vodafone,
Verizon, Soft Bank and China Mobile). With nearly 70% of all content based
transactions happening off-portal in Europe and over 40% in North America,
service providers face the threat of being marginalized to a dumb pipe.
Instead of replicating the Apple app store model, service providers can
position themselves as partners for app store development and leverage desirable
data around subscriber location, preferences and billing information by charging
developers for this information. These advanced BSS capabilities can
differentiate mobile operator stores from those of software players like Apple,
which typically have less sophisticated BSS options.
Aricent brings proven expertise to developing telecom applications and
widgets for operators with a customer base ranging across messaging, commerce,
infotainment and multimedia. In addition, Aricent has hands-on experience in
implementing Mobile Application Frameworks (Celltop, One Click, IMS client
etc.), applications and widgets and supporting developer ecosystems.
Primary Customer Challenges
- A compelling App store calls for rich, critical mass content
- A good store design must facilitate quick discovery, search , evaluation
and sharing
- Applications have to be frequently revamped and upgraded in order to
increase the number of visitors and retain existing customers
Aricent’s VAS EXPress
Application Widgets offering can enable service providers to monetize the
wireless data pipe more effectively –
- App store/widget development
- Conceptualizing widget ideas, UI design , operator specific branding,
implementation and testing over a broad range of target handsets
- Creating a portfolio of 10-20 widget applications, made available through
SDKs and covering application domains like contextual messaging , community
connector and Social Networking Site(SNS) integration
- Enhancing and sustaining Apps Store developer programs
- Enhancing App Store SDKs to expose application developers to richer
functionality and creating prototypes for assuring effectiveness of the APIs
- Providing a testing ecosystem for developer communities, where
applications developed can be tested and taken through the appropriate
certification cycle
- Testing house for operator specific verification and certification
- Tailored certification and validation testing to ensure that the
application does not adversely impact the network
- Allowing the operator to control access of applications to the network
Key Benefits
- Accelerate time-to-market and reduce costs – Aricent’s
deep domain knowledge and mature testing services ensure reduced time to
market when launching new services. The reusability of components and
existing IPRs in the widget space, coupled with mature handset application
testing capability ensures that Aricent can rollout numerous widgets in the
shortest possible span of time
- Leverage rich experience – With an exhaustive service
offering ranging from “Concept to Sustenance,” with a strong complementary
product portfolio and best in class testing capabilities, Aricent ensures a
unique and differentiated experience for your customers