PARIS -- MobiFone has selected Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA and NYSE: ALA), the world's leading mobile communications solutions provider, to help roll out the country's first Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) in the city of Hanoi, Vietnam. MobiFone is the brand name of the GSM network operated by Vietnam Mobile Telecom Services Company (VMS) in cooperation with Comvik International Vietnam (CIV).
With the number of mobile subscribers in Vietnam almost tripling in the past two years, demand for advanced mobile data services is growing. One of the unique features of Alcatel's industry-differentiating MMS solution is the interoperability between network platforms and mobile terminals from different vendors, which will ensure the fast deployment of MMS into the market.
Mobile subscribers will enjoy interesting mobile applications such as music albums and multimedia news. Thanks to Alcatel's Charging Proxy solutions, MobiFone will be able to market flexible prepaid and postpaid packages to suit the different needs of its subscribers.
The Multimedia Messaging Services Center (MMSC) will be installed in MobiFone's soon-to-be launched GPRS network, which is also supplied by Alcatel. MobiFone subscribers will have the opportunity to take advantage of video messaging, Unified Messaging and much more. Moreover, Alcatel's MMS is efficiently bundled with other messaging applications into one single storage device, the MMBox, for all convergent voice and data messages, it is advantageous for MobiFone's interoperability.
"Alcatel's MMS solution is the natural choice for MobiFone as we seek to launch new, exciting multimedia messaging services," said DO VU ANH, chief technical engineer of VMS. "The true interoperability of Alcatel's MMS solution and its flexible billing feature will help us progressively increase revenues while offering compelling, value-added services to our subscribers."
"Vietnam will start to see some growth in the mobile data segment this year with the provisioning of applications such as MMS. Pyramid expects to see mobile data revenue growth averaging close to 135% annually over the next five years in Vietnam," said Connie Hsu, Asia Pacific manager, Pyramid Research.
Denis Petitjean, Asia Pacific Vice President, Alcatel's mobile and fixed solutions activities, said, "MobiFone regards our unique competence and global experience in building solutions for their MMS highly. We are committed to adding distinctive business value to MobiFone, and benefiting the people of Vietnam with the latest mobile services."
Alcatel SA