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From Mobile Advertising to Messaging Growth in Developing Regions, Industry Thought Leaders Debate the Hottest Mobile Issues for 2010

Airwide Solutions hosts roundtable session on how companies
can better integrate mobile into their business strategies

Burlington, MA – November 13, 2009 – On November 5, Airwide Solutions, the leading provider of next generation mobile messaging infrastructure, applications and solutions, hosted an industry roundtable to discuss the most relevant issues and debates facing the mobile industry today. Moderator and chief analyst for mobileSQUARED, Nick Lane, along with thought leaders from all corners of the industry- operators, infrastructure providers, application developers, mobile marketers, mobile analysts, and mobile journalists- joined in a healthy debate on the ways in which companies can integrate mobile into their business strategies. “Regardless of the market- advertising, banking, healthcare, transportation, energy or non-profit, one thing the roundtable definitely concluded was that the potential for applications and services to drive the market to a new level is there. Now the industry must work together to make it happen,” said Nick Lane, chief analyst for mobileSQUARED and roundtable moderator. Highlights from the session included (find more at the Mobile Messaging 2.0 blog):

Global messaging shows no signs of slowing: While it’s no surprise, mobile messaging growth numbers continue to rise and are fuelling operators’ (as many as 60% according to the group’s consensus) dedication to rolling out next generation services. The challenge for operators now, is how to transfer that growth into solid revenue-generating opportunities.
Mobile marketing still has room to grow: Mobile is still only a small part of most media agencies’ strategy. Many people in agencies still don’t fully “get” mobile and the ways in which mobile can effectively be incorporated into campaigns needs to work it s way higher up on the strategic planner’s radar.
Generation Facebook has changed the game: Attitudes toward mobile, mobile social networking and access to content are changing at an unprecedented pace, with applications such as Twitter and Facebook singlehandedly shaping a new generation of mobile users. To take advantage, operators must be nimble and offer services that fit the changing mobile demographic.
International and emerging markets are leading mobile innovation: In regions such as Africa, Latin American and parts of Asia, mobile is not a luxury, it’s a lifeline. Areas such as mobile banking are booming to provide access to basic financial services.
Mobile security issues are borderless: Secure networks, spam and malware protection, and parental controls are top priorities for operators and subscribers regardless of region. With many countries taking a legislative approach, operators are in a critical position not only to influence policy but affect a major sea change in how the industry deals with mobile security.
Education and Enablement Critical in 2010: With so much potential for mobile globally, the industry needs to enable operators to expose their network assets and help them reach the masses, beyond smartphone users (only 15% of the market). To do that, service optimization and innovation will play a critical role.

“Necessity may be the driving force in many cases, but it is certainly clear that, when the right infrastructure is in place, mobile can play an important role as an interactive, informative and revenue-generating communications tool,” said Jay Seaton, Chief Marketing Officer for Airwide Solutions. “There is still clearly work to be done to create subscriber and business value, but if we can do that and couple it with the right mobile security solutions, we can help deliver subscribers with enhanced services that offer relevant content, both safely and securely. “

Roundtable participants included:

Nick Lane, Chief Analyst, mobileSQUARED; Jay Seaton, Chief Marketing Office, Airwide Solutions; Mike Short, VP Product Development, O2; Ed Hodges, Head of Mobile, Touchnote; Stewart Goldberg, Chairman, BLS; Neil Wentworth, Director of Sales, m-Centric; Simeon Coney, VP Business Development, AdaptiveMobile; Allistair Hill, ComScore; James Tag, Head of Mobile, Starcom MediaVest; John Rands, Managing Director, WIN; Mike Grenville, 160 Characters; Alan Burkitt Gray, Global Telecoms Business; David Murphy, Mobile Marketing Magazine; Peggy Anne Salz, msearchgroove; Ian Channing, freelance journalist; Andy Favell, mobithinking.com and Paul Rasmussen, FierceWireless Europe.

Commentary and a post-discussion podcast with Jay Seaton and Nick Lane are available at www.mobilemessaging2.com

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About Airwide Solutions

Airwide Solutions is the leading provider of next-generation mobile messaging and wireless internet infrastructure, applications and solutions. Its products have helped more than 150 wireless operators worldwide drive mobile messaging usage and revenues and enable them to leverage multiple delivery channels and nextgeneration infrastructure in new and more powerful ways. With a history of industry firsts – including the first text message ever sent, the introduction of the first SMS router, the first A2P MMS push gateway and mobile service control which enables mobile context, personalization and profiling – the company continues to pioneer new technologies. Airwide’s open, tiered Fusion architecture offers mobile operators advanced revenue options, a practical pathway to Mobile Messaging 2.0 and a foundation to bridge mobile messaging and the mobile internet. Airwide Solutions operates globally with offices in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, India, the Middle East and Africa.

For more information about Airwide Solutions, please visit www.airwidesolutions.com.

Airwide is a registered trademark of Airwide Solutions. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

For further information follow us on Twitter at @airwide or contact:

Brenda Suarez
Airwide Solutions
Email: brenda.suarez@airwidesolutions.com
Tel: 781-229-2406 ext. 2731

Chrissie McGoldrick
Mi liberty
Email: airwidepr@miliberty.com
Tel: +44 (0) 207-751-4444

Kristin Conforti
PAN Communications
Email: airwide@pancomm.com
Tel: 978-474-1900