Apple Leads the Pack of Application Stores, Android Distant Second

January 28, 2010

Netsize Survey of Professionals, Practitioners and Execs Identifies Mobile Trends and Industry Leaders Netsize previews survey results at M-Days mobile conference and trade show in Munich, Germany

Netsize, a leading mobile commerce and communications enabler, today revealed the first results of the Mobile Trends Survey 2010. Drawing from an online survey of 1,000+ professionals and practitioners, the survey provides insights into key trends that top the industry agenda, including the advance of mobile applications stores, progress towards global mobile commerce and the pivotal importance of mobile as a means to bridge our virtual and physical worlds.

Using the occasion of M-Days – one of Europe’s biggest mobile industry events and exhibitions held in Munich, Germany – Netsize provided conference attendees, industry influencers and key bloggers a sneak peek into the controversial survey results, starting with respondents’ views on app store leaders and the enablers that give them and their offers the competitive edge.

According to the survey, the vast majority (87 percent) of respondents believe the Apple App Store will be the most successful app store in the mobile space. Google’s Android Market is a distant second (60 percent), followed by Nokia’s Ovi Store (30 percent) and RIM’s BlackBerry App World (27 percent). Surprisingly, applications stores run by mobile operators finished low in the list, indicating that platform providers and handset makers may well dominate the space for a time to come.

When asked to rate the unique selling proposition of application stores over other software distribution and sales channels, 65 percent of respondents put convenience (“everything in one place”) at the top of the list. This was followed by compatibility “software applications specific to the device”), choice (“a long tail of thousands of applications to choose from”), and ease of payment (“operator billing, for example”).

Netsize, provider of operator billing solutions to most of the large mobile device vendors for their application stores, released the application store survey findings to the stage for a lively discussion of the future of mobile and the role of software application stores during “Mobile Trends 2020, Mobile Research and App-Commerce: What Comes Next in Europe?” The M-Days session was led and moderated by Peggy Anne Salz, mobile thought leader and MSearchGroove Founder and Chief Analyst.

The complete mobile trends survey results – which cover topics related to mobile entertainment, mobile marketing, mobile commerce, mobile payments and mobile convergence – will be released as part of the Netsize Guide 2010, a comprehensive mobile industry analysis and almanac published by Netsize and written by MSearchGroove’s Salz. Netsize will launch the Netsize Guide 2010 on February 16, 2010 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Apple Leads the Pack of Application Stores, Android Distant Second; Netsize Survey of Professionals, Practitioners and Execs Identifies Mobile Trends and Industry Leaders

Netsize previews survey results at M-Days mobile conference and trade show in Munich, Germany


Gemalto increases its investment in Netsize, a leading mobile communications service and commerce enabler

January 5, 2010

Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 – GTO), the world leader in digital security, today confirmed that it has subscribed to a capital increase in Netsize, with an option to potentially acquire the company outright at a later date. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Netsize offers mobile payment solutions based on operator billing (through premium SMS, MMS and WAP for example) for 100 mobile operators in 28 countries, reaching over 1 billion billable subscribers worldwide, and provides mobile messaging, with SMS and MMS delivery to over 200 countries.

Netsize was founded in 1999 by Stanislas Chesnais, who will remain as CEO. Prior to this capital increase, Gemalto already held 24% of Netsize. Headquartered in Levallois Peret, near Paris, France, Netsize employs approximately 180 people. Netsize will continue to operate as a stand-alone company within the Gemalto Group.

Olivier Piou, Chief Executive Officer of Gemalto, stated: “Gemalto invested in Netsize back in 2001 and was the first and largest outside investor in Netsize. It is natural extension of our long term relationship that Gemalto now becomes Netsize’s majority shareholder. Netsize’s mobile payment platform complements our rapidly expanding mobile software and services offering.”

“Netsize has been a pioneer in mobilizing business and commerce” commented Philippe Vallée, Executive Vice President for Telecom at Gemalto. “Netsize’s “one click” mobile payment solution is a key brick in enabling the monetization of mobile phone downloads and app-stores”.

Stanislas Chesnais, Founder and CEO of Netsize, added “Gemalto’s investment will facilitate our expansion into new markets such Latin America, Africa and South East Asia. We look forward to leveraging Gemalto’s digital security technology to make mobile payments even more pervasive and convenient”.

Investor Relations
Vincent Biraud
M.: +33(0) 6 08 48 33 23
vincent.biraud@gemalto.com

Corporate Communication
Rémi Calvet
M.: +33(0) 6 22 72 81 58
remi.calvet@gemalto.com

About Netsize
Netsize is a leading mobile communications and commerce enabler. Netsize solutions include Mobile Messaging, with SMS and MMS delivery in 200 countries; Mobile Payment through operator-based billing (Premium SMS, MMS and WAP) in 28 countries; and Mobile Content Management platforms with publishing & editing tools to manage messaging services and mobile Internet portals. Netsize manages more than 60 million mobile transactions per month for 800 customers worldwide, including Fortune 500 companies. With 180 employees in 10 offices worldwide, Netsize provides both robust technical infrastructure and marketing expertise to support this successful deployment on a global scale.

For more information about Netsize please visit www.netsize.com

About Gemalto
Gemalto (Euronext NL 0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security with 2008 annual revenues of €1.68 billion, and 10,000 employees operating out of 75 offices, research and service centers in 40 countries.

Gemalto is at the heart of our evolving digital society. The freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain, and work—anytime, anywhere—has become an integral part of what people want and expect, in ways that are convenient, enjoyable and secure.

Gemalto delivers on the growing demands of billions of people worldwide for mobile connectivity, identity and data protection, credit card safety, health and transportation services, e-government and national security. We do this by supplying to governments, wireless operators, banks and enterprises a wide range of secure personal devices, such as subscriber identification modules (SIM), Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) in mobile phones, smart banking cards, smart card access badges, electronic passports, and USB tokens for online identity protection. To complete the solution we also provide software, systems and services to help our customers achieve their goals.

As the use of Gemalto’s software and secure devices increases with the number of people interacting in the digital and wireless world, the company is poised to thrive over the coming years.
For more information please visit www.gemalto.com.


South Africa: Mobile, the Spice of Life

December 1, 2009

South Africa, a vast country the size of France, Spain and Netherlands together, is also the largest and most developed mobile market in Africa. Is this country already on your business radar?
Read more …


Netsize Expands into South Africa and Russia

November 17, 2009
  • Netsize acquires mobile services provider Africa2you’s assets and extends Netsize mPayment with full coverage of mobile network operators in South Africa
  • Netsize mPayment offers subscription services billing with MTS in Russia

Netsize, a leading mobile commerce and communications enabler, today announces that it has extended the network coverage of Netsize mPayment, its solution for global remote payments, with three mobile network operators in South Africa, Vodacom, MTN, and soon, Cell-C.

Read More


Netsize Guide 2010 Mobile Trends Survey

November 5, 2009

For the third consecutive year we would like YOU to be part of this industry reference report.

We invite you to share your views on the 5 themes of mobile for 2010: Activation, Interaction, Conversation, Transaction and Transformation.

We give away 100 copies of the Netsize Guide 2010 printed edition to survey participants! For a chance to win one of these copies enter your email address at the end of the survey. Winners will be contacted by email in December.

Take the survey now!

This survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete and participation in the survey is completely anonymous.


Are you ready for mobile marketing?

October 29, 2009

Consumers are increasingly active on their mobile devices and the mobile channel is now essential for brands, advertisers and businesses. How does a business make the most of the mobile opportunity?

In our latest report, “Netsize Mobile Marketing Survey 2009: Can companies and brands rise to challenge and cash in on the mobile marketing opportunity?”, we explore the do’s and don’ts.

Key results

  • Companies and brands bullish on mobile marketing benefits, but lack skills set to execute campaigns
  • Strong growth ahead for SMS and MMS messaging, positive outlook for branded apps and mobile websites
  • High interest in targeting consumers, but high concerns that opt-in databases won’t deliver

Click here to request your free copy of the 12-page Summary Report of this study, and we’ll send you an email with your personal download link to the report.

We’ll present the results of this study at the MobileSQUARED Roadshow “Taking Internet Mobile” seminar in London, November 5, 2009.


Netsize Publishes Mobile Marketing Survey Report

October 20, 2009

Netsize, the leading mobile commerce and communications enabler, today published its latest market report, “Netsize Mobile Marketing Survey 2009: Can companies and brands rise to challenge and cash in on the mobile marketing opportunity?”. Drawing from an online survey of 221+ professionals and practitioners, the report identifies the chief drivers and obstacles impacting mobile marketing growth. It also highlights the exciting business opportunities ahead for companies and brands that use the current economic climate to rethink marketing strategies and ramp up activities. View more


Netsize Launches Global Mobile Marketing Survey

September 15, 2009

Global survey researches extent to which mobile marketing has become a mature instrument in the marketing mix.

Netsize, leading mobile commerce and communications enabler, today announced the launch of its Global market survey for Mobile Marketing.
Read more


Has mobile marketing become a mature instrument in the marketing mix?

September 10, 2009

Has mobile marketing become a mature instrument in the marketing mix?

Netsize is currently conducting a global survey on mobile marketing. The survey aims to obtain insight to what extent mobile marketing has become a mature instrument in the marketing mix.

We regard mobile marketing as the use of a mobile phone for marketing communications, commerce and services, between a company and its targeted audiences.

Please share your views and experiences with others by participating in this survey.

If you would like to receive the summary report, you may fill in your email address at the end of this survey and we’ll send it to you by email at the beginning of October.

The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete and participation in the survey is anonymous.

To begin the survey, click here.


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Netsize Launches Smart Application Billing for App Stores

July 21, 2009

Netsize Smart Application Billing for App Stores imageNetsize, leading mobile commerce and communications enabler, today unveiled Smart Application Billing, a global billing solution for Application Stores.

Netsize Smart Application Billing enables Application Stores to use operator based billing to charge for application downloads and usage, and permits charging from the mobile application itself.

“Reaching the largest consumer audience and making it easy to buy content are the key success factors for Application Stores. With Smart Application Billing they reach 1.3 billion consumers globally, and consumers can conveniently purchase applications and application extensions via their mobile operator phone bill in both Pay per Use and Subscription business models,” says Stanislas Chesnais, Chairman and CEO, Netsize.
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