Get the latest announcements from MEF Members across the mobile ecosystem globally in this weekly review of member news…
Rakuten Viber Partners Dialog Axiata to Become Sri Lanka’s Largest Mobile Operator’s A2P Bilateral Partner
Leading messaging app Rakuten Viber and Dialog Axiata PLC, Sri Lanka’s premier connectivity provider, announced their recent official partnership.
After years of fruitful cooperation on the international voice business, Rakuten Viber was chosen as an international Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging platform for the country’s largest mobile network operator. The partnership will enable more than 300 Rakuten Viber carrier partners to comfortably communicate with more than 16 million Dialog Axiata customers using the Rakuten Viber A2P bilateral service.
Matan Barth, Senior Director of Telecom Services at Rakuten Viber, said: “This partnership is a very important step for Rakuten Viber and our continued efforts to expand the company presence and footprint in the APAC region. Our telecom partners will surely benefit from the new A2P communication channel we offer with Dialog Axiata to Sri Lanka.”
Ravi Sankar Vaddi, Senior Consultant – International Business and Enterprise Data at Dialog Axiata PLC, stated: “Rakuten Viber is one of the most popular messaging apps and has a very strong position in the market. Having their own developed infrastructure and a large presence in A2P messaging, Viber provides us with a high-quality A2P SMS traffic exchange. This allows Dialog’s subscribers and clients to benefit from superior and assured connectivity, as their messaging experience becomes more seamless.”
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PM Connect Partners With Advertising Distribution Platform
Birmingham-based mobile payment and marketing specialist PM Connect has partnered with EE and WeAre8 to support the launch a sustainable advertising distribution platform in the UK.
WeAre8’s technology aims to connect brands directly with people, utilising a data engine to allow brands to reward uses for their time.
Through the partnership, EE mobile customers can sign up to WeAre8 via EE Up, a new platform within the My EE app that offers exclusive experiences, rewards, competitions and benefits.
Sue Fennessy, chief executive and founder at WeAre8, said: “We make it easy for brands to tell their stories to people in a way that guarantees attention and builds trust. “In just two minutes a day, people can now watch brands videos, help pay their mobile bills and get a meal to someone in need.
“I am delighted to be working with PM Connect as its world-class technology links the WeAre8 and EE billing systems, making it easy for millions of people to auto-pay their mobile bills.”
James Brighton, partnerships director at PM Connect, added: “PM Connect is driven to partner with brands we believe in and share our values. Helping WeAre8 to carry out its mission in the UK to unite millions of people and thousands of brands is something we’re proud to be a part of, while further strengthening our relationship with EE.
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Giesecke and Devrient bolsters IoT play with Pod Group
Giesecke & Devrient acquired IoT network specialist Pod Group for an undisclosed sum, a deal designed to increase the security and technology vendor’s reach to cover a wider segment of the IoT ecosystem.
Pod Group sells enterprises IoT network infrastructure covering connectivity and managed services for private networks. It supports a range of technologies including eUICC, eSIM, private LTE and advanced SIM app technology.
Announcing the acquisition, Pod Group noted becoming part of the company would help it “accelerate market adoption of eSIM for the IoT by reducing barriers to entry, cost of adoption and maximising enterprise ownership and control”.
Giesecke & Devrient mobile security CEO Carsten Ahrens added the company “ideally complemented” its trusted connectivity portfolio.
“The joint portfolio comprises proven connectivity management, proven security and performance in supporting hundreds of millions of mobile devices worldwide. Together with Pod we will accelerate our work to unleash the full potential of IoT solutions for enterprises and MNOs, globally”.
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Mitto Now Boasts All Major Customer Engagement Channels with Expansion of Twitter, Messenger, and Instagram
It’s impossible to form an effective and consistent relationship with customers without building a presence on social media. Brands worldwide publish posts on Facebook, share quick-witted jibes with rival brands on Twitter, and picturesque snaps on Instagram. However, these channels are also where many customers directly communicate with businesses to share feedback, engage in marketing campaigns, or find out more about the company.
With so many potential customers on all three platforms, Mitto has announced messaging support for Facebook Messenger, Twitter, and Instagram. In addition to other existing channels, including SMS, WhatsApp, Google Business, and many more, Mitto provides businesses with the ability to drive meaningful conversations all within one communications provider.
“In the last year, social media has further strengthened its grasp on our world,” explains Mitto’s SVP of Marketing Laura Apel, in response to the release of the new channels.
“Every day, billions of people engage with brands on these platforms. Businesses must meet their customers where they are in order to grow and succeed” In addition to SMS, A2P messaging platforms, and email, no omnichannel communications strategy is complete without Twitter, Facebook Messenger, or Instagram.”
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Can Data Clean Rooms Be The Answer For Privacy-Safe Marketing?
Michael Schoen is SVP & GM, Marketing Solutions at Neustar.
When Apple introduced iOS 14.5 in April, it began requiring mobile apps to ask users for permission to gather tracking data. Until now, apps have relied on Apple’s Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) to build user profiles for targeting and advertising purposes.
As the early returns demonstrate, Apple’s new privacy approach is confirming advertisers’ worst fears about how American consumers feel about widespread data gathering on the internet. More consumers are choosing to block app tracking than the advertising industry expected, according to a recently published report.
With third-party cookies on the way out, albeit later than originally expected, marketers are anxious about the future. Consumer data is the lifeblood of modern marketing. And without volumes of data to power targeting, measurement and attribution, brands are experiencing something akin to an existential crisis.
