Nokia general manager, Singapore/Malaysia & Brunei, Vlasta Berka
KUALA LUMPUR, 15 APRIL 2009 – It is smarter to send e-mails than SMS especially in Malaysia, according to mobile solutions firm Nokia Malaysia.
Nokia general manager, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei, Vlasta Berka, said that a recent study by a US-based wireless infrastructure firm Airwide indicated that operators around the world are investing in upgrading their mobile messaging infrastructure to facilitate the growing interest in services such as mobile e-mail, applications and social networking.
“Mobile e-mail is set to reach the mainstream,” said Malaysia-based Berka. “Especially as new users in non-urban markets, such as in Malaysia, are accessing the Internet for the first time through their mobile phone.”
“In Malaysia, depending on the data plan, it may be cheaper to use e-mail [mobile messaging] rather than SMS as the rate could be as low as RM0.005 (US$0.0012) for 1 kilobyte of data via GPRS [general packet radio service], which means that the cost of receiving or delivering an e-mail via the mobile could be RM0.02 (US$0.005) for a 1650 character message,” he said.
Mobile e-mail equals new opportunities
Berka said the regulator MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) said that 14 per cent of Malaysians in rural areas had Internet access, which indicated there was a massive business opportunity to increase mobile access. “Furthermore, MCMC data indicated that 3G users had increased from 11,000 in 2007 to 200,000 in quarter four of 2008.”
In addition, Berka said that for many users, their e-mail experience would come from mobile devices, such as the newly-launched Nokia E75 mobile phone. “E-mail is a universal experience, not just for business communications but for keeping in touch with friends and family as well, which is why Nokia is offering a complete solution for e-mail with our new Nokia E-series devices and our Nokia Messaging service.”
Analyst firm Springboard Research’s senior research analyst, connectivity, Nupur Singh Andley, said: “Mobile e-mail will remain the undisputed leader of the Asia-Pacific enterprise mobility market, estimated to grow to US$3.7 billion in 2012, according to the company’s latest report, Staying Connected: The Next Wave in Asia Pacific Enterprise Mobility.”
India-based Andley said the overall market in the region for enterprise mobility software and applications would grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34 per cent from 2008 to 2012, with mobile e-mail capturing a 61 per cent share of the market through 2012.
“Both solution vendors and enterprises are realising the importance of mobilising the bottom segment of business operations in order to improve the cost and time efficiencies and render the complete process value chain more productive,” she said.
Convergence – finally a reality
“The fundamentals of ease of access, ease of use, and setup is combined with our solution-based approach,” said Nokia’s Berka. “While still in beta, Ovi.com offers Nokia new users the benefits of worldwide e-mail, while having a tool to help achieve work-life balance.”
"With the latest E-series device, people will no longer need to boot up a PC to get a full desktop e-mail experience. The enhanced e-mail user interface includes folder and HTML e-mail support, expandable views and sorting capability by date, sender and size, as well as the most commonly used e-mail functions just a single click away,” said Berka. “On top of e-mail, the devices also offer full multimedia options, improved calendar capability, as well as contacts and task management.”
“Models such as the affordable Nokia E63, and the newly-launched E75, are to meet the work, leisure and social needs of the increasingly-blurred barriers between business, work and play,” Berka said.
The E75 comes in the wake of the most successful year for E-series to date, with more than 10 million units shipped worldwide in 2008, said Berka. “With companies looking to consolidate costs and assets, and with the number of e-mail-enabled devices in the Nokia range and our direct access model, Nokia looks set to continue this performance in 2009.”
