SMS
Unified Messaging Software Provider CallUp InformationWeek Interview By
Joel Leyden Israel News Agency Tel
Aviv ----November 19......The following is an interview between InformationWeek
Israel and SMS software provider David Eshet, the CEO of CallUp Unified Messaging
Services. CallUp supplies SMS, MMS and unified messaging software and hardware
technology services for global ISP's and telecommunications organizations. Eshet
was asked about added value services for communications providers. "The solution
immediately adds revenue for the ISP or telco operator, without adding any infrastructure."
Eshet describes
CallUp. "This is an Internet messaging company
that was founded in 2000 at the initiative of Pelephone and John Bryce Products
in Israel. At the end of 2000, Pelephone left the company, and then we continued.
Today we are part of the One1 Group, Israel
third largest hi-tech and computer company. CallUp deals mainly in the field of
messaging for landline and mobile carriers, including: email, MMS, SMS, added
value services such as music, etc. Out main product is CCC (Call Completion Center)." Eshet
adds: "We appear to be a messaging company that deals in a commodity. The
barriers to being a messaging provider are rather low, but the aspect that most
such providers lack is getting into the telecommunications and ISP Internet SMS
and MMS messaging markets. The communication companies avoid buying solutions
from parties that do not sell to them and whose stability is doubtful. We have
more than six million end customers in the world, which attests to our strength.
Throughout the world, there are about 2,500 cellular carriers, and Comverse is
the leader in this field. We are a rather small company - 15 people - because
we outsource most of our work, take up the result in the company and market it
- we have gained considerable success in the world working this way." The
CallUp CEO states that his SMS, MMS e-mail Internet messaging software company
has 34 installation sites operating around the world, mainly in Asia. When asked
what was unique about CallUp SMS messaging solutions in the communication content
market, Eshet said: "It's rather similar to what happens in other fields. The
telecommunications and ISP carriers take things that definitely yield incomes.
What we do as a small company is the ability to perform dynamic customization
for customers. The time between presenting the customer's requirement and application
runs into days to weeks rather than months, as is the case for competitors." The
messaging software leader states: "We concentrate on outsourcing and providing
service. In effect, all the company's employees are service providers. CallUp
has an advantage of knowing the target market and intimate familiarity with customer
needs. Companies from Europe, South America and Asia buy from us because they
are impressed by our attitude to customers. CallUp is working so that our customers
can make more money - this is what the customer is looking for. We also constantly
assess the utilization of the licenses we sell and apply to ISP and telco customers
if they do not utilize all their licenses, which makes us trustworthy. CallUp
and it's Internet messaging solutions are pretty focused on the Call Completion
Center or CCC solution, which is an unrivaled patent of ours". What
does the CCC solution do? "Every telecommunications company has something that
is known as 'lost calls', which is 25 percent to 60 percent of all their calls.
In some places in the world, such as Eastern Europe, India, Turkey, Cuba, Africa
and South America the 'lost calls' rate may reach 70 percent. In monetary terms,
it is an enormous loss. To earn it you do not have to do anything. You do not
have to upgrade networks - just buy our messaging software. There are customers
that do not get an answer from the destination, and then they redial. This causes
a blocking of the network and may even crash the network in certain situations,
such as after a terrorist attack or disaster." Eshet
continues: "In addition to this, 25 percent of calls that get lost when the
dialers reach the destination's voice mailbox. The caller passes the ball to the
recipient, whether to hear the message or call back. A communication provider
with a million customers, which would be a medium sized supplier, loses at least
six million dollars a month, if I were to take a very low ARPU. If the ARPU is
high, the loss of course will be much higher. We give the customer a comprehensive
solution to this problem. The main product is called On-Q, which is a patent that
says the following: if you want to leave a voice message, leave one. But if you
want to contact the other side, you will be connected when it is possible. All
the parameters may be controlled: for example, when the system creates this connection
between the parties. This way, lost calls become existing calls." On-Q
is a service that CallUp developed both for landline and mobile telecommunications
carriers. The landline service has other options that we are currently introducing
into the system. We are developing this application in the direction of voice
identification, and there are other developments, including additional engines
that we are introducing into these services. This solution contains a number of
components that the customer incorporates into the custom solution, for example
email or SMS messages, which are sent in the case of a missed call. From the moment
of our presenting the solution to carriers, the demand for this solution started,
and it immediately grants the carrier revenues without adding any infrastructures.
Where is this
market developing to? "The field of applications for the cellular market is experiencing
a surge of development," says Eshet. "The question is how can a new
application be brought to the mass market. The direction is that a provider will
want to provide these capabilities for the cellular handsets themselves. NTT DoCoMO,
for example, has thousands of content providers, because it is an open-ended system.
The communication providers wish to work with us because we develop rapidly -
we have come from the cellular world and we understand them." Eshet
concludes: "Today there is great demand for attendance services. Another
high demand services is polling services, mainly involving mass polls. This is
implemented mainly by SMS. We are very strong in markets such as India, where
there has been a dramatic increase in the number of customers. We have been a
profitable company from the onset, and apart from the initial investment in initial
setup and development, we have been profitable throughout our operation. We are
thinking of integrating Skype into the system - we are currently thinking about
it". CallUp
Net is one of the world's leading messaging software providers which designs
scalable, reliable, creative, sophisticated and low-cost SMS, VAS, and MMS messaging
software systems specifically for telecommunications carriers. CallUp is respected
for its messaging software and hardware which is based on open telco architecture
that leverages existing Internet and telephony infrastructures.
While leading market vendors offer bulky and costly software equipment have patchwork
solutions, CallUp Net SMS, VAS, and MMS messaging solutions software and hardware
offers an elegant application that focuses fully on the needs of telecommunication
landline and wireless operators. The
CallUp MessageCase TM messaging software is designed with
VAS modular features such as SMS, VAS, and MMS and can be easily upgraded to suit
telecommunication mobile and fixed line (land line) operator needs. The MessageCase
TM VAS messaging platform will increase subscriber base
and offer a significant revenue-generating tool for telecom carriers. The basic
building block of the MessageCaseTM system is voicemail.
VoiceCase enables the use of all the familiar functions subscribers are used to
- record greetings, reply (boomerang) to the sender, erase, skip etc. In
addition there are more advanced voice features for more sophisticated users.
MessageCaseTM UMCase Service The MessageCase Unified Messaging
service provides the subscriber with Unified message box for voice, Fax and email
messages which can be accessed any time any where. Subscribers may update user
profile, redirect, forward and broadcast messages (to definable groups), listen
to voice messages (as WAV attachments), view faxes on screen, etc. The users define
where they would like their emails delivered, thus enabling them to continue using
their existing e-mail accounts and software (such as Outlook or Hotmail) seamlessly
e-mails which are sent to the box can be rendered via Text To Speech, in multiple
languages. The
user can reply to emails with a voice message - the message is attached as a WAV
file and delivered back to the sender. Faxes which are sent to the box can be
redirected to a nearby fax. Emails can also be voice forwarded to a fax and printed
in hard copy. MessageCaseTM also supports e-mail to SMS. Aside from forwarding
fax attachments to a fax of choice for printing, the FaxCase service enables Fax
messages to be forwarded as email attachments thus providing an effective E-Fax
service. The simple MessageCaseTM software solution utilizes a standard messaging
system components, providing telecom carriers and operators with a reliable SMS,
VAS, and MMS solution that reduces substantially both capital expenditures (CAPEX)
and operating, administration and maintenance costs (OA&M). ISRAEL
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