Mobile Software Companies Form Mobile Alliance in Singapore

(Top News, 19 Jun 2009)

Singapore’s industry-leading mobile software companies announced an agreement to form the nation’s first mobile software association, Mobile Alliance. As an industry-led initiative supported by the International Enterprise Singapore (IE Singapore), Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) and Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), the alliance represents the interests of the broader mobile ecosystem with a focus on driving innovation and growth of the mobile communications industry.

Boudewijn Pesch, Managing Director of Acision in Asia Pacific, has been selected by the founding members as the President of the Mobile Alliance. In this role, Pesch will lead the group towards establishing Singapore as a Centre of Mobile Excellence in Asia, with a specific focus on driving research and development in the mobile software industry. Boudewijn will be assisted by industry veterans Kevin Chia of Clearhub and Rakesh Sabharwal of Mobiquest, both of whom are Vice-Presidents of the Mobile Alliance.

The Mobile Alliance will work jointly with key industry stakeholders like IE Singapore, MEF and MMA to drive strategic programs to position Singapore as an attractive base to develop new mobile services and market them globally. Members can benefit from subsidized international trade shows, overseas missions, market intelligence and research as well as business matching events through the assistance of these agencies.

“By adopting a collaborative approach, Mobile Alliance is focused on generating greater synergies and incubating new opportunities within the mobile ecosystem in Singapore. We aim to work closely with over 30 of our members and forge partnerships with key industry agencies to develop Singapore into a vibrant and innovation-driven hub for home grown mobile content and application developers,” commented Boudewijn Pesch.

Said Mr Thian Tai Chew, Director of Infocomm Technology Division of International Enterprise Singapore, "In recent years, mobile operators are stepping up efforts to bring more value added services to customers. New and interesting mobile application services are required to attract and retain subscribers, which creates the opportunity for Singapore-based mobile software companies. The formation of the Mobile Alliance is timely as it will unite stakeholders in the local mobile eco-system to work on strategic initiatives and branding efforts to promote Singapore as a Centre of Mobile Excellence in Asia. IE Singapore fully supports the Alliance in its internationalisation efforts and to assist its members widen their business connections."

Mobile Alliance also has the active support of the Mobile Marketing Association, a global trade association that drives consumer best practices and guidelines across the mobile ecosystem. The MMA has over 700 members worldwide including carriers, service providers, aggregators, developers, brands, agencies and regulators. Members of both organisations will benefit from cross-promotional activities as well as be able to jointly develop initiatives for software development within the mobile industry.

Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director, MMA Asia Pacific added, “The Asia Pacific region, with a high penetration of mobile devices, is well placed to drive innovative applications for the development of the mobile software sector. Singapore offers the infrastructure and talent required to encourage world-leading companies to be based here, and with a mobile penetration of over 100 percent, it acts as a test bed for the R&D process. At the MMA, we look forward to the growth of this segment as an important part of the broader mobile ecosystem.”

Faissal Houhou, Vice Chair for MEF Asia & Vice-President International Business Development for Paymo noted, “The Mobile Entertainment Forum is delighted to support the local players in the Singapore mobile entertainment space where our Asian office is based. We are looking forward to synergize with the Mobile Alliance to create more opportunities for both our members to boost the growth and innovation in this sector.”