Voice SMS Merging VoIP & Mobile to Create A Compelling Service Brough Turner, SVP & CTO, NMS...

Voice SMSMerging VoIP & Mobile to Create A Compelling Service

Brough Turner, SVP & CTO, NMS Communications

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Why should I care?

• Voice short message service (SMS) is a highly successful new service

• Leading solutions built on NMS technology

• Broad lessons for any new mobile service

4

What is Voice SMS?

• Similar to SMS text messages, except with voice

– Sender records a short voice message– Recipient gets a text alert: “You have a Voice

SMS from … ”– Recipient clicks and hears the voice message

*0*

*0*

ERIC LEE28/08/05 23:30

Hi, I Have sent U a BUBBLE dial *0* to hear it (FREE)

Source: Bubble Motion Pte Ltd

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Not “Multi-Media Messaging”

• MMS a fully specified 3G service– Includes voice messaging

• Ovum forecasts US$3.8B in 2005; $13.8B in 2010– $2.9B to $9.5B picture mail (all kinds – MMS & otherwise)– $0.8B to $3.8B video messages– $94M to $496M audio messages

• But MMS slow to take off– Awaiting ubiquitous handset support and interoperability

• MMS-based “Voice SMS” also starting slowly– Example: Sprint’s “Voice SMS” in US – only MMS

handsets can send messages, few deployed, few messages sent

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Voice SMS Unique Advantages

• Over text messages– Easier to use– Voice conveys more emotion– Don’t have to be literate

• Versus Push-to-Talk– Works when recipient is unavailable– Good when you just want a message, not live conversation

• Compared with voice mail– Easier, more immediate; not a live conversation

• Compared with MMS– Works with any handset, any network (2G, 2.5G, 3G)

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Subscriber Benefits

• New, highly personal way to communicate

• Costs less than a voice call

• Easy to use– Overcomes text usability issues– Available in all languages– Does not require literacy

• Works with current handset

• Send messages to any handset

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Operator Benefits

• No handset software — target entire subscriber base

• Application overlay — no changes to existing infrastructure, works on 2G, 2.5G, and 3G

• No capital investment; extremely rapid deployment

• Little customer education

• Popular — rapidly adopted

• Commands 50 to 100 percent premium over SMS

• Proven money maker

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New Voice SMS Revenues

• Advertising

• Jokes

• Premium content:– Celebrity messages– Audio clips

• Ask an expert

• Voice alerts: – Sports– News– Weather

• Voice Reply to Text

• Voice Blogs

• Dating

• Voice information services

• Ringtones– Ringback tones

• Contests

• International Voice SMS

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Voice SMS History

• Ideas date back at least a decade

• Jan. 2005: Digi (Malaysia) launches “BubbleTalk” by Bubble Motion

• Sept. 2005: GrameenPhone (Bangladesh) launches “Voice SMS” by Kirusa

• Widely adopted today:– Over a dozen vendors with announced platforms– 15+ networks offer Voice SMS service– >300 million mobile subs have access

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Digi (Malaysia) Case Study

• GSM network with 5.6 M subscribers (9/2006)

• Bubble Talk launched late January 2005– Two month promotion: subscribers offered 10 free

messages per day– 50 percent premium over text messages

• Greater than 35% penetration in six months

• Over 200,000 messages per day by 8/2005

• All other operators in Malaysia forced to react within first year

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• #1 mobile operator in Bangladesh– 5 M subscribers (9/05) to 10 M subs (11/06)

• Voice SMS launched September 2005– Based on Kirusa platform– Supported with newspaper & TV advertising– Priced 25%-66% over text messages

• Rapid adoption– 6% first week; 16% first month– Over 40% (3.6 million users) by August 2006

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How does it work?

• Dial short code & then normal mobile number– Typical handsets support prefixing numbers in

your contacts directory

• Prefix causes call to be routed to IVR system

• IVR receives call with caller & called numbers– Beep, record message (& optionally other options)– Bill caller– Send SMS to called party saying

“You have a Voice SMS from <calling party>. Press green “send” key to hear your message. <IVR system phone number embedded here> ”

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Receiving a Voice SMS

• Called party receives text message

• Presses green or “send” key

• Phone dials IVR system

• IVR system sees caller ID, looks up messages for that party

• IVR plays message(s) immediately– No prompts or dialog required

• At end, offer options– “To listen again press one, to reply press two,

otherwise just hang up”

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Billing System Issues

• One Voice SMS needs two voice calls!

• Price point needs to be more than text SMS but less than a voice call

– “Cost” not an issue except during busy hour– Focus is maximizing revenue!

• All billing systems support special billing numbers (premium rate and free numbers)

– IVR assigned short code or other special number

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Not Restricted to Operators

• Mobile network integration– Facilitates recruiting and enrolling subscribers– Dial codes facilitate sending messages

• Not essential – Only need PSTN voice and SMS connectivity

• US example: Pinger– PSTN & SMS connectivity purchased wholesale– Speech technology overcomes lack of dial codes

• Import friends names/numbers to Pinger• Dial Pinger• Speak name of person to receive Voice SMS

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Voice SMS Integration

Mobile NetworkVoice SMSPlatform

Billing

Admin

MessageProcessing

Voice Platform

prepaid

postpaid

SMSC

MMSC

OA&M

Operator

Help Desk

MSC

Subscriber

AdministratorF

irew

all

Event based billing

Billing & Mediation

Source: Kirusa Inc.

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Voice SMS Platform

Vision VoiceXML Server

Mobile Network

Application ServerContent Server

VoiceXMLHTTP

SS7

SMSCSMSC

MSCMSC

Vision Signaling Server

Voice

SMS

Speech Resource Servers

MRCP, RTP

IP Connectivity

PSTN Alternative

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Any Handset, Any Network

• A prime application success model– Worth consideration by any application developer

• Don’t need critical mass for service to take off– No wait for “network effects”

• Other services with comparable characteristics:

– Voice mail — takes messages from any caller – Ringback — ringback tones heard by all callers

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Conclusions

• Winning Applications– Ideal: work with any handset, any network– If not: provide bridge – partial functionality with

any handset

• NMS Vision VoiceXML Server– Complete deployment platform for Voice and

Video applications (VoIP or PSTN)– Carrier grade Signaling Services

(SIP, SS7, ISUP, ISDN)– VoiceXML extension APIs for

outbound dialing, authorization, and SMS voice messaging

Questions?

PDF version to be posted todayRecorded version to be posted tomorrow

Brough Turnerrbt @ nmss.com

Blog: http://blogs/nmss.com/communications/