Comments on: Billing for SMS/phone services in China and Saudi Arabia

Question: Billing for SMS/phone services in China and Saudi Arabia

DecemberRaine — Thu, 24 Nov 2005 23:06:53 -0800

I'm looking to break into paypertex/call SMS and/or phone services in untapped markets like China and Saudi Arabia, and need some suggestions for SMS or phone billing systems that will give me a platform accessable by citizens in these countries. Any suggestions?

By: daravida

daravida — Fri, 25 Nov 2005 01:31:09 -0800

you could try Tecnomen or Comverse...

By: randomstriker

randomstriker — Fri, 25 Nov 2005 09:23:41 -0800

Not to rain on your parade but China is hardly untapped for SMS; cell phone penetration is very high amongst those who can afford them. If you believe you have a better business model than those of existing carriers there, go ahead and try to compete. But you'd better be able to speak fluent chinese and have a tonne of guanxi with all the movers and shakers -- the days when an expatriat could jump into Asian market just for being an expatriat are long over.

By: evariste

evariste — Fri, 25 Nov 2005 10:29:09 -0800

Your best bet is prepaid cards sold at retail in a country as underdeveloped as China.

By: reformedjerk

reformedjerk — Fri, 25 Nov 2005 10:37:35 -0800

I agree with randomstriker. SMS and SMS services are much more popular in China than in the US. Before tapping into such a market, perhaps a quick trip or two to your intended destinations would be a good idea.

By: donovan

donovan — Sat, 26 Nov 2005 10:37:31 -0800

randomstriker is correct that the mobile market in China is simply exploding. Were you at the Hong Kong show last week? If you weren't, if you're not already in the business, if you don't have deep knowledge of doing business in the region I don't see how you're set up to succeed.

It's unclear from your question what exactly you want to sell/offer. Assuming that you're not going to build significant backend infrastructure and cut deals directly with mobile operators for access to their subscribers (and nothing indicates that you have the desire or resources to do that) then you'll need to deal with companies that are aggregating mobile connectivity and providing a platform to third parties.

daravida mentions Comverse, but they primarily see mobile operators as their customers--you're too small a fish to deal with for them. I'd suggest checking out what companies like Mobile365 and Netsize have to offer.