Kiwi developer claims top award in Ericsson competition
Announcement posted by Ericsson Australia 19 Oct 2004
New Zealand developer, Mobile Commerce Limited (MCOM), claimed the top spot in this years Frontier competition with their SMS payment application called mPayment. Mobile Commerce beat 75 submissions from the Trans-Tasman.
Competition was fierce in Australia and New Zealand and were very proud to win Frontier as its a fantastic endorsement from Ericsson and the major telecom operators, said Adam Clark, Founder, Director and CEO of MCOM.
MCOMs application mTopup, enables consumers with a Telecom pre-paid mobile phone and an ASB Bank account to top-up their airtime credit from their bank account via SMS text message, providing them with a further alternative to topping up their phone. The service, generically termed Mobile Payment or mPayment, is the first collaboration of its kind between a major Telco and a bank in New Zealand.
Judges in Frontier included operator heavyweights from Telecom New Zealand, Telstra, Vodafone and Hutchison. Seventy-five submissions were received this year.
Cyrus Allen, Lead for Telstra i-mode, was encouraged by the high calibre of entries across Australia and New Zealand. "The six finalists are extremely impressive and undoubtedly on par with their worldwide counterparts. They are innovative and creative, whilst adding business and consumer value."
Shane Williamson, Partner Manager for Hutchison 3G Australia's Developer Program added: "Any of these applications could be deployed worldwide. MCOM particularly stood out with their sophisticated and mature product that simplifies payments for pre-paid mobiles."
MCOM takes home the grand prize of business class travel to the December Ericsson Matchmaking Session in Switzerland where Europes leading network operators and venture capitalists are gathering.
The company is actively looking at export markets around the world and hopes to sell its secure mobile payment system into other Telcos and banks.
In the future we see that mobile payments will increase significantly and imagine it to be complimentary to existing payment mechanisms across Internet purchases, parking payments, vending machines, secure payments for phone orders or mail orders. The application is also suitable for person-to-person payment, said Adam.
The technology offers huge potential for future services, enabling consumers to purchase goods and services in situations where they don't have access to traditional payment methods such as cash, EFTPOS or credit cards. This means you could buy a burger, a book or a plane ticket with your mobile. Now its up to the merchants whether they want to adopt the system.
All six finalists received prizes including Sony Ericsson mobile phones, free entry into Ericssons Developer Day program (November 9th --Sydney) and also the chance to present their application to top telecommunications decision makers in New Zealand and Australia.
The other finalists in Frontier were:
Australia: Viva La Mobile, Yambay and Gizmoz
New Zealand: TxtCentre and Surelabs (NZ/Australia)
New Zealand based I.T. Link was the 2003 Frontier Winner with a mobile sales force application. Frontier is an initiative of The Australian and Ericsson Mobility World, Ericssons global partnering program designed to accelerate the development and market deployment of innovative applications and services.
Sarah Phan, Ericsson Mobility World Manager, said: Frontier was a major success and were very proud of the talent evident across Australia and New Zealand. The product development in mobile data shows that businesses and consumers are using their phones not just for voice, but for organizing their life and having fun.
Ms. Phan encourages developers to get involved in the companys upcoming Developer Day.
Ericsson Developer Day will share first-hand the experiences from some of the Frontier finalists, as well as presentations from key industry players, including Telstra, Hutchison, Vodafone, Optus, Telecom NZ and Sony Ericsson.
Visit www.ericsson.com/mobilityworld/sub/events/index.html for more information on Ericssons developer community and upcoming activities.
Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and Broadband Internet communications through its continuous technology leadership. Providing innovative solutions in more than 140 countries, Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful communication companies in the world. Read more at http://www.ericsson.com.au/press
Competition was fierce in Australia and New Zealand and were very proud to win Frontier as its a fantastic endorsement from Ericsson and the major telecom operators, said Adam Clark, Founder, Director and CEO of MCOM.
MCOMs application mTopup, enables consumers with a Telecom pre-paid mobile phone and an ASB Bank account to top-up their airtime credit from their bank account via SMS text message, providing them with a further alternative to topping up their phone. The service, generically termed Mobile Payment or mPayment, is the first collaboration of its kind between a major Telco and a bank in New Zealand.
Judges in Frontier included operator heavyweights from Telecom New Zealand, Telstra, Vodafone and Hutchison. Seventy-five submissions were received this year.
Cyrus Allen, Lead for Telstra i-mode, was encouraged by the high calibre of entries across Australia and New Zealand. "The six finalists are extremely impressive and undoubtedly on par with their worldwide counterparts. They are innovative and creative, whilst adding business and consumer value."
Shane Williamson, Partner Manager for Hutchison 3G Australia's Developer Program added: "Any of these applications could be deployed worldwide. MCOM particularly stood out with their sophisticated and mature product that simplifies payments for pre-paid mobiles."
MCOM takes home the grand prize of business class travel to the December Ericsson Matchmaking Session in Switzerland where Europes leading network operators and venture capitalists are gathering.
The company is actively looking at export markets around the world and hopes to sell its secure mobile payment system into other Telcos and banks.
In the future we see that mobile payments will increase significantly and imagine it to be complimentary to existing payment mechanisms across Internet purchases, parking payments, vending machines, secure payments for phone orders or mail orders. The application is also suitable for person-to-person payment, said Adam.
The technology offers huge potential for future services, enabling consumers to purchase goods and services in situations where they don't have access to traditional payment methods such as cash, EFTPOS or credit cards. This means you could buy a burger, a book or a plane ticket with your mobile. Now its up to the merchants whether they want to adopt the system.
All six finalists received prizes including Sony Ericsson mobile phones, free entry into Ericssons Developer Day program (November 9th --Sydney) and also the chance to present their application to top telecommunications decision makers in New Zealand and Australia.
The other finalists in Frontier were:
Australia: Viva La Mobile, Yambay and Gizmoz
New Zealand: TxtCentre and Surelabs (NZ/Australia)
New Zealand based I.T. Link was the 2003 Frontier Winner with a mobile sales force application. Frontier is an initiative of The Australian and Ericsson Mobility World, Ericssons global partnering program designed to accelerate the development and market deployment of innovative applications and services.
Sarah Phan, Ericsson Mobility World Manager, said: Frontier was a major success and were very proud of the talent evident across Australia and New Zealand. The product development in mobile data shows that businesses and consumers are using their phones not just for voice, but for organizing their life and having fun.
Ms. Phan encourages developers to get involved in the companys upcoming Developer Day.
Ericsson Developer Day will share first-hand the experiences from some of the Frontier finalists, as well as presentations from key industry players, including Telstra, Hutchison, Vodafone, Optus, Telecom NZ and Sony Ericsson.
Visit www.ericsson.com/mobilityworld/sub/events/index.html for more information on Ericssons developer community and upcoming activities.
Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and Broadband Internet communications through its continuous technology leadership. Providing innovative solutions in more than 140 countries, Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful communication companies in the world. Read more at http://www.ericsson.com.au/press