Amdocs

Amdocs acquires ChangingWorlds for $60 million

Jason Ankeny — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:01:10 -0500

Customer experience systems provider Amdocs announced it will acquire mobile personalization and intelligent portal solutions provider ChangingWorlds for $60 million in cash. ChangingWorlds' solutions for personalized mobile content discovery enable operator partners to improve mobile portal navigation, mobile search, mobile advertising, and content recommendations both on and off- deck--more than 45 mobile operators worldwide (including Sprint, Vodafone Global, the O2 Group, T-Mobile and TeliaSonera) have launched the firm's ClixSmart Personalization and Mobile Internet Platform solution.

According to Amdocs, its CES portfolio will combine with ChangingWorlds' technology to enable subscribers to more efficiently acquire relevant information based on services they use most, simplifying mobile Internet navigation and reducing the time they spend searching for content. Amdocs adds it intends to expand its technology across all three screens in an effort to personalize the customer experience at multiple touch points. Amdocs--which serves customers in more than 50 countries around the world--expects the ChangingWorlds acquisition to close prior to year's end.

For more on the Amdocs/ChangingWorlds deal:
- read this release

Related articles:
Amdocs unveils Qpass Retail Suite
Alltel, Amdocs expand content relationship

Survey: Mobile content appeal multi-generational

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Premium mobile content boasts a mass market appeal that spans across multiple generations, requiring service providers to tailor digital content shopping to appeal to an expanded audience, reports customer experience systems provider Amdocs, in a new survey. Amdocs reports that 41 percent of users ages 18 to 24 and 38 percent in the 25 to 32 range are prepared to fork over $8 to $10 a month on mobile content. Consumers in the 18 to 24 bracket are more likely to make a mobile purchase, while subscribers over 45 are more apt to buy content via PC.

While 45 percent of total respondents purchased ringtones and wallpaper, making them the most popular mobile content purchases, 42 percent ranked "services with helpful functionality such as providing directions and checking the weather" as their rationale for acquiring mobile content. Subscribers over 45 in particular cited their interest in "helpful services," with 44 percent expressing an interest in GPS and LBS services, followed by mobile banking. By contrast, a third of consumers aged 18 to 24 cite entertainment as the content purchase driver for mobile content.

"Not only should service providers consider offering more age-segmented, premium digital content and services, but they should consider tailoring the storefront experience and purchase mechanisms to meet the demands of multiple generations," said Amdocs VP of corporate communications Charles Born. "Technology that provides service providers with a new way to deliver a more personalized customer experience translates into higher average revenue per user, greater satisfaction and reduced churn."

For more on the Amdocs survey:
- read this release

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Feature: Making mobile content personal and relevant
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Amdocs unveils Qpass Retail Suite

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 06:59:57 -0400

Customer experience systems provider Amdocs announced the debut of Qpass Retail Suite, a digital commerce solution that promises a more holistic approach to mobile content retailing in contrast to the prevailing silo approach. According to Amdocs, the Qpass Retail Suite enables service providers to offer personalized product and service recommendations across all mobile content channels and media types--a horizontal architecture that centralizes core functions like storefront discovery, merchandising and content management, the platform targets recommendations based on customer profiles and behaviors. The Qpass Retail Suite also provides for retail sales outside of the traditional storefront--e.g., on major portals, in games, or alongside applications.

"Extensive market research and our discussions with customers show that one of the major obstacles consumers face when purchasing content is finding what is relevant to them," said Amdocs VP of corporate communications Charles Born in a prepared statement. "Instead, today consumers are often bombarded with things they don't want or need--for instance, they can be presented with an opportunity to buy the top-selling ringtone after just purchasing that exact ringtone. The new Qpass Retail Suite gives service providers the opportunity to deliver personalized product recommendations relevant to the interests and preferences of each subscriber in a seamless manner across all content catalogs, creating a far superior customer experience."

For more on the Qpass Retail Suite:
- read this release

Related articles:
Amdocs acquires Qpass for $275 million
More on the Amdocs/Qpass deal
Qpass, Cingular extend content partnership
Skype, Qpass add ringtones, pictures to VoIP service

Alltel introduces new content management UI

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 19:01:38 -0500

Alltel Wireless announced Celltop, an exclusive, patent-pending user interface technology that promises customers improved access and management over their mobile content experience. The free UI, built on Qualcomm's BREW uiOne platform, comprises 10 "cells," available via download or pre-installed on select Alltel handsets; each is a category-specific half screen composed of graphics and text offering shortcuts to applications including weather, news, ringtones and text messaging. Users may personalize the look and organization of data within each cell, and in coming months Alltel will roll out additional cells through its Axcess Shop mobile storefront.

"Wireless carriers have been trying to solve the content discovery and navigation problem for years, and we are proud to be the first wireless carrier to deliver a technology that provides a solution," said Alltel group president of operations Kevin Beebe in a prepared statement. "With its modular cells and easy navigation, Celltop will change how our customers discover content and connect to information."

For more on Celltop:
- read this release

Related articles:
- Alltel, Amdocs expand content relationship
- Alltel launches JumpTap mobile content search

Alltel, Amdocs expand content relationship

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 19:01:35 -0500

Customer management software and services provider Amdocs announced a multi-year contract extension to provide premium content services to Alltel Wireless. The carrier will continue employing Amdocs' Qpass digital commerce solution to support and manage its ringtone, gaming and messaging platforms as well as its partnerships with content developers and distributors.

For more on the Alltel/Amdocs deal:
- read this release

Metric: 1H premium content up 50%

Sun, 15 Oct 2006 20:01:38 -0400

Amdocs, the mobile billing firm which now owns Qpass, reports it has processed more than half a billion dollars of premium content purchases over mobile phones in the last six months--a 50 percent increase over the first half of last year. The company said it is seeing an average quarterly growth rate of 12 percent this year, with the average transaction rising from $2.54 last year to $3.17.

Ringtones remain the largest sales category, with games at 19 percent and graphics at 12 percent. Finally, off-portal sales continue to rise--from 1 percent of total sales in 2004 to 32 percent so far this year. Amdocs estimates it will reach 40 percent by the end of the year.

Keep in mind these figures only apply to the sales that take place using the Qpass platform and are not representative of total market statistics.

For more info on mobile content purchases:
- see the company release

DEALS: Amdocs buys Qpass for $275M

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 12:22:54 -0400

Amdocs scoops up Qpass for a cool $275 million; Toyota keeps the ad-supported mobile content trend alive with its sponsorship of Fox's Prison Break.

DEALS
WHO	WITH	WHAT	SCOOP
Amdocs	Qpass	Amdocs acquires Qpass for $275M.	Amdocs beat out Lucent for the winning bid as the latter was tied up in its own acquisition deal by Alcatel. The deal is very similar to VeriSign's recent $250M acquisition of m-Qube.
Toyota	Fox	Toyota to sponsor mobisodes of "Prison Break."	Toyota will run 10-second commercials developed by Saatchi & Saatchi at the start of the program.
SES Americom	Aloha Networks	Teaming up for a satellite-based mobile TV service.	Aloha established a subsidiary called Hiwire to deliver the service using its 700 MHz spectrum holdings.
Synaptics	Samsung	Synaptics bringing its iPod-like scrolling wheel to new Samsung multimedia phone.	The handset is only available in Korea.
Cisco	mtvU	Teaming up for a contest to fund user-generated mobile content.	Cisco exec: "The ideas that students have come up with are better than things we've funded to the tune of $2 million."
Mobile Streams	Cyoshi	Mobile Streams acquires Cyoshi for 3M euros.	The deal includes €2 million in cash and €1 million in Mobile Streams shares.

Amdocs acquires Qpass for $275M

Tue, 18 Apr 2006 10:51:07 -0400

We got the tip last month, now it's official: Amdocs has acquired Qpass for $275 million in an all cash deal. The deal positions Amdocs as a major force in the mobile content value chain. Qpass' mobile content services enable the buying and selling of digital goods across mobile, VoIP and WiFi networks and include the entire digital commerce transaction process from content sourcing, merchandising and delivery to billing and customer care. Qpass' customers include Cingular, T-Mobile International, Vodafone, Sprint, Alltel and Skype. The company says it has processed more than 400 million premium downloads since it launched, which adds up to $900 million in gross retail sales.

Insiders say Amdocs' winning bid beat out Lucent, which bowed out around the $240 million mark. More than likely it had something to do with Alcatel courting Lucent as an acquisition target. The two companies announced their intent to merge shortly after. Another rumor awaiting confirmation is Qpass' acquisition of Simplewire, a next-gen messaging company. Simplewire's CTIA booth included a display showing a consumer texting "COKE" to a shortcode and a vending machine spitting out the chosen drink.

For more on Amdocs' acquisition of Qpass:
- see this press release

More on Amdocs' rumored acquisition of QPass

Thu, 06 Apr 2006 12:41:00 -0400

As I reported last week, Amdocs is rumored to be in the process of acquiring QPass. The tip I received came from the venture capital sector, so it's no surprise that Daniel Primack added a note in PE Week today that seconded the story. Primack noted: "QPass reportedly is in talks to be acquired for more than $250 million by Amdocs. An announcement could come this week during CTIA." I heard it was closer to $280 million. Sources here at CTIA have also said that Amdocs approached them recently and milked them for information about QPass and getting into the mobile content business. Sounds like we may see some movement on this soon.

For more information on the rumored Amdocs, QPass deal:
- see this blog entry from PE Week