Mobile Cloud Computing
Over the past 2 years, Aepona has been at the forefront of the mobile industry's evolution towards a new type of business model - Network as a Service, or NaaS - and our award-winning Universal Service Platform has become the solution of choice for mobile operators implementing NaaS strategies globally.
More recently, the emergence of Cloud Computing, and its extension into the mobile domain, has brought a new dimension to NaaS: the vision of a global, interconnected "Mobile Cloud" where application providers and enterprises will be able to access valuable network and billing capabilities across multiple Telco networks, making it easy for them to enrich their services - whether these applications run on a mobile device, in the web, in a SaaS Cloud, on the desktop, or on an enterprise server.
The Mobile Cloud will also provide a full commercial environment for applications, providing an easy way for smaller developers to monetize their services as well as new routes to market.
As more and more mobile operators embrace the Telco 2.0 model and provide open network APIs to enable the Network as a Service (NaaS) business model, it becomes increasingly necessary to provide cross-network single points of access for Application Service Providers, for both commercial and technical interaction with multiple operators. 'Mobile Cloud Computing', provided by Cross Network Service Providers (CNSPs), represents a significant business opportunity for CNSPs, Application Service Providers and mobile operators alike. The following picture shows how this works.
Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions are extended with NaaS features. These features are then offered to enterprise and consumer users by 3rd party application service providers. Alternatively, they may be independent applications, extended with NaaS features; they may take the form of chargeable plug-ins into existing SaaS services; or the ASP may simply use a Platform as a Service (PaaS) provider. Finally a SaaS/PaaS provider can themselves offer the NaaS features (and sell them).
Whatever the actual demarcation between SaaS/PaaS and ASP, users (whether individuals or enterprises) subscribe to the enhanced services and ultimately pay for them, either bundled into a subscription or on a pay per use basis.
Going through a CNSP allows the ASP to have a single interface and single business relationship, but interwork with multiple Telcos. For SMS services, whilst it is important to be able to send and receive across operators, it usually doesn't matter through which operator messages are actually sent. However for location and presence based services, for payments, and for other customer oriented functions, the end service needs to be handled by the correct operator, appropriate to the end user - a key function of the cross network service provider.
One of the most valuable services, that can enfranchise many thousands of new ASPs, is the 'Bill-on Behalf-of' (BoBo) ability for them to be paid through their customers' phone accounts. Comprehensive payments and settlement and the associated business infrastructure, is a critical component of Mobile Cloud Computing. This is not just a simple matter of submitting a payments request and getting paid (a proportion). For this to work in the mass market, a comprehensive infrastructure is needed that is fully traceable (auditable, for dispute management), can handle refunds as well as charges and can take account of network usage.
Mobile World Congress 2010
At Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona, Aepona will be showcasing its vision for NaaS and Mobile Cloud Computing, using demonstrations of enterprise and consumer apps, enabled by their Universal Service Platform, that illustrate the end-to-end business model for this new era.
Visit us in Hall 2, stand 2F08 to find out more...
Click here to download the Aepona NaaS and Mobile Cloud Computing White Paper
Network as a Service - NaaS