CREATION: Singapore to receive mobile marketing messages with M1

<p>Singapore mobile operator MobileOne (M1) is to launch </p><p>location-based marketing to its more than 800,000 mobile customers by </p><p>the middle of this year as SMS (short message service) usage in the Lion </p><p>City soars to an average of three million per day. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The move follows the recent launch of Singapore start-up InspireTech's </p><p>FusionAds service, a location-based search service that allows users to </p><p>find shops, restaurants and other services through mobile phones. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>M1 has partnered with location services providers SignalSoft and </p><p>Webraska to offer proximity search and location marketing services. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Location marketing allows retailers to send promotional messages to </p><p>customers who are within the vicinity of their shops. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>M1's service is to use WAP (wireless application protocol) or SMS as </p><p>delivery channels. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>M1 spokesman, Chau Swee Kiat, said location marketing would be an opt-in </p><p>service, giving users of the mobile carrier the choice to receive </p><p>promotional material. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"The concept of location marketing is that when one of our customers is </p><p>in a particular area, retailers can give this customer marketing </p><p>messages. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Privacy is certainly an issue with this type of service. But we believe </p><p>that because this is an opt-in service, the user can decide against </p><p>using it." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>FusionAds and M1's proximity search are two-way interactive SMS </p><p>services. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Users send SMS requests from their mobile phones to receive a list of </p><p>retailers within the area. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The FusionAds service handled about 20,000 SMS requests in January and </p><p>aims to generate one million requests per month by the end of this </p><p>year. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"SMS is very popular in Singapore. In fact we are supposed to be number </p><p>two in terms of SMS usage, second to the Philippines, on a per customer </p><p>basis, so we are expecting a very positive response," Mr Chau said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>He added the average number of SMS messages sent per day through M1 </p><p>stood at three million. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Our record though was on Valentine's Day, when more than 3.7 million </p><p>messages were sent," he added. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Singapore's mobile users have been able to send SMS messages through </p><p>three mobile operators since April last year. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Meanwhile, Asiacontent.com, which previously focused on Web publishing, </p><p>now offers email marketing through SMS in Asia. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Like many dotcoms, the company was forced to change its business model </p><p>to survive the dotcom shakeout. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, although SMS has gained popularity in regional countries such </p><p>as the Philippines and Singapore, it has yet to take off in Hong Kong </p><p>and mainland China, according to Mr Kenny Chan, general manager, </p><p>Asiacontent.com. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Singapore has picked up SMS very fast. But, although there is a high </p><p>usage of mobile phones in Hong Kong, SMS hasn't been as popular. The </p><p>reason is partly because in Singapore telecom restrictions are not as </p><p>limited as in Hong Kong. But it is also a matter of habit," said Mr </p><p>Chan. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>