mBlox opens Australian operation

UK-based mBlox has opened in Australia and appointed a country manager, Hugh Haley.

The vendor, who specialises in infrastructure and services for mobile messaging campaigns, will be based in Sydney.

With the launch the company is now on the hunt for content and application service providers to develop content for its recently launched premium SMS (PSMS) service.

So far mBlox has signed five partners playing in the mobile data space and is in discussions with around 30 more.

According to Haley, the value for partners in working with mBlox was in its not offering a total solution.

“We don’t have content, applications or ringtones — we purely do the infrastructure and billing model,” he said. “Companies can concentrate on developing content and not have to worry about getting bogged down on the technical side of delivery.”

Explaining mBlox’s decision to launch in Australia, Haley said the local market’s high penetration of mobile phones and SMS useage rates were attractive.

“The Australian market is also buoyant, plus there are a lot of big companies with big ideas and we want to help them deliver,” he said.

The presence of a local office would also facilitate cross-access for the company's local and international partners, Haley said.

“We can allow our existing partner base — US and UK mobile content guys — to access the Australian market,” he said. “We can also give Australian companies access to other markets.”