【观察】维珍移动（Virgin Mobile）和Tune Talk等全球虚商品牌将进入印度市场

 

首席执行官GV Kumar说，印度海德拉巴的XIUS是移动基础设施解决方案以及支付技术的提供商，即将帮助这三个全球虚商品牌在印度开展他们的服务。

 

“除了与维珍、Lebara和Tune Talk洽谈，我们也会帮助海湾地区想要以虚商业务进入印度市场的大型移动运营商，尤其是为频繁回家的印度在国外用户提供定制产品。”Xius的首席执行官加述到。Xius计划紧接其英国合作伙伴Hebitel之后，一家全球性虚商管理顾问公司，帮助国际性虚商进入印度市场。

 

在莫迪政府宣布同意虚商在印度开店以后，这个月初，Xius和Hebitel的合作伙伴关系就公布了。虚商不拥有自己的频段以及网络基础设施，但提供电信服务。它依赖于其合作伙伴电信公司的网络来向品牌下的用户提供服务。它从运营商手里买进大量通话时间以及宽带，然后卖给用户。Kumar说“Xius和Hebitel一起向全球准备进入印度市场的虚商提供移动服务平台，将提供完整的端到端解决方案，从寻找当地电信合作伙伴开始，开发商业方案去帮助推广品牌、市场以及用户数量增加”。Xius的另一个执行官说“Tune Talk是我们在马来西亚的客户，如果他们决定在印度运营虚商业务我们很开心能和它一起工作”。截止发稿日，维珍、Lebara和Tune Talk没有回答ET的疑惑，关于他们要进入印度崛起的虚商市场的机会。

 

根据Xius做的一项国际调查，尽管全球虚商市场到2020年将增值到730亿美元，目前仍然在西方保持强势发展趋势，德国、美国、英国拥有最多的虚商。根据行业专家表述，虚商在成熟的电信市场是最流行的，渗透率已达100%。

 

关于XIUS

 

XIUS 是一家专业的移动技术公司，专注于以下领域的实时交易处理：网络基础设施及预付、移动商务、移动广告以及移动应用。XIUS 坚持创新、灵活性和卓越执行，把客户至上视为其核心价值。XIUS 以托管服务模式提供解决方案，从而使客户能够快速推出和实现服务的盈利化。

 

XIUS 在全球拥有350多名员工，企业总部位于马萨诸塞州沃本，全球交付中心位于印度海德拉巴。该公司一直坚持创新，提交了116项专利申请，至今已有30项获批。近25年来，XIUS 一直为移动运营商提供电信服务。

 

Global MVNO brands like Virgin Mobile and Tune Talk may foray into India

 

Virgin Mobile, Lebara Mobile and Tune Talk – well known globally as mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) – may shortly foray into India.

 

Hyderabad-based Xius, a supplier of mobile infrastructure solutions and payments technology, will soon approach the three global MVNO brands to launch their services in India, chief executive GV Kumar told ET.

 

“Apart from initiating talks with Virgin, Lebara and Tune Talk, we will also approach large mobile carriers in the Gulf who may be keen to don the MVNO hat to enter India, especially to offer customised products to their Indian expat customers frequently travelling home,” the Xius CEO added. Xius’s plans come on the heels of it partnering with UK’s Hebitel, a global MVNO management consulting firm, to help international MVNOs foray into India.

 

The Xius-Hebitel partnership was announced earlier this month after the Modi government allowed MVNOs to set up shop in India. An MVNO provides telecom services without owning either spectrum or network infrastructure. It relies on the network of its partner telecom company to provide services to customers under its brandname. It does so by buying bulk talktime and bandwidth from an operator, and selling it to users. “Xius will offer its mobile services platform (MSP) to global MVNOs entering India, and along with Hebitel, will offer complete end-to-end solutions, right from identifying local telecom partners, developing business plans to even helping out with branding, marketing and customer acquisitions,” said Kumar. “Tune Talk is already our customer in Malaysia, and we would be happy to work with them if they decide to launch MVNO operations in India,” said another Xius executive. At press time, Virgin, Lebara and Tune Talk did not reply to ET’s queries on their tapping into the emerging MVNO opportunity in India.

 

Though the global MVNO market is slated to top the $73-billion mark by 2020, it largely remains a western trend, with Germany, US and UK home to maximum number of MVNOs, according to an internal study by Xius. According to industry experts, MVNOs are most prevalent in mature telecom markets where penetration (based on connections) has surpassed 100%.