Synchronica Distribution Deal Brings Push Email To The Masses
UK-based Synchronica on Thursday inked a global distribution deal with Miami-based Brightstar, a distribution and supply chain solution provider for the mobile industry. Under the deal, Brightstar will distribute Synchronica's Mobile Gateway in over 50 countries and across six continents. Brightstar provides mobility solutions to more than 30,000 resellers, network operators, MVNOs, retailers and independent agents globally and represents several leading wireless manufacturers. Last year, Brightstar's gross revenue reached nearly $4.8 billion. The company estimates that one of every 20 mobile devices delivered in 2007 came through Brightstar.
"If you look at the mobile industry, push email is the dominant application," said Alan Wong, director of product management for Brightstar. "We want to develop an email ecosystem that gets push email to many."
Synchronica's Mobile Gateway is a middleware solution that provides push email and synchronization services. Using industry standards like SyncML and Push IMAP, the gateway is compatible with a host of mobile devices including those from Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola. It also supports push email capabilities for Apple's iPhone. The solution does not require additional client software to be installed on the device or behind the firewall.
Mobile Gateway gives operators, device manufacturers and enterprises the ability to allow their mobile workforces to send and receive email from their consumer mailboxes, such as AOL, Gmail and others, along with synchronizing their calendar and contact data with business systems including Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Domino and Sun Java Communications Suite.
Synchronica CEO Carsten Brinkschulte said the goal of the Brightstar deal is to add value to the myriad mobile devices that don't support push email out of the box, a common them among resellers.
"Resellers and distributors are no longer just moving boxes," he said. "They're adding value and services into devices. Brightstar is stepping into application services offered in addition to just devices."
Through the agreement, Synchronica and Brightstar will create a dedicated sales and marketing team drawing on Brightstar's customer base to promote Mobile Gateway throughout North America, Europe, Australia, Asia Pacific, India and Latin America. The pair is now in discussions with several mobile operators.
The agreement, Brinkschulte said, validates Mobile Gateway as a way to offer push email access on mass-market mobile phones.
"Brightstar's marketing flair, as well as its far-reaching and established supply chain extends our global reach, in particular in the booming emerging markets of Latin America and Asia, where we see a tremendous opportunity for growth," he said.