The Hindu Business Line : Made for the mobile screen

If a user based in Mumbai booked an airline ticket to Chennai via Mobio, then throughout his stay in Chennai, all search queries would, by default, throw up Chennai-specific results - without the user having to type `Chennai' in the search toolbar.

After intelligent computers, it is the turn of mobile phones to go intelligent. US-based mobile applications company Mobio says it offers Web-based content specially delivered to fit mobile display screens depending on their size and resolution. This means two things - one no longer needs to scroll across the mobile screen and only relevant information is accessed.

Looking for data on the Internet through a mobile phone (mainly on WAP technology) is often cumbersome because Web pages are merely displayed with reduced font size on mobile handsets. As a result, it can take 10-20 clicks scrolling up and down the entire page; more if one wants relevant information.

Mobio's application, according to the company, offers links to various Web sites under categories such as hotels, movies, travel and so on. Once a user clicks on such an option, he is provided with information compiled from a group of relevant Web sites. (Mobio ties up with these sites to deliver their content in a modified format. Its platform can also support payment gateways to facilitate e-commerce and m-commerce). Based on individual usage patterns, Mobio provides intelligent results for subsequent use, particularly for `search'-based applications. For instance, hypothetically, if a user based in Mumbai booked an airline ticket to Chennai via Mobio, then throughout his stay in Chennai, all search queries would, by default, throw up Chennai-specific results - without the user having to type `Chennai' in the search toolbar.

"This inbuilt intelligence helps users get relevant information in a few clicks," says R.Vidyanand, Business Head, India, Mobio Networks. Mobio's application size is 20-50 per cent of WAP's, he says. Besides, once downloaded, users will have access to all future Mobio applications.

The company entered the Indian market recently by launching a cricket application targeted at the World Cup. Priced at Rs 99, it gave match-related information, including live feeds, and allowed users to play a game of mobile cricket with their friends. Despite a `lot of initial activity', usage dwindled once India was out of the World Cup. But Mobio is not accepting defeat.

The company expects to raise funds (amount undisclosed) through Series B round of funding in the next three-four months for its expansion plans in India, says Vidyanand. It has so far raised $9 million, including a Series A round of funding co-led by Storm Ventures and InterWest Partners. Currently operating out of New Delhi, Mobio plans to set up offices in Mumbai and South India.

"We plan to introduce four-five more applications focused on entertainment, astrology, travel and finance in the next six months," Vidyanand told eWorld. The company plans to have close to 15 applications by the end of this year, including a movie application and a financial portfolio management application.

Mobio would like to offer these features free of cost to cultivate a customer base, but this idea does not find favour with mobile operators. "Carriers (operators) do not want to give anything free as they do not have infrastructure to permit free GPRS downloads," he says. Mobio has tie-ups with all major mobile operators and shares a part of its revenue (user subscription fee) with them.

While dependence on carriers may sap the company's revenues, Vidyanand is optimistic about the growing GPRS subscriber base in the country to bring in more revenues. The base, currently 8-12 million, has been doubling every year. Also, the market for mobile value-added services is estimated at about Rs 4,500 crore this year compared to about Rs 3,000 crore last year. Currently, Mobio is busy customising its delivery across all handset models and supports almost 40 models, including those of Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericcson. "We have also received interest from some handset manufacturers to embed Mobio applications on to handsets and are looking into this option," he says.

archana@thehindu.co.in