He zed, she zed: Let’s talk ‘n’ text
June 17, 2001 | 12:00am
Do the Dutch know how to send a text message?
If you were in the Netherlands, you might find yourself asking this question, says Hans Bishop, Zed vice president for country operations, who was in town recently for the contract signing with Napoleon Nazareno, president of Talk ‘n’ Text. They are the operator-partners of Sonera-Zed in the Philippines.
"The technology is not absolutely unique," Bishop says. "The thing that sets the best companies apart is their ability to develop services that people really want. Over time, more companies will offer short message service (SMS) all over the world. But some companies will stand out because they offer something unique or something more. What is important is to have a team on the ground that really understands the customer’s needs."
With the newly forged partnership between Zed and Talk ‘n’ Text, subscribers of Talk n’ Text can now enjoy the exceptional mobile value-added services provided by Zed, the world’s leading mobile portal. Zed successfully launched its services in the Philippines last December with its first operator partner, Smart Communications. It provides information retrieval and other in-phone services that can be highly personalized depending on the subscriber’s needs. Information on weather, news, and entertainment, among others, is gathered from global and local content providers, processed in Zed’s delivery center in Singapore, conveyed to the operator partner and thus, made available to the subscriber at the speed of text.
The Zed finder is a great mobile directory with access to over 500 million individuals and businesses, providing names, addresses, and telephone numbers in 11 countries worldwide. Zed also facilitates translation in as many as 13 languages and boasts of its own extensive library of ringing tones, graphics and operator logos.
Zed is designed for all mobile phones that support both SMS (Short Message Service) text messaging and WAP (wireless application protocol) environments and is independent of the technology and type of handset.
In other words, "you don’t need a new instrument or handset," says Zed country manager, Antti Lahtinen. "The important point is that you can use your existing box. Our range of services and those new ones we are developing all work with the technology as it stands today. We are not dependent on the penetration of new handsets or availability of faster networks. Everything we are developing will work on your existing phones."
"We want to open up the service to everybody," Lahtinen says. "We would like to cater to the subscriber’s needs and create more, how should I say, ‘life enhancers.’ The Philippine market is very interesting because it’s technology driven and data-ready. As the leading country in the world in text messaging, that certainly shows the degree of innovation of the Philippine customers. And things are growing very quickly beyond just text messaging. There has been growth in technical talent and development of applications. There’s a high level of skills and technical capability in this country."
Zed has high expectations in the Philippine market and has decided to make this country the base for their Asian expansion. Zed, which aims to reach the majority of individual subscribers through its strategic partnerships with telecom operators, is a major player in the United States and European markets. In Germany, for example, Zed provides services to subscribers of four partner operators, while in Finland, Zed partners with two operators, covering more than 90 percent of its cell phone market. With Talk ‘n’ Text and Smart Communications, Zed continues its global expansion in the Asian region.
"Vast knowledge is accumulating here and local competencies will have to be used in Sonera Zed’s rollout in other Asian countries. We are working in close cooperation with the local marketing," says Lahtinen, who is no stranger to the Philippines, having been married to a Filipina since 1988. "We coordinate with the needs of the local market for the development of our new services. We are focusing on more sophisticated text-based services. Soon, you will be seeing more and more diverse services unique to Zed."
"Yes, some unique services can be quickly copied," Bishop observes, "but more important is making sure that what we do, our customers tell us, we do better than everyone else. Quality is the main way to differentiate information-based services and applications."
If you were in the Netherlands, you might find yourself asking this question, says Hans Bishop, Zed vice president for country operations, who was in town recently for the contract signing with Napoleon Nazareno, president of Talk ‘n’ Text. They are the operator-partners of Sonera-Zed in the Philippines.
"The technology is not absolutely unique," Bishop says. "The thing that sets the best companies apart is their ability to develop services that people really want. Over time, more companies will offer short message service (SMS) all over the world. But some companies will stand out because they offer something unique or something more. What is important is to have a team on the ground that really understands the customer’s needs."
With the newly forged partnership between Zed and Talk ‘n’ Text, subscribers of Talk n’ Text can now enjoy the exceptional mobile value-added services provided by Zed, the world’s leading mobile portal. Zed successfully launched its services in the Philippines last December with its first operator partner, Smart Communications. It provides information retrieval and other in-phone services that can be highly personalized depending on the subscriber’s needs. Information on weather, news, and entertainment, among others, is gathered from global and local content providers, processed in Zed’s delivery center in Singapore, conveyed to the operator partner and thus, made available to the subscriber at the speed of text.
The Zed finder is a great mobile directory with access to over 500 million individuals and businesses, providing names, addresses, and telephone numbers in 11 countries worldwide. Zed also facilitates translation in as many as 13 languages and boasts of its own extensive library of ringing tones, graphics and operator logos.
Zed is designed for all mobile phones that support both SMS (Short Message Service) text messaging and WAP (wireless application protocol) environments and is independent of the technology and type of handset.
In other words, "you don’t need a new instrument or handset," says Zed country manager, Antti Lahtinen. "The important point is that you can use your existing box. Our range of services and those new ones we are developing all work with the technology as it stands today. We are not dependent on the penetration of new handsets or availability of faster networks. Everything we are developing will work on your existing phones."
"We want to open up the service to everybody," Lahtinen says. "We would like to cater to the subscriber’s needs and create more, how should I say, ‘life enhancers.’ The Philippine market is very interesting because it’s technology driven and data-ready. As the leading country in the world in text messaging, that certainly shows the degree of innovation of the Philippine customers. And things are growing very quickly beyond just text messaging. There has been growth in technical talent and development of applications. There’s a high level of skills and technical capability in this country."
Zed has high expectations in the Philippine market and has decided to make this country the base for their Asian expansion. Zed, which aims to reach the majority of individual subscribers through its strategic partnerships with telecom operators, is a major player in the United States and European markets. In Germany, for example, Zed provides services to subscribers of four partner operators, while in Finland, Zed partners with two operators, covering more than 90 percent of its cell phone market. With Talk ‘n’ Text and Smart Communications, Zed continues its global expansion in the Asian region.
"Vast knowledge is accumulating here and local competencies will have to be used in Sonera Zed’s rollout in other Asian countries. We are working in close cooperation with the local marketing," says Lahtinen, who is no stranger to the Philippines, having been married to a Filipina since 1988. "We coordinate with the needs of the local market for the development of our new services. We are focusing on more sophisticated text-based services. Soon, you will be seeing more and more diverse services unique to Zed."
"Yes, some unique services can be quickly copied," Bishop observes, "but more important is making sure that what we do, our customers tell us, we do better than everyone else. Quality is the main way to differentiate information-based services and applications."
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