Presence-based services tops $16bn

The worldwide market for presence-based telecommunication services is expected to exceed $16 billion in 2009, reports Market Watch.

According to a market research study from Insight Research, the main catalyst for this growth is the increasing number of cellular and wireline carriers, which provide customised services predicated upon the availability of their end-users.

The study also found carrier revenue from presence-based services such as instant messaging and push-to-talk is nearly 25% greater in Asia than North America.

China Telecom aims to snatch 900 000 of China Mobile's 150 million high-end mobile users as part of a strategy to grow its CDMA business in northern China, states TMT China.

The fixed mobile provider's business foundations are weak in northern China because the region was formerly dominated by its old rival, China Netcom. As such, China Telecom lacks the regional base to develop its mobile business in the region.

A central plank of its strategy to attract high-end users will be to deploy a wireless broadband and CDMA voice service bundles in the region by 2009.

20:20 Mobile has added a new division focusing on fixed-mobile converged solutions, headed by former Unique finance director David Hinc, says Mobile News.

Hinc returns to head the mobility solutions division and is tasked with developing business partnerships.

The mobility solutions division will focus on VOIP products using various channels, including IT resellers, fixed-line value-added resellers, VOIP network providers and airtime dealers in the B2B space.