Sri Lanka was featured for the 1st time on the UNCTAD report (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) 2012, for rapid growth in software production with opportunities in mobile applications which includes ‘Appzone’, recognized as ‘a central part of the emerging Android based market place and business ecosystem’.
Etisalat launched AppZone, a revolutionary deployment in June 2010 which is powered by hSenid Mobile. AppZone is a Telco Application Platform that has formed a remarkable ecosystem among developers; hence it was recognized by UNCTAD within 2 years. AppZone gives an opportunity to developers to combine ideas with technology and publish applications that generate a new source of revenue to the operator and app-developer as a result of a revenue sharing model. AppZone has created enthusiasm among the young generation due to the possibility of expressing their ideas with the latest technology. AppZone is well-liked and used by young students from rural areas as well, which is a significant breakthrough as it has enriched their lives due to the revenue and experience from the apps. AppZone is a deployment of hSenid Mobile’s mChoice Cloud TAP (Telco Application Platform). The infrastructure facilitates an ecosystem for developers to enter the global app market.
hSenid Mobile Founder & CEO, Dinesh Saparamadu says, “mChoice Cloud TAP enhances the mobile experience while providing an entrepreneurial opportunity for developers. This facilitates the operator to give a much richer experience for developers in addition to subscribers”.
The Cloud TAP is hosted on the Cloud which has several benefits, mainly reducing CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) and OPEX (Operating Expenditure) significantly. The Cloud TAP comprises of 3 main parts, which are Cloud SDP, Telco Developer Portal and Telco App-store. The Operators can ‘pick and choose’ the components to suit their immediate needs.
Cloud TAP exposes an Open API which simplifies the complexity of telco application development as it abstracts operator back-end integrations. Cloud TAP provides an ecosystem for developers where developers are provided with a Tool Kit which includes SDKs, User Guides and Simulators to create applications. The developer ecosystem has been recognized as an emerging opportunity in the mobile application area in the UNCTAD Report. SDKs are available in several languages such as JAVA and PHP with other languages in the road map. All in all, developing a telco app becomes simple.
The applications developed using the tools provided in the Developer Portal can be published in the App-store where millions of subscribers can view and opt-in. This gives an innovative environment for mobile apps and services where developers can publish and market their own applications. Cloud TAP has multiple user access channels such as WEB, IVR and USSD that ensure the reach to different markets. Overall, mChoice Cloud TAP opens up a new and flexible business model that can be adopted easily and fast to create a Vibrant Mobile Application Developer Community that will generate more income while providing entrepreneurial opportunities.
