IBM and transport provider National Express Group recently announced a series of cloud-based innovations aimed at transforming the global transport operator by improving operational performance and customer experience.
IBM and transport provider National Express Group recently announced a series of cloud-based innovations aimed at transforming the global transport operator by improving operational performance and customer experience.
Mobinets, which currently has offices in Lebanon, Morocco and France, plans to open offices in South Africa and Kenya, Lebanese entrepreneur Labib Shalak, founder and chief executive of Mobinets, told Zawya in Beirut.
"We have our eyes on Southeast Asia and depending on how it goes, we might go to Malaysia," he said. "Latin America is second on the list as we haven't started any ground work there yet."
Mobinets launched its core software product in 2010 - the Network Enterprise Platform (NEP), which is a suite of integrated software applications that assist mobile network operators in the design, cost optimization, operation and maintenance of their networks.
Sandeep Raina, director of marketing and alliances at Mobinets, said operators in emerging markets like the Middle East, Africa, India and Latin America, are facing many challenges because 3G and 4G services are being rolled out simultaneously.
In addition, networks are increasingly becoming data and video centric as more people use over-the-top (OTT) content, which consumes huge bandwidth and puts operators under tremendous pressure to transform their networks and businesses, he told Zawya.
Telecom networks are also fragmented due to varied infrastructure and network management systems, he said. Because of the increasing complexity of the network and the new demand for data, it becomes difficult for operators to efficiently manage their network.
"This represents an opportunity for Mobinets since we are well placed to [provide] a solution that will help [operators] not only transform their network resources and operations, but also introduce cost efficiency by automating, centralizing and consolidating their network management systems," Raina said.
GROWTH ROLLERCOASTER
When it launched NEP in 2010, Mobinets was able to woo over 15 clients. It was the acquisition of a Tier 1 customer in the UK that gave Mobinets its much-needed boost, allowing them to venture into new business horizons in South Africa and gaving them the maturity they wanted, according to Shalak.
The company is now worth between USD 35 million and USD 40 million, according to Shalak, who owns 65% of the company.
"Our company is on the growth rollercoaster, it depends on how it turns out at the end of the year. We are very careful to play our cards right and build a success story."
Like many other startups in the Middle East and North Africa, Mobinets experienced funding challenges as it sought to raise capital to finance its transition from a small- to a medium-sized company.
Mobinets benefited from a USD 2 million equity injection from International Finance Corp. (IFC), a World Bank Group affiliate, and a USD 3 million stake acquisition by Impact Fund, which is managed by Beirut-based Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP).
Source: http://www.zawya.com/story/Software_provider_Mobinets_eyes_expansion-ZAWYA20141223075507/
