Bulletin Wireless (formally Jungle Drum Message Systems Ltd) will provide the messaging platforms for Air New Zealand to enable the rapid transmission of text data to and from the telecommunications carriers customers.
The core behind the Text Express service is Bulletin Connect a product developed totally in-house by Bulletin Wireless and provides Air New Zealand with a powerful messaging interface via XML/SOAP Interface. The service enables Air NZ to deliver text message alerts quickly while also enabling Air New Zealand customers to query flight times and Air Point's balances via text messaging.
Company Profile
Bulletin Wireless (US) recently merged with an Auckland company Jungle Drum Message Systems, to provide text-messaging services to Telecommunication Carriers and third parties.
"The merger offers great synergies, we become part of a high-growth text messaging company with excellent prospects, particularly in the emerging Asian market. Bulletin Wireless gains new text messaging applications to fill out its product offering, and beefs up its research and development capability.” says Paul Treacy- Bulletin Wireless Business Development Manager.
An important factor in accepting the merger deal was Bulletin Wireless holding of text messaging gateway patents. These will serve to protect the merged company from direct competition.
Jungle Drum Systems was founded five years ago when the introduction of digital cell phones created the opportunity to link cell phones with email and other computer applications.
The company now employs 30 people, turns over more than $2 million a year, and has an impressive customer list including Vodafone NZ, Vodafone UK, Telecom NZ, Edge Wireless US Ihug, Farmers, Sky Television, Harcourt's NZ and many more.
Carrier Services
Telecom and Vodafone offer subscribers a hosted Bulletin service, which provides an online center to manage contact lists, names and telephone numbers, and to send email messages to groups. When a member of a recipient group replies, that reply is matched up with the original message and sorted accordingly. This allows – for example - the co-ordination of mass responses to retail or service offers. Vodafone Web2txt, TxtMail and Telecom Broadcast Text.
Treacy says the combined Jungle Drum/Bulletin Wireless operation will go forward with a sales model based on offering hosted applications to both individuals and companies, as well as licensing applications to the large telecommunication companies.
ASP Model
However, Treacy says, even the large Telcos are moving towards an ASP model, offering the services under their own brands, but outsourcing application hosting and service delivery to Bulletin. As data becomes an increasing requirement for today’s business and the cost of data is constantly being driven down as a commodity Telcos are looking to associated services to maintain their revenues.
He says the ASP model is also attractive because it can involve low entry costs with charges based on transactions on the networks. Typical Bulletin customers are up and running in a day, at a cost of a few hundred dollars, and low ongoing hosting costs plus messages, per user.
We use a company’s existing mobile phones and web connection, so it’s fast and cheap to get up and running,” he says.
Supporting Bulletin Wireless’s export drive with new application development is only part of Jungle Drum’s ongoing focus, Treacy says. The New Zealand market is growing strongly, and – post-merger – Jungle Drum becomes responsible for the merged company’s growth into Australia and Asia.
“In New Zealand alone there is 1.2 million Internet connections, and 2.3 million mobile handsets,” he says. “New Zealand currently averages around 1,000,000 text messages per day, or 30 million per month. At 17c each that market is worth more than $5 million per month.
Technical Overview - Bulletin Connect
Bulletin Connect - is an Application Programming Interface (API) which easily enables developers to send and receive SMS messages over the Internet (HTTPS) from within their business applications. The API achieves this by providing three alternative mechanisms for the developer to use. The three mechanisms are:
- SOAP (Push or Pull)
- XML/HTTP (Push or Pull)
- Windows Service (Application Connect Plus) for File I/O
Features:
- Rapid delivery of messaging to all carriers
- Replies from the handset to the application
- Reply tracking: Track individual messages through the carrier on the handset and return. All stages are logged and these status's returned to the third party application
- Premium and Variable Billing Options: Charge messaging to the Application / Mobile users's account at std and premium rates dependant on content value, fully dynamic control by third party application
- International network connectivity. Direct connections: Australia, UK, US
For more information please contact:
Paul Treacy
+64 9 307 1146
+64 27 248 6884 mobile
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