How big is the mobile app market?

Writing on the WIPjam blog Thibaut Rouffineau provides an interesting observation which raised a few questions about the size of the mobile app market. Thibaut notes:

Fragmentation has been a statement of fact in the mobile development world for as long as one can remember, and the situation has only become worst with the rise of iPhone and Android. The resulting dilemma was all fairly well summed up…as I heard at a recent mobile marketing seminar, “All big brand want an iPhone app as the key to their mobile marketing strategy until we tell them this is only 2% of the market, then starts the real discussion”.

Upon reading this I thought: a) 2% is still a huge market share for one handset and in marketing terms, no mobile has ever enjoyed the kind of press coverage that the iPhone does.

b) If the iTunes app store has enjoyed over one billion downloads in roughly two years, what should Ovi be aiming for? And what about Android? Blackberry App World?

Well, we all know that Apple was less than selective in order to hit that download target, and now seem to be making up for it in spades as, like sullen doormen, they exercise the right to refuse entry to the club.

The truth is that the addressable market for apps is whatever size you want it to be but undoubtedly greater than you would expect. Why do I think that? Because that is my experience.

In MO-Call, we’re offering a free app that provides a paid utility service, the app is available for download from our websites and a dozen other well-known portals. In just over a year we exceeded five hundred thousand downloads and we’re now well on our way to our first million. Downloaders have come from over one hundred and fifty countries around the world.

All that without a love-in from the International Press and the kind of marketing budget that, at times, might just have covered Google’s annual coffee and doughnut bill. If you haven’t downloaded MO-Call yet, get across to the website and start saving money on your calls now.

Press Release: MO-Call – VoIP on Windows Vista.

LONDON – Morodo Limited is pleased to announce that it’s popular VoIP application, MO-Call, now supports Windows Vista. Morodo Managing Director, Andrew Reid, said. “Supporting Windows Vista and soon, Windows 7, helps us increase the availability of MO-Call to massive customer base. We continue to work towards supporting more operating systems ensuring that MO-Call customers can enjoy the benefits of low-cost and free VoIP calls on any device.”

James Barnes, Technical Director at Morodo, said. “Support for every Windows Operating System is a great foundation to catch market-share.” Mr. Barnes went on to say. “We will see many new internet-connected netbooks and Ultra Lightweight Personal Computers released in the near future. Many which run on Linux, and even Android, Operating Systems. Morodo will bring easy-to-use, clear quality VoIP to all of these devices. Support for Apple OS X is on the way.”

MO-Call enables low-cost international calling direct from a mobile phone, without the need to change mobile number, SIM or network. Offering seamless connection of low-cost calls, MO-Call provides savings of up to 90% over existing Mobile Network International Tariffs. The service works through a plug-in software application that can be downloaded, free of charge, from the MO-Call website www.mo-call.com

Press Release: PortaOne helps MO-Call to compete globally against Mobile Telephony giants

UK-Based Morodo Uses Internet to Provide Ultra-Low Cost International Calling To Mobile Customers; Service Succeeds Thanks to PortaSwitch’s Reliability and Scalability

COQUITLAM, BRITISH COLUMBIA – For legions of mobile phone users around the world, MO-Call isn’t just a service—it’s a lifeline.  MO-Call, from UK-based Morodo Ltd., is a virtual mobile network that lets people make international calls from their mobile phone at a fraction of the cost charged by their mobile telephony provider.  The secret: a software add-in, downloaded from the MO-Call Web site to the user’s mobile handset.  The add-in shifts outgoing calls directly to Morodo’s VoIP network for completion; savings can be as much as 90% below existing mobile network international tariffs.

As early as its pre-launch testing phase several years back, Morodo knew its service would be hugely popular.  Morodo quickly realized its proprietary billing system and vendor call management software would not scale quickly enough to meet the heavy demand. “We began seeking a robust, feature-rich billing and call control platform,” said James Barnes, Chief Technical Officer for Morodo Ltd.  “After evaluating products from several vendors, we found that only PortaSwitch had the combination of reliability, scalability, features, call management capability, and product support we needed.”
PortaSwitch, from communications infrastructure company PortaOne, Inc., is a software-based communication services and subscriber management solution that lets IP telephony service providers deliver a wide variety of business models quickly and flexibly.  The comprehensive, Class 5 product consists of a softswitch and application servers, delivering billing and provisioning, SIP call control, unified messaging, IP Centrex and IP PBX, voice VPN, callback management, conferencing and more.
“PortaSwitch is flexible enough to support MO-Call’s multiple means of call set-up, call routing, billing—including multi-currency support—and multiple vendor management, plus other features such as Helpdesk ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) and IVR (Interactive Voice Response),” Barnes noted.
Morodo uses every  product included in PortaSwitch: PortaBilling100, PortaSIP, and PortaUM (unified messaging platform), and PortaBridge, a conference server.  Morodo’s pre-assessment of MO-Call’s popularity—and system stress—was evident as soon as PortaSwitch was installed in 2007.
Thankfully, according to Barnes, PortaOne’s technical team has performed when needed.

“Our R&D has demanded much of PortaOne, frequently requesting support for new and innovative features in support of the MO-Call One Account communication service,” he stated.  “Because we originate the majority of calls from cell phones using the MO-Call application suite, we have stretched the capabilities of PortaSwitch and the PortaSwitch development team.  But they have always delivered for us.”

Since its rollout, PortaSwitch has improved Morodo’s business by making it faster and easier to manage call traffic, as well as to develop call features and calling products.  The company has since introduced additional services including Web callbacks for PCs, mobiles and iPhones; instant messaging; free PC-to-PC calls, and low-cost international PC-to-phone calling.  Barnes said PortaSwitch has not only alleviated the risk that is inherent in growing a broadly-focused, global telecom business, but also helped it compete head-to-head against Skype and the large mobile telephony providers. “PortaSwitch’s billing just works.  It’s the simplest thing—but the hardest to get right,” he said.  “I have worked in the telecom industry for fifteen years for carriers on three continents, and have never used a billing platform with so few bugs or errors.  It’s quite an achievement.”
For more about MO-Call, log on to www.mo-call.com. To learn more about PortaOne’s PortaSwitch platform, go to www.portaone.com.

Press Release: Morodo offers VoIP calling from PCs and Mobiles

LONDON – Virtual International Mobile Network Operator, Morodo Limited is pleased to announce the release of its MO-Call PC service.  Morodo Managing Director, Andrew Reid, said. “The release of MO-Call PC compliments our existing MO-Call mobile service offer; this is a significant milestone in Morodo’s roadmap and step closer to our stated aim of becoming a complete telecommunications service provider.”

Mr. Reid continued. “MO-Call has always been defined by convenience and usability, it doesn’t matter where you are in the world, there is a MO-Call solution that will save you money.”

James Barnes, Technical Director at Morodo, states, “MO-Call PC allows consumers to make free international calls from MO-Call account to MO-Call account. It also provides our customers with access to low rate VoIP calls to landlines and mobiles. The extras include an Instant Messaging client enabling chat through MO-Call, MSN, Yahoo and ICQ.”

Mr. Barnes went on to say. ‘MO-Call P.C is simple and easy to download and even easier to use. We’ve taken the logical next-step of porting this application to mobile and you will see MO-Call VoIP for mobile on smartphones very soon indeed. We want our customers to be able to enjoy free and low-cost calls anytime, anywhere.”

MO-Call enables low-cost international calling direct from a mobile phone, without the need to change mobile number, SIM or network. Offering seamless connection of low-cost calls, MO-Call provides savings of up to 90% over existing Mobile Network International Tariffs. The service can be downloaded, free of charge, from the MO-Call website www.mo-call.com

Morodo is exhibiting MO-Call at the GSM Mobile World Congress in Barcelona from 16th – 19th February. Come and see Morodo in Hall 1-0 Stand ID70.

Press Release: MO-Call low-cost calls from Windows Mobile devices.

LONDON - Morodo Ltd is pleased to announce that it’s MO-Call low-cost calling software now supports Windows Mobile Smartphone and Pocket PC GSM devices. Consumers using mobiles from manufacturers such as Amoi, Asus, Audiovox, Dopod, HP, HTC, i-mate, Motorola, O2, Orange, Palm, Samsung, Qtek and Toshiba can now save up to 90% of the cost of their international calls, at home or abroad, by using Morodo’s intuitive MO-Call software.

James Barnes, Technical Director at Morodo, stated, “MO-Call for Windows Mobile has been developed to offer a seamless way of using the MO-Call service. It’s simple to make calls at a greatly reduced cost and there’s no need to change the way you use your mobile. Once the application is switched on, just dial and save.”

Mr. Barnes went on to say that he was “particularly happy with this achievement as it represents a good example of porting an existing application to yet another technology platform. Morodo’s Research and Development team in Beijing, China intends to provide software applications for every popular mobile device group, operating system and manufacturer, offering the widest possible hardware footprint for the MO-Call service.”

MO-Call software for Windows Mobile is available as a free download from the MO-Call website: www.mo-call.com

Press Release: MO-Call Home now available in 32 countries.

LONDON - Morodo Ltd is pleased to announce that a launch of its popular MO-Call Home service in 30 new countries. MO-Call Home provides low-cost international calling direct from a mobile phone, without the need to change mobile number, SIM or network. MO-Call Home offers savings of up to 90% over existing Mobile Network International Tariffs

MO-Call Home service is newly offered in Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA.

MO-Call Home was launched in the UK in August 2007 and Hong Kong in December 2007. Morodo Technical Director, James Barnes, said, “Together with a local SIM card from any of these countries, MO-Call Home will dramatically reduce international calling costs for consumers. MO-Call can also help customers avoid roaming charges when they are traveling.”

Morodo Managing Director, Andrew Reid, went on to say, “We are now ready to offer a truly global service, I’m delighted. Our MO-Call Home footprint is substantially increased, reinforcing our objective to become a Virtual International Mobile Network Operator without the capital costs or licensing burdens that encumber traditional Mobile Network Operators.”

MO-Call works through a plug-in software application that can be installed on most mobile phones. Customers can download the plug-in, free of charge, from the MO-Call website www.mo-call.com. A Special Offer of GBP 2.50, Euro 3.50 or USD 5.00 trial credit is available, for a limited time, to allow new customers to experience the benefits of MO-Call.

Press Release: Morodo launches MO-Call in Hong Kong.

HONG KONG - Morodo (Hong Kong) Ltd (“Morodo”) is pleased to announce the launch of MO-Call in Hong Kong. MO-Call offers low-cost international calling direct from a mobile phone, without the need to change mobile number, SIM or network. Used when traveling overseas, MO-Call also helps avoid roaming charges. Providing seamless connection of a low-cost call from a mobile phone, MO-Call offers savings of up to 90% over existing Mobile Network International Tariffs

MO-Call works through a plug-in software application that can be installed on most mobile phones. Customers can download the plug-in, free of charge, from the MO-Call websites www.mo-call.hk. A Special Offer of HKD 10.00 trial credit is available, for a limited time, to allow new customers to experience the benefits of MO-Call.

Morodo’s Managing Director, Andrew Reid, said, “Hong Kong is a truly international city, attracting visitors from all over the world; Hong Kong people are cosmopolitan and connected. MO-Call is a perfect service for locals, expats and holidaymakers alike. MO-Call works on your existing mobile phone, you can use it on holiday and when you get back home. There’s no need to change your handset or mobile number and there are no subscription charges or minimum usage fees.”

The MO-Call application was developed at Morodo’s Research and Development Centre in Beijing, China. Technical Director, James Barnes, said, “The mo-call.hk website is a great example of MO-Call localisation. Under a License Agreement with Morodo, we offer traditional telecoms carriers, mobile networks and brand name owners the opportunity to grow new revenue streams in markets great and small.”

Press Release: Morodo launches MO-Call, a low-cost mobile phone service.

LONDON - Morodo Ltd is pleased to announce the launch of MO-Call in the United Kingdom. This innovative service offers low-cost international calls from a mobile phone without the need to change number or network. If used overseas, MO-Call can also help customers avoid roaming charges. MO-Call allows seamless connection of a low cost call from a mobile phone, at anytime, providing savings of up to 80% over existing Mobile Carrier International Tariffs.

MO-Call works through a plug-in software application that can be installed on most mobile phones. Customers may download the plug-in, free of charge, from the MO-Call website www.mo-call.com. A Special Offer of GBP 3.00 credit is available for a limited time to allow new customers to trial the service.

Morodo Managing Director Andrew Reid stated “Every Summer we see a variety of cheap call offers made by companies offering travel SIM cards or similar plans. MO-Call works on your existing mobile phone, you can use it on holiday and when you get back home. There’s no need to change your number and there are no subscription charges or minimum usage fees.”

Mr. Reid went on to say that, “In launching MO-Call, Morodo becomes a Mobile Carrier without the capital cost or licensing requirements of a traditional Mobile Network Operator. It’s a very attractive business model to Brand Owners that are searching for new revenue streams.”

The MO-Call software plug-in was developed at Morodo’s Research and Development Centre in Beijing, China. Technical Director, Mr. James Barnes, said, “The Morodo team intends to provide software applications for every popular mobile device group, operating system and manufacturer, offering the widest possible hardware footprint for the service. Today, the MO-Call software supports some 400 mobile phones.”