MOBILE PHONE DATA

Synchronica offers disaster recovery for mobile users
Posted by Rene Millman at 3:50PM, Monday 3rd September 2007

New product allows mobile users to back up important phone data over the air.
Mobile phone users will soon be able to back up their contact data, emails and files stored on their mobile phones over the air.

Mobile synchronisation and device management company Synchronica has launched its new Backup and Restore application aimed at phone users needing a back up of phone data in the event of their device being lost or stolen.

Carsten Brinkschulte, chief executive of the Tunbridge Wells-based company said that the application would allow mobile operators and application service providers to generate extra revenue streams and pointed to a survey from Zelos Research group that found that 20 per cent of mobile phone subscribers were looking for a service that would allow them to back up important data from the handsets.

"An over-the-air backup and restore service may be the first mobile data application beyond SMS to be successful in the mass market," said Brinkschlte. "As well as providing an additional revenue stream for operators and service providers, the service can also reduce churn and maintain ARPU."

The service would not only allow users to have a back up but would also make the process of upgrading a phone easier. Customers can use the backup and restore facility to transfer their personal information over the air to their new phone.

Synchronica said that one of its first mobile operator customers for the product was Norwegian mobile operator NetCom.

"We wanted to be able to offer our customers an OTA backup and restore facility for their personal data which would mean that a change of phone - either due to loss or upgrading - would not mean losing all important information," said Arne Igesund, Manager of Data Services at NetCom. "With the Synchronica solution, we can provide our customers with seamless data migration from one device to another, quickly and easily."

He said that another advantage of the product was that it is based on the SyncML open standard, meaning it works on a wide range of devices.