Page 43 - SAMENA Trends - January 2020

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

operators and enterprises. Syniverse’s the scalability and flexibility of Nexledger reducing the friction of cross-regional
Universal Commerce blockchain service Universal, and Syniverse’s decades of mobile payments and addressing ever-
simplifies, accelerates, and secures payment and settlement experience, increasing regulatory requirements by
multiparty agreements by replacing create the opportunity to lead the market leveraging blockchain technologies.
manual processes with smart contracts, in delivering a frictionless phone-to-phone Today’s digital transformation requires
unifying data records, and providing or phone-to-merchant payment engine mobile operators and businesses to offer
encryption. It reduces the friction of for secure, simple exchange of value. their customers and employees seamless
doing business in a revenue-sharing With our shared values, differentiated mobile experiences, especially in the area
world of large-scale global services and offerings and extensive capabilities, of clearing and settlement. In collaboration
technologies – regardless of industry or Samsung SDS and Syniverse are primed with Samsung SDS, we intend to integrate
connectivity type. Scott Koo, President, to securely convert your mobile phone the power of blockchain to design a mobile
Samsung SDS America said. “The need into an easy-to-use digital wallet.” Dean wallet platform that solves some key
for simple, fast, secure, auditable and Douglas, Chief Executive Officer and challenges of mobile payments and builds
cost-effective monetary transactions is President, Syniverse said. “Our goal is to trust in a mobile user’s identity, device and
growing worldwide. Today the cost to establish universal financial transaction transaction.”
consumers and merchants is too high. The trust for every connected device in the
proven attributes of blockchain along with world. As part of this, we’re focused on

Philippine Telcos Form Joint Venture, Select Syniverse to Enable Mobile
Portability Services

The Philippines’ major mobile operators be another key milestone marked in mobile taking steps to put in place a seamless
Globe, new player Dito Telecommunity and services in the Philippines,” said Paul and efficient process for our existing and
PLDT subsidiary Smart Communications Hodges, Senior Vice President of Sales, would-be customers who would like to
have joined forces to put up a new Syniverse. The company is expected to avail of this service in the future,” said
company using fresh investments to bring in the technical infrastructure to Alfredo S. Panlilio, Chief Revenue Officer of
enable number porting services in line fulfill its primary function as clearinghouse PLDT and Smart, and President of Smart.
with the new mobile number portability for the three mobile operators to ensure “Given the technical and operational
initiative of the government. This is an the smooth implementation of number complexity of mobile number portability,
important first step towards the full porting services. Under the Implementing we wanted to make sure the MNPSP has
implementation of Republic Act 11202 Rules and Regulations of the MNP Act, the experience and capacity to fulfill its
also known as the “Mobile Number the mobile operators will equally share obligations under the law. Our utmost
Portability Act” (“the MNP Act”). Syniverse, the capital expenditure for the software, priority is to ensure that the experience
the world’s most connected company, hardware and other facilities required of our customers is seamless and of
was chosen by the Philippine mobile by the MNPSP. However, the sharing of utmost convenience should they decide
operators through a rigorous technical and operating and maintenance costs shall to port their numbers. We are one with
commercial evaluation process, to be the be agreed upon by the mobile operators the government in having our customers
mobile number portability service provider and the MNPSP. As MNPSP, Syniverse is enjoy global mobile practices,” Globe Chief
(MNPSP). The company will bring in the likewise expected to fulfill all functions Technology and Information Officer and
technical infrastructure to fulfill its primary outlined in the implementing rules and Chief Strategy Officer Gil B. Genio said.
function as clearinghouse for the telcos regulations under the NTC Memorandum Through the MNP Act, mobile phone users
and ensuring smooth implementation Circular 03-06-2019 issued in July this can keep their numbers even when they
of number porting services. “For more year. With the initial step of setting up transfer to another service provider, or
than 30 years, Syniverse has been the the support mechanisms, the actual when they switch their subscription from
trusted spine of mobile communications implementation of MNP will be contingent postpaid to prepaid, or vice-versa. Mobile
by delivering the industry-leading upon the completion of integration and Number Portability refers to the ability of
innovations in software and services interoperability tests of the clearinghouse a mobile postpaid or prepaid subscriber,
that now connect more than 7 billion facilities with the separate multi-vendor who has no existing financial obligation
devices globally and process more than systems of the mobile operators. “We’ve to the current service provider, to retain
$35 billion in mobile transactions each taken the key steps forward but there’s an existing mobile number despite having
year. With recognition by the Philippine still a lot of work to be done in terms of moved from one mobile service provider to
mobile operators, we are confident that technical preparations. We at PLDT and another, or to change the type subscription
the Mobile Number Portability project will Smart have geared up for this. We are from postpaid to prepaid or vice versa.

43 JANUARY 2020