Starhome http://www.starhome.com/ … Starhome is a mature (established late 1999) and very-well funded firm with over 120 MNO customers worldwide., and a very close relationship with Vodaphone. They are attempting to bridge the divides between mobile networks and between mobile and fixed-line environments. Starhome allows carriers to “wrap their users in a bubble of value-added services” that remain available to them when they roam. It also allows visitors access to the carrier’s services. In addition to roaming services they provide services across network types. For example, they can provide PBX-like services like videoconferencing (usually available via an enterprise service) that allow the user to continue on a cell network,  a videoconference begun on a corporate network.

Olista http://www.olista.com/ … Olista, a three-year old company, targets mobile carriers with a service adoption management (SAM) platform. There is  a modest professional services effort to customize the SAM platform to the carrier’s environment, but once in place, the SAM platform monitors the experience (eg data from WAP gateways) of each user.  Olista analyses performance issues (multiple duplicate downloads, slow downloads, etc) and alerts the carrier. Over time, the SAM platform can implement rules which will automatically handle (similar to MOMs agents) recognizable situation.  In addition, Olista can analyze the usage of the carrier’s portal, identifying areas of low use, and where trials are not pursued. Individual user performance can be analyzed. For example a heavy user whose usage has recently  declined can trigger an alert. If a customer downloads content more than once, the carrier can notify the user and void charges, perhaps directing the customer to better training on downloads. Olista can also identify  group of users who ccommunicate with each other and use, say, MMS,  and can then ensure that they receive promotional material and pricing that encourages and supports their use. Olista can be licensed on a traditional basis or via a shared risk (increase in ARPU) model. Olista  has a particularly strong customer base.