JP Mobile in talks with 4 Indian cellular cos

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Dallas, Texas-based JP Mobile, which offers software solutions that enable handheld devices to connect to enterprise business applications, is in talks with leading Indian cellular service providers who want to offer value-added services to corporate customers.

JP Mobile, which has a development centre in Hyderabad in India, has over 60 US enterprises already signed up for similar offerings which ensure that executives can stay in touch with business related communication through handheld devices like cellular phones, PDAs or even pocket PCs.

JP Mobile, which has raised over $68 million in funding in the US since its inception in 1995, is expected to break even in the current calendar year with revenues of about $4 million.

Speaking to Business Standard, P Raghu Kumar, managing director of JP Mobile India Limited, said that the company was in talks with four leading Indian cellular service providers to provide enterprise solutions.

"We are in talks with some leading names but are still at least a couple of quarters away from seeing any of these services being offered in the country," Raghu Kumar said. "It is not possible for enterprises to say no to such services as the productivity increases are humongous," he said.

JP Mobile offers a comprehensive server-based software solution, SureWave® Enterprise Server (SureWave), for secure access to enterprise business applications, e-mail, and the full range of personal information management (PIM) data on handheld devices.

The unique selling proposition of JP Mobile's offering is that it can support handheld devices across all major platforms including Palm, Pocket PC, Research in Motion (RIM) and Symbian, as well as Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) devices.

SureWave, according to Raghu Kumar, was ideal for IT departments who wanted to implement a mobility strategy in an easy, direct and cost-effective way to offer secure, bi-directional synchronised access to data behind a corporate firewall.

JP Mobile also offers mobile procurement and approval system (MPAS) to assist the ordering and tracking of mobile devices and other offerings.

"We also have partnerships with names like Cincinnati Bell Wireless, Cingular Wireless, Handspring, Ingram Micro, Software Spectrum, Sprint PCS and Verizon Wireless," he said.

The company, at present, offers technology support to customers between India and Dallas and close to 95 per cent of all testing is done at its India centre.

"Only in cases where the technology, like RIM, is not available in India we do the testing abroad and this ensures that our costs are kept down," he said.