GENBAND-fring Acquisition Shows Growing OTT Role for Service Providers

In an effort to create more “over the top” messaging app capabilities, primarily for fixed network service providers, GENBAND, a supplier of a range of IP-based communication solutions largely purchased by fixed network service providers, has bought fring, a supplier of mobile over the top communications for the consumer market.

The move gives GENBAND the ability to supply a “mobile” over the top communications capability that could be branded by GENBAND customers.

In other words, fring gives GENBAND a way to supply its fixed network customers with a “mobile” consumer service. That is another example of how fixed network and mobile network functions and revenue streams are melding.

As mobile service providers are able to use third party and unaffiliated fixed networks to offload mobile data traffic, GENBAND hopes fring will be used by fixed network service providers to earn revenue on third party mobile networks, likewise using mobile capacity to support a fixed network operator’s business and revenue.

One might also say the move is one way a traditional supplier of fixed network infrastructure makes entry into mobile infrastructure solutions.

“fring is one of the pioneers that helped change the way consumers communicate on-the-go and is perfectly aligned with our strategy  to bring service providers rich, simple-to-use, mobile communications solutions,” said David Walsh, GENBAND’s CEO.

“The fring team and technology enhance our ability to serve our customer base of over 700 service providers around the world, fortifying them with a proven platform they can white-label to bring their own brand of OTT services to subscribers,” Walsh said.

Of course, GENBAND also will market fring to mobile operators interested in offering their own OTT mobile communications service.

Of course, fring has been marketing its solution to mobile operators in precisely that way, for some time.

GENBAND hopes to leverage that expertise to offer service providers a branded service offering group video chat, two-way video chat, voice-only calls and text chat.

In addition to illustrating the fuzzier boundaries between fixed and mobile communications, GENBAND’s purchase of fring also shows how over the top revenue models are finding a home in the traditional service provider business.