SVM MobileBits » smartphones

Mobile Startups Announce Millions in New VC Funding

SVM — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:49:50 +0000

There have been a number of mobile start-ups that have announced new funding rounds in the last week, included MobileIron, WeFi Inc. and Apperian.MobileIron is a Sunnyvale, CA-based smartphone software firm who recently emerged from stealth mode with $9 million in funding from Norwest Venture Partners, Storm Ventures and Sequoia Capital. The company launched a data and content management platform that helps companies monitor employee smartphone usage (including security features), which can help enterprises decrease wireless bills by up to 20 percent.

Fairfax, VA-based WeFi Inc. creates software that finds and connects users to Wi-Fi hot spots. The company has secured an undisclosed second investment from Lightspeed Venture Partners and Pitango Venture Capital. The funding will be used to develop WeFi’s software products and increase marketing efforts and strategic partnerships.

Business-centric app-maker Apperian has raised $1 million in a first round of funding from CommonAngels. The Boston-based startup was founded by a group of Apple veterans, including CEO Chuck Goldman, who spent eight years with Apple.

For more information see:

http://moconews.net/article/419-smartphone-software-firm-mobileiron-launches-with-9-million-in-funding/

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/08/03/daily73.html?surround=lfn

http://www.pehub.com/46137/iphone-app-maker-apperian-raises-1-million/

AT&T = Smart

SVM — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:00:59 +0000

It may not boast the most subscribers – Verizon tops that list – but AT&T is by far the leading carrier for smartphone users in the U.S. According to an announcement made late last week, twice as many smartphone users subscribe to AT&T than any other U.S. carrier. As of March, AT&T had 11.8 million smartphone customers – more than double the 5.1 million customers of Verizon and Alltel combined. The company attributes its success to the fact that it offers the nation’s fastest 3G network, as well as 20,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across the country. Strangely absent from AT&T’s announcement was any mention of Apple’s iPhone and the role it played in the company’s market dominance.

http://blog.telephonyonline.com/unfiltered/2009/05/15/att-touts-smartphone-success-doesn’t-thank-apple/

U.S. Takes the Lead in Mobile Data Revenue with $10 Billion First Quarter

SVM — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:29:38 +0000

Revenue from mobile data services in the United States reached $10 billion in the first quarter of 2009, making it the worldwide leader in mobile data revenue and the first country to reach that point. According to research published by Chetan Sharma, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile now respectively hold the No. 3, No. 4, No. 6 and No. 8 spots worldwide in terms of the amount of mobile data revenue generated each quarter. The leaders worldwide are NTT DoCoMo and China Mobile.

The definition of data services in the report includes both mobile messaging (SMS and MMS) and other uses (browsing, apps, video, etc). Sharma noted that the growth in 3G networks, smartphones and better interoperability of messaging has allowed the United States to edge past Western Europe in data use, and to go “way past Western European countries in the actual data revenues being generated.”

For more information, see:

http://www.chetansharma.com/usmarketupdateq109.htm

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/us-pulls-ahead-in-mobile-data-revenue-analyst-says/