Tags:Bridge | SingTel

Subscribers of the Bridge Mobile Alliance member networks can now turn to their mobile phones for directions and other travel tips when they visit various urban areas around Asia.

Bridge Mobile announced Thursday the launch of Bridge ConciergeGo, a one-stop mobile travel portal that provides travelers and roamers convenient access to useful content such as weather and city information on their mobile phones.

Co-developed with enterprise software developer Sybase, Bridge ConciergeGo is available to roamers on Bridge Mobile Alliance member networks, which include regional telecom companies like SingTel of Singapore and Malaysia''s Maxis.

The new location-based service currently covers eight Asian markets and 13 major cities, including Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane), Hong Kong, India (New Delhi, Mumbai), Indonesia (Jakarta, Bali), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Philippines (Manila), Singapore and Taiwan (Taipei).

In a press statement, Seow Yoke Kong, vice president, service and technology development of Bridge Mobile, said the service was built to address the growing need for information mobility.

"With Bridge ConciergeGo, users can conveniently obtain essential local travel information and merchant promotions within the convenience of their mobile phones when they roam, thereby enhancing their roaming experience across Asia on Bridge Mobile Alliance member networks," said Seow.

The portal utilizes Sybase''s AvantGo service--a free push-based mobile Internet service that delivers rich, personalized mobile Web sites to smartphones and personal digital assistants (PDAs).

According to Bridge Mobile, access to the Bridge ConciergeGo portal is free and requires no subscription or pre-registration, though users still need to pay roaming charges. Mobile phone users can access Bridge ConciergeGo at http://conciergego.mobi.

The Bridge Mobile executive said he expects the portal to become a potential launch pad for other location-based applications to be developed in the future.

Formed in November 2004, Bridge Mobile Alliance is currently made up of nine mobile operators in Asia-Pacific, namely, India''s Airtel, Hong Kong''s CSL, Macau''s CTM, Philippines'' Globe Telecom, Malaysia''s Maxis, SingTel Mobile in Singapore, SingTel Optus in Australia, Taiwan Mobile, and Indonesia''s Telkomsel, as well as nine technology associate members.


Source: zdnetindia