Australian mobile entertainment content and services company MobileActive has entered into an exclusive technology licence and commercial partnership with UK mobile and digital communications business Mobile Interactive Group (MIG) for Australia and New Zealand. MobileActive and MIG will share in revenues generated from the technology platforms in the Australia and New Zealand market.
The terms of the agreement include the payment of licence fees by MobileActive to MIG, and the issue to MIG of 3m options in MobileActive Limited, at a 50 per cent premium to 30-day VWAP (volume weighted average price) prior to the grant date. Vesting occurs in three tranches, with one-third vesting after 12, 24 and 36 months respectively after the grant date.
MIG is one of the fastest growing privately-owned technology companies in the UK and is the country’s largest mobile payments provider, with over 20 per cent market share. Revenue generated from its technology platforms and associated services grew 74 per cent to £68min FY 2009.
The MIG technology licence and commercial partnership will sit in MobileActive’s b2b division, Mobile Embrace, alongside the company’s Mobile Entertainment Retail (MER) and RingRing Studios (in-house mobile content production, licensing and distribution) units.
The MIG technology platforms, which complement the existing MobileActive infrastructure Mobile Embrace offers to clients, will support a number of specialist disciplines, including mobile internet and applications publishing, multichannel digital solutions, m-commerce, messaging solutions and interactive platforms.
MobileActive CEO Chris Thorpe says the agreement substantially strengthens Mobile Embrace’s market offering, that includes branded mobile content development, hosting and delivery, corporate messaging, billing, mobile marketing and mobile membership and loyalty services. 
“We are focused on building on the quality and depth of Mobile Embrace’s mobile business-to-business services. MIG’s technology platforms, that have won a number of industry awards for performance, innovation, compliance and reliability, give us a distinct competitive advantage,” says Thorpe. “They are world class, with a track record to match. Mobile Embrace will be able to provide Australian businesses outstanding integrated mobile solutions across a number of areas primed for growth.”
The first platform that Mobile Embrace will deploy in Australia and New Zealand, during the first quarter of the 2011 financial year, will be Kilrush, the mobile internet and applications publishing platform. The technology brings businesses into the mobile space by providing the tools to enable rapid development of mobile websites and applications, and seamlessly integrate them with interactive messaging, mobile ad-serving and billing as well as talking to existing business systems.
Kilrush powers services for big content owners, brands and mobile operators and is flexible enough to support applications, widgets and power bespoke applications for large and small businesses. The platform supports over 7,000 devices worldwide.
“A core part of MIG’s strategy has been to grow and internationalise the business, and we remain on track to fulfil these goals in 2010,” says MIG CEO and founder, Barry Houlihan. “We have a unique breadth of mobile and digital technology, which has enabled us to create leadership in certain sectors working with brands, media and entertainment companies, broadcasters, and with mobile network operators in the European market.
“We recognise MobileActive’s experience, expertise and market leadership, and the partnership will enable MIG to rapidly deliver innovative technology solutions into the Australian and New Zealand markets.”
