Nimbuzz Signs Spice Deal

Mobile instant messaging (IM), (geo) presence and VoIP provider Nimbuzz has signed a distribution deal with Spice Mobile, which specialises in innovative handsets in India. New Spice Mobile handsets will have the Nimbuzz application pre-installed for users to chat, message and send files on the go. In addition, Spice Mobile becomes a major distribution partner as part of Nimbuzz’s global Manufacturer Affiliate Program. New Java and Windows Mobile handsets are rolling out to the Indian market now via Spice Mobile’s 25,000 retail outlets, with the full Nimbuzz communication portfolio installed.
The addition of Nimbuzz will be announced to Spice Mobile customers by a multi-territory marketing campaign, including Nimbuzz logos, links and service description on the Spice Mobile website, POS promotions, and links to Nimbuzz on its WAP Portal.
“We are growing at a record pace, adding around 20,000 new users per day,” says Nimbuzz CEO,  Evert-Jaap Lugt. Our community appeals to handset manufacturers, as they benefit from global and local IM and social network community integration and a comprehensive feature set, at a substantially accelerated speed to market, and without incurring additional overhead costs. This deal ensures significant market penetration for Nimbuzz across the APAC territories and we will be working closely with Spice Mobile to encourage future shipment of new handsets.”
In addition to India, pre-installed Spice Mobile devices will be sold in other APAC territories. Customers will be able to communicate with the growing community of Nimbuzz subscribers in over 200 countries, using Nimbuzz for features such as social networking, IM, location and file sharing. Gartner expects India’s mobile user base of around 300 million to reach 737 million by 2012. Price Waterhouse Coopers reports that the Indian mobile VAS market will reach $2 billion by the end of 2008 and expects it to account for 18% of operator revenue by 2010.
“With soaring mobile usage and penetration, the Indian VAS market is witnessing remarkable growth,” says Spice Mobile CEO, Kunal Ahooja. “As the mobile handset is increasingly becoming the device of choice when it comes to accessing a multitude of applications and VAS, our innovations and offerings, bundled with our phones, support our mission to provide consumers with a more engaging and fulfilling experience. We turn to leading technology providers such as Nimbuzz to add the best value services, such as instant messaging and social networking, to our devices."