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PARIS - The mobile smart card industry is at turning point. Rather than simply churning out products In the form of SIM cards, Industry players are now looking to establish solutions-based businesses, moving Into content provision and packaging, preparing for a future they expect to be dominated by wireless access protocol (WAP) technology.
According to Eric Tholome, marketing director for mobile communication solutions for Paris-based smart card manufacturer, Schlumberger, in response to operators that are in turn driven by increased competition in the mobile sector, the company is now positioning itself to as a end-toend solutions provider. "Even if you end up just selling a product to somebody they still expect you to understand their business and solutions. Half of all bids are for solutions rather than new products."
Schlumberger is in the process of establishing a `library' of generic Java applets for services such as mobile banking and commerce, interactive games and information-on-demand. These can be customised using the SIM toolkit to allow operators to develop their own brand.
The company is partnering with banks and content providers on a case-by-case basis -- usually a local player - and the result is a...