OnMobile’s Innovation Arsenal: Paving the Path in Mobile Gaming and Entertainment
CXOToday has engaged in an exclusive interview with Sanjay Baweja, Managing Director and Global CEO, OnMobile Global
- How does OnMobile maintain its competitive edge against smaller players focused on individual segments and larger conglomerates with broader offerings?
Answer: Our competitive edge stems from a diverse range of innovative products in mobile gaming and entertainment.
Challenges Arena, our mobile-first casual gaming product, provides a single platform for playing quizzes, puzzles, hypercasual games, and fantasy sports. It features localized content in over 20 languages for instant gratification, making it a potent instrument for user engagement and retention.
Our pure-play 5G mobile cloud gaming solution, ONMO, capitalizes on disruptive technologies like vision AI and cloud gaming while embracing key mobile trends such as short format content, social gaming, and esports. ONMO constantly evolves its content library with hundreds of unique and exciting moments from popular branded titles, ensuring players have differentiated yet exceptional gaming experiences.
Our D2C enabler, Gamize, is a SaaS gamification platform that enhances user participation and loyalty by enabling the creation of vibrant and interactive communities through gamified campaigns.
For over two decades, we have been delivering digital mobile entertainment products such as RingBack Tones (RBT), Videos and Contests to Telcos.
Our products position us as a leader in mobile gaming and entertainment, delivering innovative, cutting-edge solutions to Telcos and D2C brands. With dedicated focus and effort, we drive product innovation aligned with customer needs and relationships, ensuring we stay ahead of our competition.
2. Are there any new product categories you plan to introduce to strengthen your competitive position?
Answer: Product innovation is our DNA, we constantly look at opportunities to put leading edge products and it is our endeavour to develop new products on an ongoing basis. Having said that, we currently do not have immediate plans to introduce new product categories, our latest addition, Gamize, our first foray in a SAAS model outside of our traditional Mobile operator paradigm has already gained traction with customers in the BFSI and retail e-commerce sectors.
Further, we keep making significant strides in enhancing B2B onboarding support and introducing additional features to foster deeper engagement and long-term customer attention. The strong interest from potential customers continues to validate our offerings, and we remain optimistic about generating considerably higher revenue in the upcoming Quarters.
3. Looking back, what have been the most significant milestones achieved by OnMobile in 2023, and what are the expectations from the year 2024?
Answer: With over two decades of experience in delivering digital services to telcos, our dynamic vision is to sign up 200 mobile operators to deploy our mobile gaming service, and our cumulative agreements are already at 117, with 75 operators live per our Q2 results.
We extended our contract for a further period of two years with Telefonica in Spain, delivering Video and Editorial content and games to Spanish customers, and signed with America Movil, one of the largest operators in LATAM and the Caribbean, for the Tones business. We are actively pursuing potential collaborations and partnerships in Africa, Europe and North America as well.
We launched Gamize, our SaaS gamification platform, in March last year. 2 clients are live now. We possess a strong deal pipeline for this emerging segment, and we anticipate witnessing substantial growth in customer confirmations in the upcoming quarters.
We did face a setback due to a client changing their business model, but the resolve and passion of our employees to excel will put us right back onto the path of growth.
4. To fuel this growth in India, what specific areas will you be focusing investment on? Talent acquisition, technology infrastructure, or marketing initiatives?
Answer: Each of those areas plays a crucial role in fostering growth. We are investing in recruiting and retaining skilled professionals, constantly improving and expanding technology infrastructure that will improve operational efficiency and support scalability.
Our current landscape also beckons a huge marketing investment. We are currently investing in growth with a high marketing spend, particularly in new geographies or operators with whom we are constantly going live.
5. OnMobile has built a reputation for innovation. How do you stay ahead of the curve in the mobile entertainment space, and how do you ensure your new technologies always translate into an exceptional user experience?
Answer: As previously mentioned, we continuously advance our efforts to improve our B2B onboarding support and introduce new features that encourage lasting customer engagement. We strive to swiftly adapt to shifting market trends, keeping us nimble and responsive. We actively pursue fresh growth opportunities, ensuring our relevance and competitiveness in this dynamic market landscape.
6. Strategic collaborations and partnerships can be crucial in a dynamic industry like mobile entertainment. Do you have any upcoming partnerships with exciting players or areas where you’re actively seeking collaboration?
Answer: Our focus is on market expansion in Europe, Africa and North America. The confidence in our mobile gaming and entertainment products drives us to actively explore new potential partnerships. While I may not be able to disclose specific details at this moment, we are proactively pursuing collaborations as part of our strategy for growth and development.
7. With the arrival of 5G, the potential for mobile gaming is expected to explode. How is OnMobile preparing to participate in this revolution, and what opportunities do you see emerging in the 5G gaming space?
Answer: 5G technology holds immense potential to revolutionize the future of mobile gaming and entertainment. It will boost streaming speeds, enabling enhanced multiplayer gaming and viewing experiences. Due to ultra-low latency, 5G gaming won’t be tied down to devices with high computing power and the in-game action will be smoother than ever, with no lag between a gamers’ input and the game’s response.
ONMO is our mobile cloud gaming solution designed, developed and optimized for 5G networks with added features such as under 3-minute competitions, co-play live with friends and access to multiple popular games without any downloads. Primarily tailored for premium users with high-end devices and better connectivity, ONMO identifies a remarkable niche. ONMO presents a significant opportunity for widespread adoption by enabling advanced and rich experiences for mobile casual gamers across global 5G networks.
8. As the CEO of a leading mobile entertainment company, what excites you most about the future of this industry, and what challenges do you foresee that OnMobile must be prepared to face?
Answer: As the CEO of a mobile gaming and entertainment company, what excites me most is the boundless potential for innovation, especially with the ongoing development of 5G networks and other advancements. These technologies open doors to entirely new forms of immersive entertainment, revolutionizing how users interact with content.
However, these same advancements also present challenges, as we must equip ourselves to address technological changes, diverse content quality, monetization strategies, market saturation, and more. Maintaining agility, fostering a culture of innovation, and prioritizing customer satisfaction become essential amidst industry shifts and changing consumer preferences.
