Sixth Sense Media, a US-based mobile marketing and advertising software firm, is close to inking a sizeable deal with Idea CellularBSE -3.15 % to help India’s third-largest telco boost mobile marketing revenues by leveraging its core network and customer information resources.
Sixth Sense is majority-owned by US venture capital funds, JT Ventures and Second Alpha Partners. “We are trying to help Idea connect its customers to millions of local small and medium retailers through customised loyalty programmes by deploying our mobile marketing software platform, and in turn open new revenue areas like mobile advertising and mobile retail for the telco,” Sixth Sense Media CEO Thomas Thekkethala said.
According to him, a carrier is ideally equipped to connect its customers to brands using its mobile channel as it has access to critical subscriber information such as average revenue per user (ARPU), gender and geographical location. The Sixth Sense CEO, however, declined to reveal the deal size, citing existing non-disclosure pacts with Idea.
Idea Cellular did not reply to queries on the potential deal with Sixth Sense. Under the proposed partnership, Sixth Sense would also help Idea “upsell its core network services, voice, data and SMS, to counter potential over-thetop (OTT) and content players from cannibalising its voice and messaging revenues,” said Thekkethala.
