Mobile365

About Mobile365

Mobile365 was a pivotal player in the early days of mobile communication, establishing itself as a global intermediary for mobile messaging and content delivery. The company was co-founded by Terry Hsiao, formerly of Nextel, along with Bill Backrach and Bill Peters. They identified a significant gap in the U.S. mobile market where, unlike in Europe and Asia, text messaging was hampered because messages could not travel between different carrier networks. Mobile365 was created to solve this interoperability problem, acting as a neutral third-party to connect carriers and enable a seamless flow of mobile data services.

The company's core business centered on providing the infrastructure for the delivery, billing, and settlement of mobile messages, including SMS, MMS, WAP, and IM. Its business model was based on charging a fee for each transaction that passed through its network, allowing it to scale with the burgeoning mobile messaging market. Mobile365's client base was diverse, encompassing mobile operators, content providers, global brands, media companies, and financial institutions. By forging relationships with approximately 700 mobile operators globally, such as Verizon Wireless, Vodafone, and Cingular, the company created a vast network for its services. This network was utilized by major brands like Citibank, Yahoo!, AOL, and Sony Pictures to distribute their content and applications to a mobile audience.

A significant milestone in the company's history was its formation in September 2004 through the merger of Inphomatch, a U.S.-based messaging company, and Mobileway, a U.K.-based content provider. This merger created a dominant force in the mobile messaging space. The company's success and strategic position attracted the attention of enterprise software provider Sybase Inc., which announced its acquisition of Mobile365 in September 2006 for approximately $425 million. The acquisition was completed in November 2006, after which Mobile365 began operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary named Sybase 365. The technology and infrastructure originally developed by Mobile365 continued its journey when SAP acquired Sybase in 2010, and was later sold to the Swedish cloud communications firm Sinch in 2020.