About

The EU’s Digital Markets Act regulation came into force in October 2022 requires messaging app developers to make their apps work together. The regulation, states that the “gatekeeper” companies behind WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or iMessage would have to make their apps “interoperable” with smaller messaging platforms at the developers’ request. The largest messaging services will have to open up and interoperate with smaller messaging platforms.. Users of small or big platforms would then be able to exchange messages, send files or make video calls across messaging apps, thus giving them more choice. IMA-HUB assists meggaging platforms to interoperate.

Solution & Product

IMA-HUB focuses on the interplay between communication services provision and interoperability, and aims to yield an infrastructure and innovative tools to support their evolution. It is an open and disruptive communication platform offered as a cloud service, which provides communication services and interconnection among all market stakeholders (Telco, Apps and OTTs). IMA-HUB delivers a smart hybrid cloud infrastructure to share and interoperate in-app and in-network communication services (CSP) and a cloud communication platform and supporting infrastructure for connecting messaging platforms HUB services. The CSP service initial market focus will be on Mobile Applications. The total mobile applications market for is 1.2m apps (according to App store, Google Play and AppAnnie). From these mobile applications we will target the following categories: business, travel, lifestyle, entertainment and sports which according to our internal market research are willing to pay for such service. The total target market is 381.480 apps. The Telco CSP target market will be mobile network operators (MNO) with low ARPU that they do not afford investing in RCS. Globally, there exist more than 820 MNO and 725 of them do not plan to invest on RCS in the next years according to GSMA Intelligence. Our target market will be 220 MNOs from those 725 MNOs operating mainly in Middle East and Africa where there is low penetration of broadband connections and OTTAs.

Innovation & Scalability

MA-HUB© services allow apps, to deploy communication services in their apps fast, test the service and perform the required customization and branding while significantly reduce capital and operation expeditures. IMA-HUB© provides CSP service enabling rapid deployment, high quality services and a viable economic model. Internal implementation is highly costly because it requires the best talent in the area to be used for long enough time in order to provide the solution and then to consider key-issues such as security, synchronization, interoperability with other app users and scaling. In terms of cost, CSP will reduce the developing cost by 40% and in the same time, will substantially reduce the go-to–market time. Additional benefit is extending their reach in any device on any network through the interconnection to legacy networks, RCS, WebRTC and user base federation. Telcos and service providers can be benefited from IMA-HUB© firstly providing new OTT-like service offering while keeping the and enriching the billing relationship with their customers and secondly a future proof solution that can be developed integrate and launched in less than 4 months working instantly across most devices and all network types through the interconnection HUB service. IMA-HUB© service innovative offerings connects all possible endpoints on any network providing apps, Telcos and MVNOs the communication tools to participate in the federated ecosystem, innovate and compete.

Traction & achievements

We have developed the IMA-HUB platform and we are at the stage of friendly launch. We have created a large industry traction in the last MWC and we are at stage of discussion with Matrix to interconnect as well as with Customers to provide;ide the HUB service.

Team & Why Us

Paraskevi Paschou CEO, she has more than 20 years of experience in design, development and management of telecommunication services working at OTE & COSMOTE Group. She holds a bachelor's degree from the Athens University of Economics and Business with a major in product promotion and management and an MBA from the Business School, College of Cardiff University of Wales. Dr. Georgios Sarigiannidis COO he holds a B.Sc. in Physics (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), M.Sc. in Information Technology (Queen Mary College), M.Sc. in Electronic Engineering (College of Cardiff University of Wales) and Ph. D. in Electronic and Electrical Engineering (University of Birmingham). During his career, he has been a ICT Consultant in various companies such as Logica and Intracom SA etc. Stavros Markantonis CTO holds a degree in Physics from the University of Athens and an M.Sc. in Automatic Control and Information Technology (University of Sheffield). He has more than 20 years experience.

Funding Needs

In order to scale up IMA-HUB we need to raise 1 Million Euro