What can it do?

Seriously, most things you can do with a website you can also do with Video IVR. There are really only three limitations to keep in mind. First, the resolution of a 3G screen is fixed at 176 x 144 pixels. Second, you are limited to about twelve frames-per-second when displaying video. And third, user interaction is limited to the twelve DTMF keys. But other than that, you are constrained only by your imagination.

Accessing an application from a mobile phone has some clear advantages over a computer. For a start, users can do it anywhere, not just when they're sitting at a desk.

Another advantage of mobile phones is that they usually provide caller-ID information so the caller can be uniquely identified. This allows secure access to private data, or the tailoring of applications to individual users.

Finally, any application accessed via a 1900 premium number provides a flagfall or per-minute revenue stream to the owner of the application. This is a very effective way to monetize valuable content.

WAP comparison

Most new phones come equipped with a WAP-based browser, allowing access to digital content. This content can be exclusive to the carrier, for example Telstra's i-mode, or can come from anywhere on the internet. While WAP is useful for some applications, video IVR has clear advantages.

• Ease of use. Access is as simple as calling a number, and interaction is as intuitive as regular IVR. Compare this with WAP, which often requires users to enter a URL via a numeric keypad. Given that many over-40's don't even use SMS, this is an unrealistic requirement.
• Performance. Video IVR applications typically respond to a keypress within half a second, whereas WAP can take anywhere up to thirty seconds to load a new page. This results in a significantly better customer experience.
• Compatibility. WAP content has traditionally been plagued by incompatibilities between makes and models of handsets, as well as carrier access. This leads to time-consuming cross-platform testing and separate negotiations with each carrier. Video IVR, on the other hand, is guaranteed to work with all 3G handsets and all carriers, straight away.

When these advantages are combined with the proven 1900 revenue model, video IVR becomes a compelling distribution platform for content developers.