Aims at banks and financial services organisations with range of new services
EE, a UK mobile operator, has launched a new strategy to acquire more City-based business in cental London, UK, by introducing a range of services targeted specifically at those companies' needs.
New services include Mobile Voice Recording, which EE claimed is the UK's first network-integrated mobile recording service that fully complies with FCA mobile trading regulations, and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 Regulated-level for high security mobility management.
The Mobile Voice Recording service ensures all mobile phone calls made by financial traders are recorded transparently and cost effectively, and can be used affordably when calling from abroad. The service also stores text messages sent from devices using BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10.
Mobile Voice Recording works with any handset and, because it is embedded within the EE network, it automatically records all calls without the user having to do anything. Users do not need to open apps to access the service or remember to dial prefix numbers before making calls, reducing overall call costs.
As a default feature on subscribed mobile connections, Mobile Voice Recording supports compliance with FCA regulation that requires mobile phone communications relating to transactions in the equities, bond, derivatives and financial commodity markets to be recorded, to help deter and detect market abuse in the UK. The service has been jointly developed by EE and Etrali Trading Solutions, the market leading integrator of voice capture and analytics platforms for the financial markets.
Mobile Voice Recording stores all voice and data communications for six months. Data can be either stored on Etrali's cloud infrastructure, which is accessed through a secure online portal, or streamed directly to an organisation's dedicated storage system. The service is available on a per-user licence basis and can be integrated into the customer's existing voice recording infrastructure without data being stored in the cloud.
Rik Turner, senior analyst, financial services technology, Ovum, said: 'The evolution of mobile recording has already seen the SIM-based approach prevail over software clients and now mobile network operators are gradually moving in to compete against MVNOs. It is Ovum's opinion they will win and call recording will become a tick-box option in enterprises' contracts with their mobile provider.'
EE has also announced BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 (BES 10) Regulated-level Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM), which gives financial services organisations the highest level of control for BlackBerry 10 smartphones. BES 10 Regulated-level EMM enables granular control over device features such as the in-built camera, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity from a web-based management console, alongside options to deploy and manage work applications and restrict unapproved apps.
This drive for new customers also includes EE's double speed 4G service, now available in the City offering speeds up to 60Mbps and averaging 24-30Mbps. An accompanying 'In The City' marketing campaign will comprise print advertising, direct marketing and an event for customers and prospects to introduce EE's offering to the financial services industry.
Gerry McQuade, chief marketing officer for business at EE, said: 'With our 'In The City' strategy, we've put together a complete package for financial services organisations that makes it easier for them to securely manage their mobile device fleets and comply with regulations governing mobile trading. Not only is this critical to our customers' business but also to the health and integrity of the financial services industry in the UK.'
EE's 'In The City' strategy comes as the company nears the one-year anniversary of its 4G network launch on 30 October. In that time, EE has attracted more than 3,000 corporate customers to 4G, including large organisations in the financial services industry.
