“Take back control with Direct Operator Billing” was the message Nic Stirk, CEO of SLA Mobile, gave mobile operators today at the CommunicAsia2012 Summit.

Speaking at the Mobile Payment: Operator Strategies and Opportunities conference, Nic Stirk explained how Direct Operator Billing (DOB) is the ideal solution to enable mobile operators to differentiate themselves and finally address the growing threat from over-the-top (OTT) players such as Apple and Google.

It is estimated that the mobile payments market in Asia Pacific will be worth USD$267 billion by 2016. If mobile operators want to have a significant slice of this pie – rather than the crumbs left by the OTT players – then they must start developing their smart pipe strategy today.

“A strategy of monetising network assets needs to be on the agenda of every operator’s board,” Stirk told operators. “Direct Operator Billing should be seen as the starting point of such a strategy. Operators have many assets which can be monetised and DOB is simply the stepping stone to greater things in terms of differentiating themselves against the OTT players.”

Operators need to disrupt the current value chain by creating a vibrant ecosystem in which revenue is generated from a two-sided business model, which has the operator centre position and consumers and merchants on either side. Key to creating sustainability is for operators to have direct engagement with merchants. Nic suggested that operators might have the capability and resources to do this themselves. If not, they should partner with a technology and business company that has the ability to think and behave like an operator. “This is where SLA Mobile can help,” said Stirk. “We have already helped many of the world’s leading mobile operators to develop innovative billing solutions that will achieve this aim.”

SLA Mobile works with the world’s leading mobile operators, such as Vodafone, VHA and XL Axiata, and has built a reputation of bringing to market innovative business solutions that enable operators to compete more effectively and create value using the operator’s own network assets

SLA Mobile is exhibiting at CommunicAsia2012 this week in Singapore (19-22 June) at booth BQ3-12.