Oxygen8 Targets Growth in the Americas

BIRMINGHAM, England, March 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- Gary Corbett Becomes Regional Director for Oxygen8's Americas Business, With Offices Opening in Mexico, Chile and Argentina in the Next Three Months-

Oxygen8 Communications (http://www.oxygen8.com), the international mobile, voice and billing specialist, today announces that Gary Corbett has been appointed Regional Director for its Americas business, as the company targets significant growth in this territory.

Oxygen8 is planning to open offices in Mexico, Chile and Argentina in the next three months, with a further three countries planned before the end of the year. Oxygen8 also believes that the US and Canada represents a significant growth market, and the company has recently appointed Anne-Marie Fahrenkrug-Ortiz as CEO for US and Canada to drive expansion in this territory.

To date, the US market has been held back by regulations and restrictions around Premium SMS billing, with subscription billings limited to $9.99 and M-Commerce limited to content consumed on the handset. Now the market has changed and Oxygen8 is able to offer Direct Billing on Verizon and AT&T, with Sprint and T-Mobile to follow shortly. Web-based billing allows up to $50 per transaction or up to $50 per month on subscription to be charged for non-handset services. Whilst applications are still highly controlled and approval is on a merchant by merchant basis, this means there is now great potential for companies to expand their online business activities in the US. For others, mobile is now a viable alternative to lower value purchases on a credit card.

Gary Corbett, Oxygen8's Regional Director for the Americas, says, "We will be focusing heavily on the Americas markets this year and we have ambitious plans for growth throughout the region. Oxygen8 is ideally positioned to help media companies and corporates to exploit the potential of mobile and voice services in the Americas. Our global customers are able to take advantage of our technology, depth of resource and international reach, which provides them with a complete one-stop-shop service meaning they can enter new markets quickly, broadening their global presence and creating new revenue streams."

Shane Leahy, Group CEO of Oxygen8 Communications, says, "Whether you are a brand, billing company or an aggregator, there are fantastic opportunities for growth in the Americas. Working with Oxygen8, companies have peace of mind that they are working with industry experts that have on-the-ground knowledge of local market regulations, combined with a proven infrastructure and technical expertise which means that they can be live with new products and services in days rather than months."