Mobile VAS firm OnMobile to buy US-based Livewire Mobile for $17.8M

Bangalore-based mobile VAS company OnMobile Global Ltdis acquiring Boston-based Livewire Mobile, a provider of managed entertainment solutions for mobile operators and device manufacturers, for $17.8 million.

The deal also includes purchase of stock of Fonestarz Media Ltd, the UK-based managed services arm of Livewire. Post-acquisition, the new entity will be known as OnMobile Live, Inc., and will be a 100 per cent subsidiary of OnMobile LLC.

Established in 1983, Livewire Mobile provides an integrated suite of solutions including full track music, ringback tones, ringtones and infotainment services. It currently powers ringback tone and mobile music solutions for Sprint, MetroPCS and Public Mobile, among others.

With the acquisition of Livewire Mobile, OnMobile will now expand its music and ringback tone services to leading operators in North America.

"The acquisition of Livewire Mobile, with its reputation for providing cutting-edge music services, will help us consolidate our global leadership position in RBT and music by firmly establishing our presence in North America for these services. This augments our strong market presence in mobile cloud services that we currently provide to major mobile operators in North America," said Mouli Raman, CEO and co-founder of OnMobile Global Ltd.

Founded in 2000, OnMobile is a white-labelled data VAS company for mobile, landline and media services providers. The company caters to over 1 billion mobile users across 55 countries every month. It currently has 1,500 employees across India, the Middle East, the US, Europe, Australia and Africa.

In February this year, OnMobile launched a mobile-based deals service called GreatBuyz to enable users to access deals and discounts via their handsets.

(Edited by Sanghamitra Mandal)