Netstore launches Mobile Access Exchange

Application service provider Netstore has launched its Mobile Access Exchange 2000 to allow users to access email from their mobile phones.

Application service provider (ASP) Netstore has launched its Mobile Access Exchange 2000 to allow users to access email from their mobile phones.

Netstore is encouraging its resellers to sell the new service, which is an add-on to Microsoft Exchange 2000. This is an addition to existing Exchange installations which offer mobile access to calendars, emails and other business applications.

Aiming to increase the recurring turnover potential for resellers, the service costs an additional £2.45 per head per month, on top of the £19.95 charge for hosting Exchange 2000.

Citing a recent study by analyst Ovum, Netstore believes that there is a huge potential market for the service stating that only four per cent of mobile workers access email via a wireless device, although 70 per cent have mobile phones.

Reinforcing the channel's role in shifting the service, Tukun Chatterjee, product manager of the Exchange group at Netstore, said: "We are a channel-based company and all of our sales go through resellers and integrators who all take a percentage of every sale."

According to Chatterjee, Netstore is planning future upgrades including fax integration, unified messaging and short message service. He also expects general packet radio service technology to offer an 'always on' service by this summer.

Donna Bullock, marketing development manager for hosting and application services at Microsoft, said: "We are supporting this [wireless model] because our vision is to empower people with great software any time any place and on any appliance."

Microsoft resellers are being encouraged to sell the company's software applications using ASPs. "We are going to our resellers and explaining to them the best way to sell this type of product," said Bullock.