The Address Book Service
Contact Networks has created a unique and powerful address book service that wireless carriers can offer to their customers. The service delivers rich, timely contact information, through a variety of access points (WAP, voice, operator-assisted) and can easily be integrated with the carrier’s basic communication and messaging services (voice calls, SMS, email).

The service is designed around four key principles that differentiate the Contact Networks offering from any competitor:

Always accessible contact information, available from wireless devices, via voice portals, as well as via the web, and the desktop.

Always up-to-date information. Users keep information about themselves up-to-date, and use the service to share it with their contacts using an intuitive "business card" metaphor. Notifications (e.g., via SMS) can be generated when new information is available.

Rich personal information, such as photos and voice samples, whereabouts and activities, and all manner of addressing information (e.g., Instant Messaging, SMS, email).

Robust permission model, giving customers control of their personal information and letting them determine "who can see what" information about them.

Using tools and APIs Contact Networks has already built, the address book service can synchronize and interoperate with other carrier-supplied PIM services, as well as with PDAs, next-generation smartphones, and desktop-based contact management applications. A full-featured and cobrandable desktop contact manager is also available.

The service will be offered both at a basic and a premium level. The basic service provides access to the customer’s data through conventional access points. The premium service can include voice- and operator-assisted access, location and presence capabilities, integration with commerce services, and other more advanced functionality.

A Platform for Wireless Services

Beyond its essential utility, Contact Networks believes that the online address book is a central component of a robust platform for wireless services. This is because most communication and commerce services require lists of people and addressing information in order to operate properly. In a form-factor-limited environment, data entry can be difficult if not impossible. Having to maintain an address book for each service is frustrating and impractical. A proper platform will manage personal information centrally, and supply it directly to the services that require it.

Some simple examples help illustrate this point. Maps and driving direction services require street addresses. Gift-buying and package delivery do, as well. Messaging services require electronic addresses. Instant messaging requires a list of "buddies." Payment transfers require account information.

By integrating services with personal information, addressing information can be made implicit, rather than explicitly entered. So, for example, "I need directions to Andy’s office." "See whether anyone in my workgroup has his phone turned on." "Get this message to Steve, however possible." "Find a restaurant near Tom’s office." "Forward this email to Jim’s work fax." "Deliver the flowers to my Mom at home." "Transfer $15 to Bob." "Send this news story to my workgroup."

By offering integrated services such as these, a carrier can offer an unprecedented level of convenience and capability. Convenience will create usage habits and increase loyalty. Both of these factors mean substantial revenues to carriers.

Contact Networks will enable integrated services in two modes. First, the address book itself can function as an interaction dashboard, that is, a single control panel where the customer focuses on a person, and has access to all the services connected with that person. Second, we provide a standardized API for contact information, using XML. This API allows content and commerce service providers to access the customer’s personal address book from within their services.