Indosat, member of Ooredoo Group, and Smaato launch mobile advertising exchange in Indonesia

BARCELONA, Spain, March 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile World Congress -- Indosat, member of Ooredoo Group, announced today at Mobile World Congress the launch of Indonesia Mobile Exchange ("IMX"), a joint venture digital mobile-first Real-Time Bidding (RTB) Advertising Exchange in partnership with Smaato, a leading global mobile RTB Ad Exchange. Indosat's existing mobile advertising offering, i-klan, which currently sits within its Digital Services unit, will become part of the joint venture.

IMX's digital mobile advertising exchange will facilitate a portal that enables both local and global advertisers to connect with leading publishers in Indonesia and provide targeted programmatic advertising to Indonesian consumers. Indonesia is one of the leading digital advertising markets in the world in terms of number of impressions with double digit growth forecast for the foreseeable future¹.  

"Digital advertising represents an important avenue of new business as we look for opportunities beyond our core services to support our customers' digital lifestyles," said Dr Nasser Marafih, Group CEO, Ooredoo. "Currently 25% of our customers actively use mobile content services and Indosat's partnership with a leading global player like Smaato helps us to build products and capabilities that better serve both business customers and consumers alike.  As smartphone use across our footprint increases we intend to extend this approach to the other markets that we operate in."

IMX will leverage Indosat's reach in Indonesia through its 55 million mobile customers, Indosat's business customers, and the global reach of Smaato's mobile exchange technology through which it is already serving close to 5 billion impressions a month in Indonesia.

"Indonesia, with its large population and high advertising spend, is one of the most important markets for Smaato globally," said Ragnar Kruse, Smaato's founder and CEO. "I believe that a combination of our world-class platform and Indosat's strong in-market reach will help us create effective digital advertising solutions for both local and international brands.  It will not only help local online companies to control and maximize the value of their advertising inventories, but also significantly improve returns on investment in advertising."

IMX will continue to be supported by Indosat's Digital Services Unit, which also focuses, among other offerings, on mobile commerce and mobile payment solutions. Indosat's Digital Services Unit is a key player in helping to build one of the world's largest digital ecosystems in Indonesia.  As such partnerships and investments through its start-up incubator and venture capital fund are expected to help IMX access further resources, partners and customers as it scales up in Indonesia.

"Indosat has been passionate about creating a strong digital services ecosystem in Indonesia for many years," said Alexander Rusli, Indosat's President Director & CEO.  "Mobile advertising, mobile commerce and mobile payments are all critical components of this ecosystem as they revolutionize the way companies interact with consumers.  With the Smaato partnership we can help connect smart and meaningful advertising to Indonesian consumers at a scalable size and with faster speed.  This will help businesses improve their online reach and impact in a much more cost effective way while also providing customers with more targeted and personal content.  We are excited about the opportunities ahead!"

ABOUT OOREDOO GROUP

Ooredoo is a leading international communications company delivering mobile, fixed, broadband internet and corporate managed services tailored to the needs of consumers and businesses across markets in South East Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa.  As a community-focused company, Ooredoo is guided by its vision of enriching people's lives and its belief that it can stimulate human growth by leveraging communications to help people achieve their full potential. The company was named "Best Mobile Operator of the Year" at the World Communication Awards 2013.

The company reported revenues of US$9.3 billion in 2013 and had a consolidated global customer base of more than 95 million people as of 31 December 2013.

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ABOUT INDOSAT

Indosat is the leading telecommunication and information operator in Indonesia that provides cellular services, fixed line, data communications and internet (MIDI). In the third quarter of 2014, the company has 54.2 million mobile subscribers through a variety of brands, among others; IM3, Mentari and Matrix. Indosat operates international direct dialing (IDD) through the access codes 001, 008 and Flatcall 01016. The company also offers corporate and SME solutions namely Indosat Business that supported by integrated telecommunications network throughout Indonesia as well as satellite services via satellite Palapa-D. Indosat also has a very broad digital services program including a dedicated digital services unit (www.indosat.com/digital), Indonesia's first innovation competition IWIC (Indosat Wireless Innovation Contest) and Indonesia's leading startup incubator Ideabox (www.ideabox.co.id). Indosat is a subsidiary of the Ooredoo Group. Indosat's shares are listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX: ISAT).

ABOUT SMAATO

Smaato is the leading independent global mobile real-time bidding (RTB) ad exchange and supply side platform (SSP).  More than 80,000 mobile publishers use Smaato's platform to monetize their mobile inventory around the world.  The Smaato Exchange (SMX) is globally connected to 340+ Demand Partners.  Smaato delivers more than 150 billion ad impressions per month, including campaigns from 91 of the top 100 Ad Age brands.

A privately held company founded in 2005, Smaato is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with offices in Hamburg, Germany, as well as Singapore and New York.  www.smaato.com/company

¹ eMarketer: Indonesia to Boast Double-Digit Ad Growth for Foreseeable Future - http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Indonesia-Boast-Double-Digit-Ad-Growth-Foreseeable-Future/1011381#sthash.4hd4pd99.dpuf

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SOURCE Ooredoo