Sybase 365 Launches SMS Customer Enquiry Services for United Bank of India

MUMBAI, India, Aug. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sybase 365, a subsidiary of Sybase, Inc., , the global leader in mobile messaging interoperability and mobile content delivery, today announced a strategic partnership with United Bank of India (UBI), a premier public sector Bank headquartered in Kolkata, to deliver pull-based SMS enquiry services for UBI's customers across India.

As one of India's major commercial banks, UBI maintains an extensive network of 1,365 branches across the country. The Bank wanted to offer their customers a cost-efficient and convenient alternative to enquire about its suite of financial services. With the proliferation of mobile phone subscribers in India (149.5 million in 2006), SMS is the ideal medium for UBI to reach new -- and engage existing -- customers.

"Enabling our customers to enquire via SMS about our different types of services, such as loans or opening new accounts, frees up a tremendous amount of time for our customer service officers to perform more value-added services," said Swapan Biswas, GM, Marketing and New Initiatives, United Bank of India. "In addition, this mobile enquiry service ensures customers receive timely information -- without the need to dial a call centre, go through a tedious interactive voice response system, or make a physical trip to the bank."

Upon sending a service keyword to shortcode "6365," UBI customers -- regardless of their mobile operator -- will receive an acknowledgement message via SMS, as well as a telephone call from UBI's Relationship Manager informing the customer about the various financial services available from the Bank.

All leads generated via SMS are captured by the Sybase 365(TM) Application Manager -- a secure, user-friendly, and cost-efficient application platform directly linked to UBI's central database system. Customer details recorded include name, mobile number, date of SMS enquiry, the mobile operator to which they are subscribed, and which part of India the SMS is sent from. This information is captured through a Web portal, and is made available in an online report for viewing and better customer relationship management.

"We are delighted to be chosen by United Bank of India as a strategic partner in their quest to embrace mobility," said Matthew Talbot, vice president of Sybase 365 in Asia. "In today's increasingly mobile environment, the potential for mobile banking is vast, from simple alerts and marketing campaigns, to two-way banking services that enable banks to interact with their customers in a new, real-time manner. Banks can also use this functionality to deliver information to their customers anytime, anywhere. For banks, mobile banking can be crucial in notifying a customer of a potentially fraudulent account transaction -- or simply used as an avenue for customers to pull service information."

Sybase 365 provides mobile banking services for major banking customers around the world.

About United Bank of India

Established in 1950, with the amalgamation of four banks viz. Comilla Banking Corporation Ltd. (1914), Bengal Central Bank Ltd. (1918), Comilla Union Bank Ltd. (1922) and Hooghly bank Ltd. (1932). United Bank of India (UBI) with it's headquarter at Kolkata is a reputed pan-India Public Sector Bank with conspicuous presence in the eastern and north eastern parts of the country. The bank operates through a nationwide network of 1365 branches and 28 regional offices. The bank has 152 ATMs of its own and an ATM sharing arrangement with 12 other banks via the "Cashtree" network enabling its customer a free access to over 3500 ATMs across the country. UBI has a network of 120 "Core Banking" branches with RTGS facility for quick remittances.

About Sybase 365

Sybase 365, a subsidiary of Sybase, Inc. , leads the world in the global delivery and settlement of mobile messaging interoperability, and the management and distribution of mobile content. Processing more than 6 billion messages per month, Sybase 365 reaches more than 700 mobile operators around the world. For more information, visit: http://www.sybase.com/365.

Sybase and Sybase 365 are trademarks of Sybase, Inc. All other company and product names mentioned may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Special Note: Statements concerning Sybase 365's future prospects, products and business relationships are forward-looking statements that involve a number of uncertainties and risks and cannot be guaranteed. Factors that could ultimately affect such statements are detailed from time to time in the Sybase, Inc. consolidated Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to its annual report on Form 10-K and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q (copies of which can be viewed on the Company's web site).