Bates to help Infotech launch Sri Lanka's first DotMobi site

BatesAsia will help Infotechs Ltd launch, Sri Lanka’s first mobile specific website shortly bringing the Internet in a most appropriate manner to mobile users.

“Logging on to the Internet via a mobile phone has been possible in the past using the WAP and GPRS protocols, but since DotCom websites were originally designed to be accessed using computers and not mobile phones, the experience was less than satisfactory and limited the numbers,” Bates said.

The DotMobi project is backed by leading industry mobile network operators, mobile phone manufacturers, and Internet search and content providers including heavyweights Google, Microsoft, Nokia, Samsung, Ericsson, Vodafone, and T-Mobile as well as Visa. “DotMobi is the first and only top level domain dedicated to delivering the Internet to mobile devices. The introduction of DotMobi revolutionises the use of the Internet on mobile devices and is designed to guide mobile users to made-for-mobile Internet content and services that can be accessed with confidence,” the statement said.

When the DotMobi domain registry opened in September last year, Infotechs moved fast to register some valuable domain names that could be developed into attractive and highly useful mobile sites for the Sri Lankan and global market. These include Colombcity.mobi, Srilankan.mobi, Ceylontea.mobi, Pitaratajobs.mobi, Lankabanks.mobi, Lankahospitals.mobi, Lankamusic.mobi, Lankaproperty.mobi, Lankajewellery.mobi to name a few. As a part of their social responsibility, Infotechs also plans to develop informative sites under their HIVaidsinfo.mobi, Malariainfo.mobi, TBinfo.mobi, Dengueinfo.mobi, Cancermedicine.mobi sites and green sites such as Saveplanet.mobi. These sites will be highly useful references for Sri Lankans everywhere as well as other global users.

Bates said it would advise Infotech on the marketing of these sites and handle all advertising.

Susantha Pinto, Chairman of Infotechs Limited said mobile ownership has been growing at an exponential rate in Sri Lanka and now there are over 5.4 million subscribers here. “A majority of them have phones that are GPRS enabled to access the web and the new DotMobi sites that we are launching in Sri Lanka and others that have been launched in other parts of the world.”

Michele Pinto, who heads the development of the project, said the Colombocity.mobi site which will be launched first will be useful for Colombo’s highly mobile-enabled population. It will also be an ideal advertising medium for shops, restaurants, hotels, clubs, pubs and other providers of similar consumer services.