In 2009 mBlox grew organically, while securing a breadth of new customers to increase its global footprint. North America saw the largest uplift, with volume growth up 127% year-on-year with innovative messaging services and applications being the main driver of SMS transactions. Western Europe achieved 44%, with premium messaging spikes seen in France and Spain. Asia Pacific also saw growth of 20% and is expected to grow significantly in 2010 as mBlox expands its presence in the region.
Overall turnover for mBlox was up by over 10% versus 2008, despite a recessionary economy and the company's decision to terminate one of its largest contracts with a client unable to meet its commitments. mBlox Inc. generated profits at an adjusted EBITDA level for the first time in 10 years, showing a swing of over $10m before exceptional items. 2010 will see continued revenue and profit growth as new, secure and resilient mBlox data centres come into service and a new technology platform is deployed. mBlox expects further organic growth in all existing markets and new markets which will be opened up during the year through a combination of natural expansion and acquisition of competitors.
2010 will also see an expansion in product depth and new services, building on innovations mBlox introduced into the market, including Free-To-End-User messaging in the US and Sender-Pays Data in the UK. The mBlox market position will provide many opportunities in 2010 to extend this business model into new sectors, services and territories.
“In 2009, mBlox saw its 10th consecutive year of 30%+ volume growth globally for application-to-person messaging and we have also maintained our global leadership in processing premium transactions with a total retail value more than twice that of our next largest competitor. This demonstrates the immense power of SMS to deliver consumer value for businesses. We have seen growth in many sectors, including financial services, entertainment, transport and online service sectors,” said Andrew Dark, CEO, mBlox. “Although the SMS market in North America began later, the impressive and accelerating growth hints at the innovation and vast potential in the region. The dramatic increase in mBlox market share in France and growth in other territories demonstrates the value of our global presence and focused strategy.”