As India's largest private telecom operator, Bharti Airtel has over 100 million cellphone subscribers. Now it has launched an application which can take advantage of its wireless network, and be installed on any mobile handset to enable enterprises to access their data and do business from anywhere around the world.
The concept is similar to cloud computing initiatives initiated by several companies, wherein managers and salespersons (also known as the field force) access business data using the internet from their personal computers (notebooks and desktops) to transact business online.
The difference here is that executives can now use Airtel's GSM network on any mobile handset to access their business-critical data like their enterprise resource planning (ERP) databases, email and intranets. Users can install a client application called the Mobile Applications Tool for Enterprises or MATE from Airtel on their handset. MATE is an integrated telecom & IT platform, and enables authorised users only to access their business data through mobile devices.