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The Smart Techie was renamed Siliconindia India Edition starting Feb 2012 to continue the nearly two decade track record of excellence of our US edition.

January - 2011 - issue > Top 10 Most Promising Mobile App Companies

Dot Com Infoway: Pioneers in Indian Mobile App Market

Hari Anil
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Hari Anil
Mobile market all over the world is in for an all time boom. It is almost similar to the dotcom boom of the 1990s. Everyone and everything is going mobile. With smart phones being able to manage everything from business to credit card payments, the mobile application industry is going through a tipping-point phase. A recent survey by the BBC states that India has more number of mobiles than toilets; this marks the massive mobile revolution that is happening in the country. In such a climate, mobile app companies like Dot Com Infoway (DCI) will find the platform to innovate and experiment with applications of diverse kinds.

Founded in March 2000, DCI came into being after a merger between C.R. Venkatesh founded web design firm CRV Infotech and Girish Ramdas headed internet company GNG Solutions. Currently, Venkatesh is the CEO and Ramdas is President of DCI, a multinational Information Technology company based out of India with offices in Netherlands and the United States. In 2008, the company entered the mobile and wireless device programming services and formed an internal division called DCI Mobile Studios. DCI Mobile Studios engages developing of apps for multiple platforms — iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Android to Windows, Symbian, BlackBerry PlayBook, Samsung Galaxy and more. “Since we build apps in such diverse platforms, we have a commendable knowledge and experience in the mobile app sector. We know what sells where,” says Venkatesh.

As pioneers in this field, they have the industry intelligence, domain knowledge and experience to lead the mobile revolution in India where more users are switching to smart phones now. Back when the iPhone platform was introduced in India, they launched the Galatta Cinema, the first-ever Indian movie and entertainment magazine on the iPhone. Today, two years later the DCI studion has churned out several apps, available at different app stores. “We believe that mobile is the next platform for communication and hence, a mobile app will be the next level of growth for them. Our official IPLT20 app is the best example of this. We have also mobilized the film industry. The tamil film ‘Vinnai Thandi Varuvaya’ songs (search as VTV Songs in app store) – is the first-ever app to feature the composition of Academy Award winner A.R. Rahman for the movie. We did this in association with Sony Music. Today, we offer both Mobile Application Development and Mobile Application Marketing. Many tend to think that you can see ROI when you build a great app. Never. The app is profitable only when you market it. Mobile apps marketing is a must to reach your target users,” says Vijayakumar Radhakrishnan, CTO, DCI. Their marketing style is very unique and often viral, in which they gauge the USP of every apps they market and frame their strategies accordingly.

The mobile apps market is a very competitive, dynamic, and ever-changing market where no players have any elbow room. “You can create a breakthrough in the app stores only if you build apps that reach your target users. An innovative and useful app that is well-marketed makes a mark. Your app has to be in news always to stay in user’s minds or to get to top rankings. Also, usability of the app is an important aspect. If your app lacks in usability quotient, it may fail miserably,” says Ramdas. They keep this in check by doing feasibility studies and competitor analysis before they venture into app development.

Like most players in the industry the company also suffered from lack of resources with necessary skills and experience. Their HR team addressed this challenge by hiring and training resources. The company values its employees highly and provides them with Performance Linked Variable Bonus (PLVB), health insurance, cash incentives, and paid leaves, as part of their motivational programs. The company has set tall plans for the future. “We are expanding across continents, in both developed and emerging markets. We have offices in the U.S. and Netherlands and are planning to open branches in Australia and Singapore. We have plans to establish our client base in the Middle East too,” says Venkatesh.
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