Oxigen Enters into a Strategic Relationship with Microsoft

Oxigen Services India Pvt Ltd, an IT enabled multi services platform and distributor of Recharges, Prepaid subscriptions and Bill payments, announced today that Microsoft Corp. has acquired an equity stake in Oxigen.

This collaboration is part of Microsoft's Unlimited Potential Groups commitment to help close the digital divide by creating new products and programs that will help bring social and economic opportunity to people who are not yet realizing the benefits of technology.

By partnering with Microsoft, Oxigen expects to expand its business rapidly in the virtual payments and distribution space using Microsoft's Web & Mobile based technologies, as well as getting access to Microsoft's advertising services. Microsoft will add strategic value to Oxigen's business, said Pramod Saxena, Chairman & Managing Director, Oxigen Group.

We're extremely pleased to enter into this strategic agreement with Oxigen, making Microsoft products and services available to support Oxigens continued business growth in India, said Peter Mansour, General Manager of Business Development and Strategy at Microsoft. Microsoft has been active in building services and technologies to support the growth of mobile communications for many years, and we believe our alliance with Oxigen will be a win for the many consumers both companies serve, he added.

"Oxigen and Microsoft provide mutual assistance to one another in exploring new business opportunities." Oxigen said in a statement it would collaborate on a preferred partnership basis with Microsoft to drive services and products in developing economies and explore new business opportunities, within and outside the country.

The primary focus of Oxigen Services has been on Recharge, Subscriptions, Billing and Payments through Electronic Distribution.

The company handles

Aggregation of Recharge, Bill Payments & Subscriptions, for all leading Telecom operators, Internet Service providers, Direct to Home TV (Dish and Tata Sky), PrePaid Radio ( World space), PrePaid Value added Services (MobiBuzz), Railway and Airline ticketing (Air Deccans MFly) etc on a single platform.

It has a plethora of other services in its pipeline like Utility services, Insurance, Travel, Cinema , Gaming, Applications and Video content that would be launched shortly on its web and mobile solution,Oxicash, a Virtual Wallet.

This Platform further Distributes these services to Oxigen's Pan India Retail Network of approximately 50,000 touch points, which it intends to grow to 250,000 by 2010 .

The Vision of the company is To be a pan India, virtual Distribution network, with Electronic Delivery and Payment of pre paid and post paid services of all kinds, in a seamlessly networked environment. Oxigen is a neutral Payment Solution provider and can be accessed universally across all platforms for the convenience and a unique mega mart like experience to consumers.