Brief:

• Synchronoss Technologies now lets mobile carriers charge Amazon's services directly to wireless bills. The collaboration means mobile operators can offer Amazon consumer services directly to their customers, letting them consolidate their bills, according to a company announcement.
• The IT company added the direct-billing feature to its Digital Experience Platform (DXP), a cloud computing service that can handle transactions, Fierce Wireless reported. DXP tools let companies create, configure and manage omnichannel transactions to remove friction for customers.
• "We're going to be helping Amazon as well as the carriers facilitate customer journeys," Glenn Lurie, Synchronoss president and CEO, said in the company statement. Lurie is the former CEO of AT&T Mobility who helped to launch Apple's iPhone in the U.S. and pioneered the telecom giant's expansion into cars, tablets and home security, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Insight:

Synchronoss' direct billing for Amazon may help cellular carriers improve customer engagement and generate additional revenue. Such value-added services could help wireless providers distinguish their service from those of rival carriers. For wireless customers, the direct billing of Amazon services may make it easier to pay for services with a credit card or as part of a monthly bill, removing some frustrating and potentially keeping customers around longer.

The direct-billing service has the potential to drive revenue for Synchronoss after it reported a loss of $27.6 million on revenue of $88.1 million during Q1 2019. Its announcement about Amazon billing was the one of the bright spots of a period that saw sales growth of 5.3% from a year earlier as Synchronoss worked to cut costs, according to an announcement.

Synchronoss also recently joined Microsoft's Internet of Things (IoT) Accelerate Program and plans to develop smart buildings for companies. It's working on a smart buildings service that aims to improve energy usage and cut costs at the San Antonio headquarters of Rackspace, an IT services company.