NQ Mobile Inc. is a leading global provider of mobile Internet services focusing on security, privacy and productivity. It was one of the first to recognize the growing security threats targeting smartphone users and is now an award-winning provider of Freemium subscription services with approximately 242 million registered user accounts in over 150 countries. NQ Mobile's proprietary, cloud-based security solution has been recognized by third-party testing facilities around the world as the most effective solution for detecting and combating mobile threats. NQ Mobile was bestowed the 2011 Technology Pioneer Award by the World Economic Forum for its technology leadership and innovation in mobile security.
"Freemium" is an amalgamation of the words "Free" and "Premium."
"SaaS" is an acronym meaning "Software as a Service."
With a diverse and flexible services portfolio, we believe that we are a pioneer in adopting the innovative Freemium-SaaS business model to offer mobile security and productivity services. We provide a wide range of free services to address fundamental user needs, such as malware scanning, Internet firewall, performance optimization, data back-up and restoration, and spam filters, in order to build a large user base while increasing user loyalty. We also provide a selection of premium services to generate revenues from our large user base. These services include virus library updates, account safety, anti-theft, and communication privacy protection and are bundled with our free offerings for users who elect to pay for additional protection and enhanced productivity. Some of our products such as Family Guardian and Enterprise Shield are premium only. Moreover, we deliver our service offerings over the mobile Internet as a subscription service on demand using our SaaS model. We offer flexible ala carte service subscription options available in monthly, three-month, six-month, and twelve-month packages. We believe our Freemium-SaaS business model has contributed significantly to our success to date by providing users with on-demand personalized selection of products and services portfolio.
As of Sept 2012, NQ Mobile has more than 400 employees, both in China and overseas. We have offices in Beijing, Dallas, Hong Kong, Silicon Valley, and Taipei, Taiwan.
NQ Mobile was founded in 2005, in response to the emergent threat of the first mobile virus targeting smartphones. The company was incorporated in 2005 as well. NQ Mobile therefore has over six years of technology development in the mobile anti-virus space.
| Where is NQ Mobile traded? | NYSE, under ticker symbol "NQ" |
| When was NQ Mobile's IPO? | May 5, 2011 |
| Who were NQ Mobile's underwriters? | Piper Jaffray & Co, Oppenheimer & Co., Canaccord Genuity |
| Who is NQ Mobile's independent auditor? | PricewaterhouseCoopers |
| When does your fiscal year end? | December 31 |
Please click here to see the bios of the management executives. The founding team is from a technology background, with Dr. Henry Lin and Dr. Vincent Shi both having earned PhDs in technology. Dr. Henry Lin also has the distinction of having been named the youngest professor in the history of the Chinese University of Post and Telecommunications. The founders built the core technology over a period of several years, and the ranks of NQ Mobile have been reinforced with seasoned professionals in technology, finance and marketing talent.
Omar Khan joined the company in January, 2012 as Co-CEO and will direct NQ Mobile globally, alongside Dr. Henry Lin. Mr. Khan will focus on the global expansion of NQ Mobile into markets such as North America, Latin America, Europe, Japan, Korea and India. He joined NQ Mobile from Citigroup, where he was Managing Director & Global Head of the Mobile Center of Excellence and led the company's mobile development and delivery efforts globally. Prior to that, Mr. Khan served in multiple senior executive roles at Samsung Mobile. During this tenure, he served as Chief Strategy Officer and the Chief Product & Technology officer and was responsible for Samsung Mobile's strategy, product, technology, content and services functions.
We believe the following strengths enable us to proactively identify the trends of the mobile industry and develop innovative services to address user needs, thus making us a pioneer of the fast-growing mobile security, privacy and productivity services industry:
We believe that we have a first mover advantage in mobile anti-virus and security, having launched this business in 2005, when the founders recognized quite early that future mobile devices and smartphones would potentially be subject to many of the same threats plaguing PCs. However we do now face numerous late-entry competitors, including newly-created mobile anti-virus solutions offered by traditional computer security companies, and a handful of startups focusing on mobile anti-virus.
NQ Mobile uses a freemium model, by which the basic anti-virus and security suite is offered to users at no charge, but additional services are also offered, for which many customers are willing to pay. Some of our products such as Family Guardian and Enterprise Shield are premium only.
NQ Mobile products are available for users in more 150 countries globally. Our largest subscription base remains in China, and we have selected the US, Latin America and Europe as targets for expansion.
100% of the technology and IP used by NQ Mobile was developed in house and is owned by the company itself. Now we have over 30 proprietary core technologies and mobile security patents. We have the world's largest data-base of mobile viruses and malware information, which endows us with superior capabilities to detect and resolve mobile threats. We have significant in-house knowledge and capability in relation to resolving mobile threats.