EE and enterprise app developer Mubaloo said the customised app service they are providing enterprise customers offers benefits over off-the-shelf technology, including tapping into the potential of 4G.

Speaking to Mobile World Live, Paula Gunnell, senior proposition manager with EE, said the customised app approach was a response to customer demand.

“Increasingly our customers were asking us to help to get the most out of their mobile devices. And really challenged with multiple devices and operating systems changing all the time, I think lots of our customers are really struggling with where to start in terms of app development,” she said.

Mubaloo supports Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and web, as well as a breadth of industry sectors, meaning it is well placed to help customers understand what platforms to use.

JP Luchetti, group account director at Mubaloo, said that being able “to talk to our clients at a business level” allows them to define solutions and identify opportunities to streamline processes.

Business drivers include moving from paper-based processes and integrating iOS and Android with legacy systems, including ERP and sales software.

“One size does not fit all in enterprise. It is about integration, it is about getting access to those backend systems and making those processes work for each individual company, which is why the customised route was the way we were preferring to go,” Gunnell added.

Another aim of the collaboration with Mubaloo is to help customers develop apps that take advantage of EE’s LTE network. “We’re very keen, what with our progress with the 4G network, to really help our customers to mobilise their workforce and some of the key processes,” Gunnell explained.

The use of the LTE network will improve access to apps but also allow new functionality from managing devices to embracing emerging technology such as augmented reality. “It’s an overall enabler for us,” Luchetti noted.

EE and Mubaloo are running a hackathon event for developers to build apps that make use of EE’s LTE network — some of which could potentially be taken on by EE. “There’s a whole array of different technologies that are going to become more prevalent for businesses to use in that space,” Gunnell said.