SAN FRANCISCO - Having hit the headlines by offering mobile messaging for the iPhone and Lotus Notes, Sybase is continuing to bank on its mobile offerings.

And why not? According to Sybase chairman and CEO John Chen, mobile will be a $400 million business for the company in 2009.

Sybase offers mobile messaging, banking and mobile middleware, and Chen said these areas will see a 30 percent profit margin before tax.

Speaking at a media event here at the Ritz-Carlton hotel this week, Sybase, Chen predicted the company's mobile technologies would see a 20 percent growth rate compounded year over year.

The mobile market accounts for about 36 percent of Sybase's $1.1 billion annual revenues, and its database business accounts for the rest, Chen said. "By our own measurements, we have 45 percent of the worldwide mobile messaging market, and have links with a thousand mobile operators worldwide," he added.

Sybase's mobile business consists of two components, mobile messaging, including banking, and mobile middleware.

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