MTN Uganda has launched onto the Uganda market an Android-powered Smartphone that retails at Ush340,000. Manufactured by Chinese technology giant, Huawei Technologies, the phone, the phone looks like a mini-iPhone. I did a short interview with the MTN Uganda CEO, Mr. Themba Khumalo and below are excerpts.
Q: First of all, tell us about this growing relationship between MTN Uganda and Huawei Technologies?
A: To maintain our leading position in the telecommunications sector we have over the last fifteen years worked with the best service providers available. We are always looking for ways of serving our customers better, and we are continually involved in developing innovative services which enhance the way our people operate and live. All this is achieved through smart partnership with vendors like Huawei Technologies amongst. Huawei is today our second main vendor with Ericsson in the lead. Our partnering with global vendors such as such as Huawei guarantees to Ugandans that the services and products they receive from MTN Uganda are of world class quality.
Q: Why is MTN bringing to the market an Android Smartphone when there are smart phones based on other platforms already on the market?
A: First of all, Android Technology is important for Africa, and indeed Uganda, because it allows our own software developers to come up with locally grown applications and programs that are locally grown and can be used by more of the local populace. Other platforms are also going in this direction but Google has done a lot of work in getting local software developers to build applications for Android phones. We know there are already a large number of brilliant Ugandans working on mobile phone applications and programs. Introducing Android technology gives them the opportunity to place themselves on the global map of software developers.
But development aside, when we have more smart phones such as the IDEOS available in Uganda running Ugandan built applications; more and more people in Uganda will be enabled to use our high speed 3G+ network to access information and internet-based services. This is another reason we partnered with Huawei, the entry price of the IDEOS is very affordable to many ordinary Ugandans at less than UShs350,000.
Q: Is this an exclusively Uganda market product or all of MTN's Africa operations will launch the same at some stage? If that is the case, what is MTN’s thinking behind launching these Android phones across your African operations?
A: The IDEOS offer we have launched here is specifically for the Ugandan market, I do believe the business case is there and most of Africa operations are broadening their smart phone portfolios to stimulate data usage growth. Without commenting much on the broader strategy it suffices to state data is a key component of the long term strategy in MTN. We know very well the power of communications in emerging markets and the catalytic role it has in economic development. Our company is continuously seeking opportunities to support sustainable revenue growth.
Q: Smartphones are known to be expensive because of the technology on which they are based, how much will one of those phones go for?
Through the partnership with Huawei Technologies, we have managed to keep the cost of the phone affordable. It is currently on the market retailing at about Ushs344,500 only - which is less than US$200. This offer is not for the phone alone, it is bundled together with monthly internet access packages. This is certainly affordable, considering that grey/imitation mobile phone are retailing for around the same amount of money but do not provide the benefit of quality after sales support.
Q: You say this particular phone will enable Ugandans take advantage of MTN’s 3G+ network, what will be made possible from as far as MTN is concerned as well as the user?
MTN 3G+ is not any mere Internet solution – it is a well-rounded data communications solution that will enable our customers to access fast, affordable and accessible data services. The MTN high speed 3G+ network allows users to make full use of the internet - with most ordinary data networks in Uganda you cannot use popular sites and services such as content streaming services (which include YouTube) and the websites hosted by most news organisations. You will also find it hard to conduct content uploads, which limits our capacity as Ugandans to share locally generated content with the rest of the world. In India and China, for example, business outsourcing is thriving because their communication networks can handle the upload and download of vast amounts of data - and that is a whole new industry that has bolstered their economies.
We are now living in the information age, and the control of information has been decentralised. Now, anyone with access to the main communication network - the internet - can inform, educate and influence decisions. This is why the 3G+ network and devices that are compatible with 3G are so important - they allow more and more mobile Ugandans to learn more, but more importantly, share more.
Q: What advise do you have for software developers considering that with Android, localized apps can be created and utilised through this platform?
This is the time to get your name out there. Develop more localised applications so that they are put onto the Android marketplace for download. We are going to explore partnerships with learning centres such as universities to support more localised software development. Everyone holding an IDEOS Android in Uganda is a potential consumer of the applications you develop.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
DotConnectAfrica seeks partner to run “.AFRICA” domain
DotConnectAfrica (DCA) is looking for a registry partner for the technical and operational services of the .AFRICA generic top level domain (gTLD) that DCA intends to apply for when the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) moves to expand the internet space in June.
“DotConnectAfrica (DCA) intends to participate in the new gTLD application issued by ICANN. As such DCA will be looking for a registry partner for technical and operational services for the planned .AFRICA top level domain, that is consistent with the road-map of ICANN's requirements,” a statement from DCA reads in part.
Interested parties with requisite capability to provide registry services should submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) with the name and address of the company, company profile and financial capabilities.
Others are experience in providing registry services (technical and operational) and presence and or experience in developing markets.
DCA will contact selected parties for more detailed discussions and a selection process.
Pre-qualification would include technical and financial evaluation as well as support from a host country.
Interested registers have been asked to send their expressions of interest to the address: eoi@dotconnectafrica.org.
Sophia Bekele, the executive director DCA is leading the chase for a .AFRICA domain arguing that .africa as a gTLD is long overdue given the potential it has to brand the continent’s products and services. “While Africa’s image has suffered through war, famine and governance issues, there is also another image that the world does not know about Africa, and that can be told through its people, when they engage in promoting their products and services for trade and investment in the new gTLD,” she said in an earlier interview.
Bekele explained that a shift in the industry away from the original gTLDs that have served Africa like the dotcoms and dotorgs to a dotafrica will mean development of a new industry and market for Africa empowering African jobs and wealth creation.
She said Africa will be empowered in the process so that gTLDs don’t have to go to ICANN for financial support as is the case with African community gTLDs
“The dotafrica registry can instead fulfill that need, and this DCA is ready to do,” Bekele said. Africa has already missed the boat in the last many rounds; but we have seen the successes of .eu and then .asia. Now is the time for .africa.”
At the moment, the Internet contains just 21 gTLDs, from the most famous, dot-com to lesser known extensions like dot-name or dot-travel.
The dotafrica registry has so far received endorsements from the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and recently the International Domain Resolution Union (IDRU).
“DotConnectAfrica (DCA) intends to participate in the new gTLD application issued by ICANN. As such DCA will be looking for a registry partner for technical and operational services for the planned .AFRICA top level domain, that is consistent with the road-map of ICANN's requirements,” a statement from DCA reads in part.
Interested parties with requisite capability to provide registry services should submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) with the name and address of the company, company profile and financial capabilities.
Others are experience in providing registry services (technical and operational) and presence and or experience in developing markets.
DCA will contact selected parties for more detailed discussions and a selection process.
Pre-qualification would include technical and financial evaluation as well as support from a host country.
Interested registers have been asked to send their expressions of interest to the address: eoi@dotconnectafrica.org.
Sophia Bekele, the executive director DCA is leading the chase for a .AFRICA domain arguing that .africa as a gTLD is long overdue given the potential it has to brand the continent’s products and services. “While Africa’s image has suffered through war, famine and governance issues, there is also another image that the world does not know about Africa, and that can be told through its people, when they engage in promoting their products and services for trade and investment in the new gTLD,” she said in an earlier interview.
Bekele explained that a shift in the industry away from the original gTLDs that have served Africa like the dotcoms and dotorgs to a dotafrica will mean development of a new industry and market for Africa empowering African jobs and wealth creation.
She said Africa will be empowered in the process so that gTLDs don’t have to go to ICANN for financial support as is the case with African community gTLDs
“The dotafrica registry can instead fulfill that need, and this DCA is ready to do,” Bekele said. Africa has already missed the boat in the last many rounds; but we have seen the successes of .eu and then .asia. Now is the time for .africa.”
At the moment, the Internet contains just 21 gTLDs, from the most famous, dot-com to lesser known extensions like dot-name or dot-travel.
The dotafrica registry has so far received endorsements from the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and recently the International Domain Resolution Union (IDRU).
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The place of social media in Uganda’s elections 2011
Do social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr have a place in Uganda’s ongoing 2011 election campaigns as February 18 looms large with every passing day?
And are these new media platforms having impact if any among the various constituents of the major political parties that have a presence on the Internet the same way newspapers, television and radio broadcasts have?
Well, a look at the websites of the four main political parties participating in the general elections indicates that social media has been adopted by the major political players in Uganda but is yet to catch on like is the case in the developed world.
Social media was a big factor in the US presidential elections back in 2008 when President Barack Obama widely succeeded at it during the Democratic Party primaries and during his election bid for the US presidency.
Obama used Facebook, Twitter, as well as apps for the iPhone, to get people voting in numbers that had not been seen before.
Members of the electorate even contributed millions of US Dollars to Obama’s campaign with the help of new media and the social networking sites were major channels for generating the money let alone inform members about what was going in.
Authors of a book titled “Throwing Sheep in the Boardroom: How Online Social Networking Will Change Your Life” said Obama had more than 2 million American supporters on Facebook; his rival McCain had, just over 600,000.
On Twitter, Obama could count on more than 112,000 supporters 'tweeting' to get him elected. McCain, for his part, had only 4,600 followers on Twitter.
The party websites of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) have recognized the need for interactivity through the social networking sites, which are especially popular among the young people.
The NRM and FDC have members actively participating using the social networks.
This though cannot be said of the Democratic Party (DP), which has the Facebook, MySpace and Twitter icons on the party website, but they do not take you to the party’s Facebook page or Twitter account.
It is worse for the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), which has an old fashioned website (www.upcparty.net). The website does not have any interactive resources. Some of the material on the website has not been updated in months.
In fact, there is nothing to show on the UPC website that the party has a candidate traversing the country in search of votes and selling the UPC manifesto to Ugandans in readiness for a general election.
The NRM website (www.nrm.ug) is the most dynamic and modern of them all. The party constituents and members can follow goings on using Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube.
Supporters can also make phone calls for any inquiries and also subscribe for short message services (SMS) on their mobile phones to receive the latest NRM updates by sending an SMS to 6760.
On the Twitter account @YKMuseveni, no one was following President Yoweri Museveni while 15 people are followers.
On both the Museveni Facebook fan page and the NRM Secretariat Facebook page, there is a total of 467 members.
The pages essentially have posts of newspaper articles and it is these that members are reacting to that form the bulk of the activity on the pages.
Visitors to the website can listen to podcasts, watch YouTube videos of some of candidate Museveni’s campaign rallies across the country or view still images off the Flickr website.
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), which is leading a coalition of political parties has a website (www.fdcuganda.org), which comes with a blog and an emailing list for starters.
One can also follow FDC on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and there is a provision for RSS feeds.
On the social networking site Twitter, nine people, most of them top members of FDC were following FDC on Twitter while 37 people are followers.
“I weep whenever I look at the pathetic state of our health sector. I don’t need to come from Kampala to remind you,” one of the tweets on the FDC twitter accounts reads.
FDC’s twitter page was more active with 85 tweets compared to 3 on the NRM twitter account.
On the FDC Facebook page, 857 people ‘like’ FDC and the page has a combination of newspaper posting with members commenting as well as actual posts from within the FDC.
The Uganda Federal Alliance (UFA) of Betty Kamya, the Member of Parliament for Rubaga North, who is also in the presidential race, has a Facebook page with 44 members who like UFA.
Jaberi Bidandi Ssali’s People’s Progressive Party (PPP) does not have a website let alone a Facebook or Twitter account to talk of.
The same is the case with Abed Bwanika’s People’s Development Party (PDP).
In general, visits to Facebook pages, Twitter accounts indicate there is interactivity between the parties and their members or constituencies, but it is still very insignificant.
One cannot easily draw conclusions based on the numbers of visitors to these social media or members of the electorate taking advantage of social media but the fact people are interacting indicates Uganda is not so far off for social media to play a big role in the electoral process.
Elsewhere, these new platforms give perfect real time feedback to political events, political statements that when many members of the electorate use them, they cam amplify the impact of an event according to an article that was published by the Guardian newspaper right after the elections in the United Kingdom (UK) this year.
Attempts to speak to party spokespeople about the ways in which they are using social media were fruitless. Most are upcountry, while those that are in Kampala missed various appointments for interviews.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Can Uganda BPO operators look to India for sub-contracting deals?
On top of the strategies already in place, Uganda’s nascent business process outsourcing (BPO) sector needs to look to India for sub-contracting deals to get the sector off the ground.
To be able to pull this off, the Ministry of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and the National Information Technology Authority (NITA-U) need to work together with the private sector to build business alliances with top Indian BPO companies – if this is agreeable to the Indian operators.
This seems to be the view of Brad William, a keen watcher of the global BPO industry. William was reacting to a post titled “Uganda moves to implement BPO model” that was posted on this blog (Click Uganda).
William said India’s BPO industry has evolved and matured to present higher-end services that require judgment-based analysis and domain expertise, rather than function-specific, rules-based performance parameters alone.
Below is William’s argument:
As service providers strive to offer end-to-end services, we see BPO falling into different segments. At one end of the spectrum is the traditional rules-based transactional outsourcing; while at the other end is judgment-based transaction processing and full-service business process outsourcing.
India has won its spurs as the world’s outsourcing destination of choice. Currently the country has a commanding share of the global outsourcing market.
India is undoubtedly the most favored IT/BPO destination of the world. This raises the question why most of the big MNCs are interested in outsourcing their operations to BPOs in India.
The answer is very simple- India is home to large and skilled human resources. India has inherent strengths, which have made it a major success as an outsourcing destination.
India produces the largest number of graduates in the world. The name of India has become synonymous with that of BPOs and IT industry hence the name BPO India.
Besides being technically sound, the work force is proficient in English and work at lower wages in comparison to other developed countries of the world.
India also has a distinct advantage of being in a different time zone that gives it flexibility in working hours.
All these factors make the Indian BPOs more efficient and cost effective. In order to meet the growing international demand for lucrative, customer-interaction centers, many organizations worldwide are looking to BPO India.
A subset of outsourcing, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) involves contracting the operations and responsibilities through a third party service provider.
From the last couple of years, the BPO industry has evolved as the most substantial sector in the Indian market. India has emerged as the most favored location for all BPO services across the globe.
This has accelerated the Indian economy to the heights, progressively boosting the statistics depicting the growth in the years to come and it has been however forecasted that by 2020, more than 80% of the world of business process outsourcing services will be served by the Indian companies.
Marked as the best place to attain superior quality services globally, the BPO industry is strengthening its foundation in India.
In January, Uganda launched her BPO model and strategy and one justification for this by ICT Minister Aggrey Awori is that MNC’s are finding rates in India to be very high and as a result will look to cheaper rates, which they will find in places like Uganda.
While Minister Awori is without a doubt spot on as far as rates are concerned, it looks like India will continue to attract BPO work while destinations like Uganda grow and build know how.
My feeling is Uganda would be better served if government pursued a working relationship with the government of India and indeed the Indian private sector beyond just getting BPO trainers from India. Why not encourage sub-contracting arrangements between big Indian BPO operators and Ugandan BPO operators.
By taking this direction or adding it into the Uganda BPO model and strategy, it would give a much needed shot in the hands of Uganda’s BPO operators considering that Uganda shares similar characteristics with India.
To be able to pull this off, the Ministry of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and the National Information Technology Authority (NITA-U) need to work together with the private sector to build business alliances with top Indian BPO companies – if this is agreeable to the Indian operators.
This seems to be the view of Brad William, a keen watcher of the global BPO industry. William was reacting to a post titled “Uganda moves to implement BPO model” that was posted on this blog (Click Uganda).
William said India’s BPO industry has evolved and matured to present higher-end services that require judgment-based analysis and domain expertise, rather than function-specific, rules-based performance parameters alone.
Below is William’s argument:
As service providers strive to offer end-to-end services, we see BPO falling into different segments. At one end of the spectrum is the traditional rules-based transactional outsourcing; while at the other end is judgment-based transaction processing and full-service business process outsourcing.
India has won its spurs as the world’s outsourcing destination of choice. Currently the country has a commanding share of the global outsourcing market.
India is undoubtedly the most favored IT/BPO destination of the world. This raises the question why most of the big MNCs are interested in outsourcing their operations to BPOs in India.
The answer is very simple- India is home to large and skilled human resources. India has inherent strengths, which have made it a major success as an outsourcing destination.
India produces the largest number of graduates in the world. The name of India has become synonymous with that of BPOs and IT industry hence the name BPO India.
Besides being technically sound, the work force is proficient in English and work at lower wages in comparison to other developed countries of the world.
India also has a distinct advantage of being in a different time zone that gives it flexibility in working hours.
All these factors make the Indian BPOs more efficient and cost effective. In order to meet the growing international demand for lucrative, customer-interaction centers, many organizations worldwide are looking to BPO India.
A subset of outsourcing, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) involves contracting the operations and responsibilities through a third party service provider.
From the last couple of years, the BPO industry has evolved as the most substantial sector in the Indian market. India has emerged as the most favored location for all BPO services across the globe.
This has accelerated the Indian economy to the heights, progressively boosting the statistics depicting the growth in the years to come and it has been however forecasted that by 2020, more than 80% of the world of business process outsourcing services will be served by the Indian companies.
Marked as the best place to attain superior quality services globally, the BPO industry is strengthening its foundation in India.
In January, Uganda launched her BPO model and strategy and one justification for this by ICT Minister Aggrey Awori is that MNC’s are finding rates in India to be very high and as a result will look to cheaper rates, which they will find in places like Uganda.
While Minister Awori is without a doubt spot on as far as rates are concerned, it looks like India will continue to attract BPO work while destinations like Uganda grow and build know how.
My feeling is Uganda would be better served if government pursued a working relationship with the government of India and indeed the Indian private sector beyond just getting BPO trainers from India. Why not encourage sub-contracting arrangements between big Indian BPO operators and Ugandan BPO operators.
By taking this direction or adding it into the Uganda BPO model and strategy, it would give a much needed shot in the hands of Uganda’s BPO operators considering that Uganda shares similar characteristics with India.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Airtel and MasterCard to enable users buy goods with their phones
Airtel Africa, Standard Chartered Bank and MasterCard Worldwide have entered an arrangement that will enable mobile phone users to make online purchases from MasterCard merchants around the world.
Dubbed the world’s first virtual card that operates off a wallet residing on a mobile phone, the Airtel 1time Shopping Card will offer communities the opportunity for greater participation in the financial system as they realise the substantial benefits of mobile commerce.
“This launch of the world’s first virtual number on a mobile card marks a big milestone in mobile commerce,” Manoj Kholi, the Airtel chief executive officer (international) and joint managing director said.
“The airtel 1time shopping card will offer consumers a robust e-commerce solution that delivers security, accessibility, acceptance, ability and global reach. Subsequent phases of the program will allow airtel susbscribers to make payments across the MasterCard network.”
Kohli said the single use shopping card will soon be available in Kenya and rolled out to markets across Africa, subject to regulatory approvals.
“Airtel Africa customers in Kenya will soon be able to use their mobile phone to make online purchases from MasterCard merchants around the world,” Kohli said.
The simplified online transaction will work in the following way; each time an airtel customer is shopping online he or she will be able to request a single use shopping card number.
Airtel money services will generate a special 16 digit number that enables the completion of the transaction.
On completion of the transaction, a confirmation message will be sent to the consumer’s handset.
The single use feature of the airtel 1time Shopping Card provides the consumer with a convenient and secure online shopping experience.
Powered by MasterCard in Control technology the airtel 1time Shopping Card will enable more consumers to connect to the global marketplace via their mobile phones.
“Whether located in urban or rural communities, people will be able to participate in commerce from their hometown to anywhere in the world,” said Michael Miebach, division president, Middle East and Africa, MasterCard Worldwide.
He said MasterCard sees mobile payments as an innovative way to let consumers quickly and securely purchase their favorite items in this connected world.
These innovations at MasterCard he said also provide governments and other participants in the economy with a platform for financial inclusion.
“As a leading international bank in Africa, we are always looking for ways to bring innovative financial solutions to our customers,” Kariuki Ngari, the general manager and cluster head, Consumer Banking for Kenya and East Africa, Standard Chartered Bank said.
“The virtual card is a unique way of ensuring that our customers can transact in the digital world for the first time without having to carry a piece of plastic.”
Kohli said the global opportunity for mobile payments is large and the global unbanked population with mobile phones is expected to grow 70 percent over the next year to 1.7 billion people by 2012.
The opportunity for mobile payments Kohli said is especially significant in Africa, where there are close to 400 million mobile phone users and an unbanked population of 230 million households.
By 2014, Africa is expected to see 56% mobile penetration.
Dubbed the world’s first virtual card that operates off a wallet residing on a mobile phone, the Airtel 1time Shopping Card will offer communities the opportunity for greater participation in the financial system as they realise the substantial benefits of mobile commerce.
“This launch of the world’s first virtual number on a mobile card marks a big milestone in mobile commerce,” Manoj Kholi, the Airtel chief executive officer (international) and joint managing director said.
“The airtel 1time shopping card will offer consumers a robust e-commerce solution that delivers security, accessibility, acceptance, ability and global reach. Subsequent phases of the program will allow airtel susbscribers to make payments across the MasterCard network.”
Kohli said the single use shopping card will soon be available in Kenya and rolled out to markets across Africa, subject to regulatory approvals.
“Airtel Africa customers in Kenya will soon be able to use their mobile phone to make online purchases from MasterCard merchants around the world,” Kohli said.
The simplified online transaction will work in the following way; each time an airtel customer is shopping online he or she will be able to request a single use shopping card number.
Airtel money services will generate a special 16 digit number that enables the completion of the transaction.
On completion of the transaction, a confirmation message will be sent to the consumer’s handset.
The single use feature of the airtel 1time Shopping Card provides the consumer with a convenient and secure online shopping experience.
Powered by MasterCard in Control technology the airtel 1time Shopping Card will enable more consumers to connect to the global marketplace via their mobile phones.
“Whether located in urban or rural communities, people will be able to participate in commerce from their hometown to anywhere in the world,” said Michael Miebach, division president, Middle East and Africa, MasterCard Worldwide.
He said MasterCard sees mobile payments as an innovative way to let consumers quickly and securely purchase their favorite items in this connected world.
These innovations at MasterCard he said also provide governments and other participants in the economy with a platform for financial inclusion.
“As a leading international bank in Africa, we are always looking for ways to bring innovative financial solutions to our customers,” Kariuki Ngari, the general manager and cluster head, Consumer Banking for Kenya and East Africa, Standard Chartered Bank said.
“The virtual card is a unique way of ensuring that our customers can transact in the digital world for the first time without having to carry a piece of plastic.”
Kohli said the global opportunity for mobile payments is large and the global unbanked population with mobile phones is expected to grow 70 percent over the next year to 1.7 billion people by 2012.
The opportunity for mobile payments Kohli said is especially significant in Africa, where there are close to 400 million mobile phone users and an unbanked population of 230 million households.
By 2014, Africa is expected to see 56% mobile penetration.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Airtel fires first shot in likely SMS war
Over the past one year, telecommunication providers across sub Saharan Africa have engaged in price wars as each aimed to undercut the other’s call tariffs for subscriber numbers and as a result, rates have reached their lowest levels ever and are unlikely to go down further for some time to come.
Rates for short message services (SMS) have however rarely been touched.
Airtel has however fired the first shot in a likely price war on the SMS front by announcing for the first time a reduction in the SMS rates while in some cases, a user just has to pay a one-off fee to get access to free SMS within the Airtel network.
Airtel announced this offer in its major markets across the 16 operations it rebranded at the end of last year.
The short message service is one area where mobile telephone operators make significant amounts of revenue given the high levels of SMS traffic – a function users consider cheaper than calling in some instances while among the youth, it is the best way to communicate.
In Uganda, the texting offer, which has been named ‘fretxt’ gives customers the option to sign up for unlimited daily, weekly and monthly text bundles at the cost of US Cents 0.08, US Cents 0.4 and US$1.7 respectively.
Further still, text messages across rival networks have also dropped drastically by more than half from US Cents 0.04 to US Cents 0.02.
Mr. V.G Somasekhar, Airtel Uganda managing director said mobile value added services like text messaging are very relevant today because the mobile phone has become a multipurpose tool that goes beyond making and receiving phone calls
“While customers are enjoying our affordable call tariffs, there is as much traffic in the use of text messages, which indicates that text messaging services are just as important to our customers,” Somasekhar said.
“We want to see more Ugandans enjoy the benefits of mobile telecommunication and by reducing our SMS costs we are making it even easier to reach friends, family and even boost businesses at almost no cost.”
Somasekhar also noted that the tariff was in response to customers’ needs and most certainly the youth segment. “We are in constant communication with our customers and have recently been called on to provide even more affordable SMS rates,” he said.
In Kenya, Airtel has reduced the charges for SMS across all networks to Ksh1 (US Cents 0.01) following a plea by the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) for mobile phone operators to lower their SMS charges. CCK has asked operators to have reduced SMS rates within the next five months.
Rates for short message services (SMS) have however rarely been touched.
Airtel has however fired the first shot in a likely price war on the SMS front by announcing for the first time a reduction in the SMS rates while in some cases, a user just has to pay a one-off fee to get access to free SMS within the Airtel network.
Airtel announced this offer in its major markets across the 16 operations it rebranded at the end of last year.
The short message service is one area where mobile telephone operators make significant amounts of revenue given the high levels of SMS traffic – a function users consider cheaper than calling in some instances while among the youth, it is the best way to communicate.
In Uganda, the texting offer, which has been named ‘fretxt’ gives customers the option to sign up for unlimited daily, weekly and monthly text bundles at the cost of US Cents 0.08, US Cents 0.4 and US$1.7 respectively.
Further still, text messages across rival networks have also dropped drastically by more than half from US Cents 0.04 to US Cents 0.02.
Mr. V.G Somasekhar, Airtel Uganda managing director said mobile value added services like text messaging are very relevant today because the mobile phone has become a multipurpose tool that goes beyond making and receiving phone calls
“While customers are enjoying our affordable call tariffs, there is as much traffic in the use of text messages, which indicates that text messaging services are just as important to our customers,” Somasekhar said.
“We want to see more Ugandans enjoy the benefits of mobile telecommunication and by reducing our SMS costs we are making it even easier to reach friends, family and even boost businesses at almost no cost.”
Somasekhar also noted that the tariff was in response to customers’ needs and most certainly the youth segment. “We are in constant communication with our customers and have recently been called on to provide even more affordable SMS rates,” he said.
In Kenya, Airtel has reduced the charges for SMS across all networks to Ksh1 (US Cents 0.01) following a plea by the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) for mobile phone operators to lower their SMS charges. CCK has asked operators to have reduced SMS rates within the next five months.
Acer to roll out educational solutions in Africa
Eager to tap into Africa’s education sector, which has so far been less impacted by the information technology (IT) revolution, Acer is to roll out its new Acer Education Centre partner certification to 15 African countries.
Acer Education Centre is a partnership arrangement that Acer will use to certify technology partners in its drive to ensure that Africa’s education sector benefits from the latest technologies.
This type of partnership arrangement has been established by Acer in South Africa with 15 partners working with educational institutions to boost the relationship and interactions between teachers and students using the latest technologies.
Erik Blom, the education sector BU manager at Acer said the Acer Education Centre channel programme will enable the company recruit a network of regional dealers able to sell, implement and support complete solutions in the education market.
“With this new certification, we want to create a set of partners who have a deep understanding of the specific technology needs of the education market and how Acer’s products can address these requirements,” Blom said.
Programme partners will offer schools and other learning institutions access to products and solutions tailored to their needs, as well as specific expertise around technology in the educational sector. Blom was speaking following the launch of the programme in Uganda where ITec Solutions Ltd., has been appointed as the Acer partner.
Blom said the education market in Africa offers a host of exciting opportunities for Acer and its business partners with a growing number of learning institutions integrating technology into their teaching methods and curricula.
“Technology has a vital role to play in education by supplementing classroom teaching, giving learners access to information sources and preparing them for a tech-driven workplace,” Blom said.
“It also helps teachers and administrators to carry out administrative tasks more efficiently, and can fill gaps in subjects and areas where there aren’t enough teachers on hand.”
Acer showed offer a product that lets teachers interact electronically with their students using its ‘Acer Classroom Manager’ – a touch-screen white board that is linked to a projector, netbooks on student’s desks allowing for a seamless interaction between students and teachers.
Blom said class manager has been used successfully in South Africa where remote access capabilities of classroom manager have been implemented.
“As a global leader in personal computing solutions, Acer wants to play an active role in developing and cultivating the school of the future, providing innovative and extremely affordable solutions to the global education community,” Blom said.
He warned that it was vital for institutions and schools to choose the right technologies, ones that are simple to install and easy to use, reliable and affordable.
Acer Education Centre is a partnership arrangement that Acer will use to certify technology partners in its drive to ensure that Africa’s education sector benefits from the latest technologies.
This type of partnership arrangement has been established by Acer in South Africa with 15 partners working with educational institutions to boost the relationship and interactions between teachers and students using the latest technologies.
Erik Blom, the education sector BU manager at Acer said the Acer Education Centre channel programme will enable the company recruit a network of regional dealers able to sell, implement and support complete solutions in the education market.
“With this new certification, we want to create a set of partners who have a deep understanding of the specific technology needs of the education market and how Acer’s products can address these requirements,” Blom said.
Programme partners will offer schools and other learning institutions access to products and solutions tailored to their needs, as well as specific expertise around technology in the educational sector. Blom was speaking following the launch of the programme in Uganda where ITec Solutions Ltd., has been appointed as the Acer partner.
Blom said the education market in Africa offers a host of exciting opportunities for Acer and its business partners with a growing number of learning institutions integrating technology into their teaching methods and curricula.
“Technology has a vital role to play in education by supplementing classroom teaching, giving learners access to information sources and preparing them for a tech-driven workplace,” Blom said.
“It also helps teachers and administrators to carry out administrative tasks more efficiently, and can fill gaps in subjects and areas where there aren’t enough teachers on hand.”
Acer showed offer a product that lets teachers interact electronically with their students using its ‘Acer Classroom Manager’ – a touch-screen white board that is linked to a projector, netbooks on student’s desks allowing for a seamless interaction between students and teachers.
Blom said class manager has been used successfully in South Africa where remote access capabilities of classroom manager have been implemented.
“As a global leader in personal computing solutions, Acer wants to play an active role in developing and cultivating the school of the future, providing innovative and extremely affordable solutions to the global education community,” Blom said.
He warned that it was vital for institutions and schools to choose the right technologies, ones that are simple to install and easy to use, reliable and affordable.
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