In a David v Goliath contest, ForgetMeNot Africa’s Message Optimiser came second to Blackberry Messenger for the Innovation in Messaging award, at the Global Messaging Awards held last night in London.

While we were disappointed not win we are delighted that our Global Messaging industry peers recognise Message Optimiser (MO) as a major innovation in the messaging space and one we know will change the lives of millions of people in Africa going forward.

We congratulate RIM on their achievement and hopefully we will be back again next year to do battle once again!

Filmed at West and Central Africa, Dakar, Senegal June 2010.

Developments and trends in West and Central Africa
New stats and trends for West and Central Africa (WCA) for telecoms markets were discussed and these inlcude …..
• WCA market to grow by 100% over next 5 years
• WCA telecoms market has generated $16 billion in 2009
• Overall penetration at 40% in Q1 2010
• Over 10 new networks launched between 2009/10

The Nigerian market is strongest and represents 46% of WCA market, although not all WAC markets are growing. The DRC for example has experienced negative growth rates in 2009 , a combination of being hit by economic crisis and the local market environment.

Rising trend: Wireless broadband new frontier for investors
Subscriptions to soar from 3 million in 2010 to over 30 million by 2013

Rising trend: Mobile money used as retention tool
Mobile money is taking hold in WAC. Originally started in East Africa for the unbanked population, mobile money is now entirely part of strategies for all big the investors in West and Central Africa (MTN, Orange, Zain, Vodafone). The service is being used as customer retention tool to reduce churn.

Rising Trend: Increased Regulation
WAC seing increased regulation which is thought to be positive. For example SIM card registration are enforced for security reasons and this will maybe force operators to be more transparent on reporting subscription rates.

60% of Population not connected
The most staggering statistic on Day 1 is that 60% of rural population are not connected by internet and broadband. This highlights the large digital divide in WCA and reaffirms what we at ForgetMeNot Africa are trying to achieve by enabling everyone to access email and chat on any mobile phone.

Chief Operating Officer Jeremy George speaking from West Africa Com in Dakar, Senegal said:

“We are delighted the eTXT service which enables emails and chat messages to be sent and received seamlessly as an SMS has been recognised by the mobile industry as a major innovation in messaging”

He added, “ eTXT has already been deployed in Africa and is changing the way people communicate.Our technology transforms low grade mobile phones into stepping stones across the global digital divide, which ultimately changes peoples lives in Africa”

The awards take place on the 22nd of June 2010 in London.

We are looking forward to meeting our friends and colleagues from the industry, while making new ones from West Africa and discussing how eTXT can drive SMS traffic for carriers.

Visit us at stand no.3 at West Africa Com.

Kenya’s mobile phone revolution brings 2-way email and online chat to 1 in 3 Kenyans
Over 15 million mobile phone subscribers in Kenya – over a third of the country’s population – will now be able to access email and online chat regardless of the make and model of their mobile phone. All standard phones with the ability to SMS are being transformed with the new Kipokezi service bringing low-cost email and chat within the reach of millions of Kenyans, improving communications with their friends and families, both at home and abroad

Standard phones now transformed
All standard phones with the ability to SMS are being transformed with the new Kipokezi service bringing low-cost email and chat within the reach of millions of Kenyans, improving communications with their friends and families, both at home and abroad.

Safaricom Kenya’s largest telecoms operator
The new Kipokezi service is being rolled out by Kenya’s largest telecoms operator, Safaricom, suppliers of mobile phone connectivity for almost 9 in 10 Kenyan mobile phone subscribers. The service will be available to Safaricom’s entire subscriber base and is uses ForgetMeNot Africa’s, eTXT technology a unified messaging systems for telecommunications operators.

Safaricom CEO, Michael Joseph, said:

“This service packs great value to our customers. They will be able to handle their business online, check mail, find information, chat and keep in touch from wherever they are in a fast and cost-efficient manner. The price of internet-ready phones has kept many Kenyans off the web, a trend we are determined to change. This innovation is also at one with our constant strategy of increasing the utility of the mobile phone and expanding the reach of our data product.”

Low cost email and chat including MSN, Yahoo and Gtalk
Kipokezi enables Safaricom to place low-cost email and chat within the reach of millions of Kenyans but especially serves the technically-literate youth of Kenya, who are already very familiar with email and chat. Kipokezi is particularly attractive to young “early adopters” because it gives them a considerably cheaper and more convenient way of accessing email and chat compared to a standard Internet connection and without the need for data plans or handset upgrades.

What’s more, the service incorporates popular chat services such as MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, Windows Live and Gtalk so that users can send and receive messages and invitations globally.

No internet needed just a handset
ForgetMeNot Africa’s unique Handset Initiation (HI) technology bypasses the need for Internet access and the latest handsets to offer an email service to all mobile phone users, even those in the remotest of areas.

ForgetMeNot Africa’s Chief Operating Officer, Jeremy George said:

“Almost four years ago, Safaricom revolutionised money transfer and storage in Kenya with the launch of its mobile money service enabling users to send, store and receive money through their mobile phones. Today they are giving all Kenyans the opportunity to bridge the rural-urban digital divide by giving them cheap access to chat and email services on standard mobile phones, without the need for an Internet connection, data plans or expensive handsets.”

Read Full Press Release

For an interview or further information please contact us

Visit our stand where you can trial our technology and understand how we can provide two way email and chat on EVERY mobile, driving SMS traffic to your network with our Message Optimiser technology.

If you would like to arrange a meeting please email africa@fmnsoft.com.

Filmed at Digital Africa, Kampala, Uganda, 2010.

This unique start was then followed by a video address by Dr Hamadoun Toure, the ITU Secretary General who explained the recent growth and also the challenges faced by the African market.

Mobile subscription rates are increasing by up 42% per year in Africa. The African mobile market is one of the fastest growth rates in world, for example….Gambia and Equatorial Guinea, mobile adoption is growing by 50 to 70% per year.

Mobile prices are low and accessible is high, but high cost of broadband is a major bottleneck and broadband it was argued should be recognised as national right for all. Mr Toure added that the moment is now ripe to put together and seek the best way forward to drive African Communications.

The Vice President of Uganda likened the ICT revolution to when in the 1950’s when his family grew a lot of cotton. Other countries found it hard to grow and asked how to do it and Uganda became 3rd largest exporter. Similarly in ICT, he explained that training was needed, at all levels in Africa. Utilisation of mobiles needs to be increased and the industry needs to help to develop strong policy on ICT use to improve in Africa. “This can transform people from poverty to middle class with positive change.”

How can Africa develop?
He explained how e-Health schemes for malaria and disease means these issues can now be resolved without coming to Kampala which is great for Ugandans.

He explained that Africa was not yet ready for this big change now, as economies and governments are fragile, but they need to build strong policies to transform societies, as building a democracy takes time so policies are needed now.

Africa Needs To Now Produce
The Vice President highlighted the plight of Africa clearly by saying historically “Africa receives 99.9% of things but needs to turn this around and find out how to do and build capacity to produce”. Uganda consumes but now needs to produce especially in ICT.

Good food for thought, which highlights just how big the digital divide is in Africa and the work needed. This needs to be addressed by both strong policy and public and private partnerships in Africa. At ForgetMeNot Africa are both happy and proud our eTXT technology will help to empower Africans and in the words of Dr Hamadoun Toure, the ITU Secretary General, fullfilling the “national right” of each African to be part of the digital revolution.

We are looking forward to meeting many of Africa’s leading networks and providers over the coming days and demonstrating the exciting new developments with our eTXT service, which provides internet messaging on every mobile phone in Africa, helping to bridge the digital divide in Africa.