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28 March 2024

Don't have a smartphone? You can still access social media with Etisalat

Published
By Staff

Millions of mobile users owning basic mobile phones across Africa and Asia are now able to join the online community using a new low-cost USSD messaging service from Etisalat.

This will provide access to email, social networking and messaging services, to basic mobile devices and feature phones at very affordable prices.

This follows an agreement between the Etisalat Group, the leading operator in the Middle-East, Africa and Asia, and Mahindra Comviva, the global leader in providing mobile financial and value added solutions, which was signed at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The partnership provides Etisalat’s 139 million subscribers across Middle East, Africa and Asia with consumer email, instant messaging, social networking, phone book backup services as well as popular news/web feeds and other relevant applications over their mobile phone.

They can do this either through downloading an application or via USSD, SMS or MMS messages which eliminates the users’ dependence on smartphones. This effectively provides access to contemporary web services to every mobile handset.

The platform will be deployed in a single location within the UAE, while the services will be made available to all the 15 affiliates of Etisalat. The first Etisalat market to deploy the new messaging solution is Etisalat Nigeria, whose 15 million subscribers will soon be able to enjoy the benefit of advanced communications on any handset.

Steven Evans, CEO, Etisalat Nigeria, explained the rationale behind being the first Etisalat operating unit to deploy the new messaging solution.

He said: “Nigeria has a vast population of young people a majority of which are basic-phone holders with no or minimum data capabilities. As we continue to attract new customers to our network across various segments, it is our desire that we are able to address their needs to enjoy emailing, instant messaging, and social networking amongst other services no matter the type of handset they are using. Etisalat Nigeria is acclaimed the industry leader in innovation and mobile broadband so this latest addition to our portfolio further reinforces our positioning and opens new opportunities to customers to experience firsthand some of the exciting services we have to offer through this partnership”.

Commenting on the partnership, Essa Al Haddad, Chief Executive Officer – Africa at the Etisalat Group, said: “With the ubiquity of Internet, Internet-enabled services such as social networking, email and instant messaging have gained tremendous popularity. However, with smartphone adoption still low in many countries and multiple clients for each service, the user experiences get very complicated. These mar the adoption of such web services on mobile handsets. Comviva has always been a trusted partner for Etisalat and with this new engagement, we will bring such and other more richer and interactive web services for our subscribers without any such limitations.”

Manoranjan Mohapatra, CEO, Mahindra Comviva, added, “We are excited to extend our partnership with Etisalat Group by offering these exciting web services for all its subscribers across 15 affiliates. These Cloud-based offerings will significantly accelerate time to market for Etisalat, stably. This partnership also reflects our commitment to create and deploy innovative and revenue-enhancing solutions that will delight subscribers and thus help Etisalat build a sustainable competitive advantage in their markets.”

As per the recent report from Nielsen, consumers’ time spent with social media on mobile apps and the mobile web has increased 63 per cent in 2012, compared to the same period last year. Juniper Research forecasts that the number of mobile IM (Instant Messaging) users will exceed 1.3 billion by 2016.

 

 

Etisalat renews sponsorship agreement with FC Barcelona

Etisalat Group and FC Barcelona have announced the renewal of a four-year partnership agreement. The deal means the UAE-based company is FC Barcelona's official partner in the UAE, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, the Ivory Coast, Benin, Togo, Niger, Gabon and the Central African Republic.

The contract was signed during Mobile World Congress 2013 - a major event for the telecommunications industry taking place in Barcelona - at FC Barcelona's stadium, Camp Nou, by Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar, the Chief Executive Officer of the Etisalat Group and Sandro Rosell, FC Barcelona's President.

They were accompanied by Eissa Al Suwaidi, the Chairman of Etisalat Group, Saleh Al Abdooli, the CEO of Etisalat UAE, Khalid Al Kaf, the CEO of Mobily (which operates in Saudi Arabia), Steven Evans, the CEO of Etisalat Nigeria, Nagi Abboud, the CEO of Atlantique Telecom and Essa Al Haddad, Etisalat Group's Chief Regional Officer for Africa.

Speaking about the partnership, Ahmed Julfar, Etisalat Group's CEO, said: "As a global telecommunications operator, it makes sense for us to partner with a world-class football club interested in expanding its international fan base. This partnership presents a unique opportunity for us to engage and share the talents of FC Barcelona with our customers." Sandro Rosell, the President of FC Barcelona, expressed a deep satisfaction for the continuity of the alliance with Etisalat: "They are pioneers in telecom services in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, and this will allow FC Barcelona to strengthen the connection with and feel closer to our fans in these territories. It will also help to share the FCB feeling there as well as letting us grow in social and economic terms." Saleh Al Abdooli, CEO, Etisalat UAE said: "Today football is the most popular game in the UAE and playing a significant role in the lives of youth today. Barcelona FC is one of the most prominent football clubs globally with a record number of championships. Etisalat's renewal of the contract with Barcelona FC restates our values focused on excellence, ambition and creativity.

As a UAE based organisation, it's been top priority to extend our efforts from creating a successful business model as well as supporting activities impacting various elements of the ecosystem."

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