The mobile phone has evolved really fast over the last ten years. From being just about calls and sms to being a very integral part in day to day lives and business. The mobile phone has become the mobile office, the entertainment, the resource gadget and also the personal assistant. Current global trends indicate that advertising is going to be a multi-billion dollar business over the next decades, and corporates need to see this and adjust to remain relevant.
Its no doubt that internet uptake is fast in Africa, and mobile web is even faster, what with the $100 smartphones currently in use in the market making users get more demand for mobile internet and applications access.Mobile data ranges from internet access to calls, sms, USSD systems and data storage. This is going big in Africa! And companies investing in this technology have a chance to mint the billions lying around unmade.
One such company is Mobile Planet Limited,a Kenyan Owned and run company that has been around for the last ten years. The company which has Google as one of the shareholders and with over 30 employees has become a household name. The company develops technical platforms that allow corporates interact with mobile subscribers. Over the ten years it has been in existence, it has served corporates including Google, Safaricom, Airtel, Citizen TV, CocaCola, Unilever and Nokia. Products like the Safaricom GetIT411, Semeni, Gmail SMS2Email, Citizen Tv Tazama Chapaa, Zawadi 2929 are among the many products the company has churned out to the market. Information access and use is something consumers will strive to gain over the next few years, this will not only come from the corporates but also from the users, blogs, etc.Thats where mobile web and mobile applications come in. Choice!
The last ten years of Mobile Planet and the general mobile phone were about sms, but we will see this going over to mobile internet and mobile web. One such things that actually needs to make the move is Telcos self serve menus which are mainly via USSD and sms. Mobile planet aims to make the gradual move from developing sms solutions to mobile applications that will provide users with better useability and choice of service.
