Warid Telecom Launches Voice SMS in Uganda, Selects Kirusa’s Solution
Kampala, Uganda, and New Providence, New Jersey, Tuesday, November 6, 2012: Warid Telecom, a leading telecom operator of Uganda, and Kirusa, one of world?s leading developer of Mobile Social Media and Value-Added Services have announced the launch of Voice SMS service in Uganda. This marks a new landmark in enhancing users ease and experience. The service will enable Warid Telecom subscribers the convenience to connect with friends and relatives with their voice.
The Voice SMS service is available across Uganda, to all Warid subscribers, on all mobile handsets. Voice SMS allows Warid subscribers to send messages by voice, eliminating the need to type. It enables the subscribers to communicate faster, with greater ease and convey emotions as compared to limitations imposed by text messages. Use of Voice SMS by mobile subscribers is gaining global traction, given its convenience in enabling people to communicate on the go.
Subscribers have to pay 90 UGX (about US$ 0.03) for composing, replying or forwarding a Voice SMS message. First listen is free. Repeat Listen is priced at 25 UGX (about US$ 0.01).
Kirusa?s platforms are deployed with over 30 mobile carriers across four continents, and process more than 1 billion calls every month.
Sriram Yarlagadda, CEO, Warid Uganda said, ?We have always believed in Kirusa?s capabilities to innovate and simplify telecommunications by way of adding value to our services. Kirusa?s services have proven extremely successful at our affiliates, and we believe that our subscribers will also benefit from the Voice SMS service as they can now convey their messages to the recipient easily, and with full emotions.?
Inderpal Singh Mumick, CEO of Kirusa, said, ?Kirusa is driven by the passion for helping enhance consumer experience. We are delighted that Warid Uganda has decided to offer the portfolio of Kirusa services, including Voice SMS, to meet the needs of its mobile subscribers, and helping increase adoption, retention and revenue.?
About Warid Telecom
Warid Telecom Uganda is an Integrated Telecom Operator which covers majority of the Uganda?s population providing voice, data ? both fixed and mobile using 3G/EDGE technologies, info-entertainment services and mobile money. Warid Telecom?s goal is to provide an unequalled level and variety of communications services that add value to the lives of all Ugandans. Warid?s IP backbone network provides a state-of-the-art broadband and fixed line network to meet the business needs of individuals, SMEs and large scale corporate customers. Warid Telecom is majority owned by the Abu Dhabi Group, an Investment Consortium from the United Arab Emirates. Warid Telecom is an international telecoms group with operations in Uganda, Congo, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
About Kirusa
Kirusa is one of the leading global developers of Mobile Social Media and Value Added Services enabling mobile subscribers to reach out to their family and friends. Kirusa?s solutions include the hugely successful Kirusa Voice SMS service, the world?s most advanced Voice SMS solution, used by over 30 carriers in four continents. Kirusa has integrated its Voice SMS platforms deployed at carriers around the world into an Exchange Service to provide interoperability, and with its Vobolo platform in the cloud to provide social media services. Kirusa is pioneering a suite of social media applications that facilitate mobile subscribers to interact with each other, get infotainment, follow their favorite celebrities, and participate in TV polls and brand campaigns using voice. Kirusa provides an open platform with APIs to enable third parties to offer mobile applications. Used by over seventy million mobile subscribers every month, Kirusa solutions are built on its patented and patent pending technology and its highly reliable and scalable open multimodal platform, and process over one billion calls a month. Kirusa has been recognized as one of top 100 technology companies by Silicon India, and one of top 25 emerging technology companies by Smart Techie magazine. Headquartered in New Jersey and led by an experienced team of wireless telecom executives and technologists, Kirusa has offices in three continents. ?Kirusa Voice SMS,? is a trademark of Kirusa, Inc. For more information visit: www.kirusa.com.
