“WAP au Congo” Implementation of a WAP Platform in the Republic of the Congo
7th June 2000
MSI: company origins
Mobile Systems International Holdings Limited
Licensed mobile Software and telecommunication consultancy operations services
Metapath Software International Inc*
Demerger
* Sold to Marconi April 2000
2
MSI: the company & mobile ISP
Within MSI’s mission to be the wireless PTT of Africa:
Vision: wireless ISP of Africa
Expanding business along an extending value chain GSM penetration compared with PC ownership
Strategy: avoiding the usual pitfalls
Customer focused
Ample/reliable bandwidth
Wireless first
Execution: initial product offering
WAP via mobile handset Dial-up Internet access from the PC
Corporate fixed-wireless LAN access
3
MSI: faith in the African economy
Real GDP growth - 1999 and 2000 forecasts
3.0% 1.0% 1.5% 0.1%
Japan WORLD Central & South America Asia EU US
3.5%
3.9%
5.3%5.4% 3.7% 2.0% 2.7% 2.6% 3.1%
5.0%
1999 2000
Africa
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook (October 1999)
Asia is currently the only area with higher economic growth rates FDI in Africa: Performance & potential ($ bn) GDP % growth in Sub-Saharan Africa
9
8
8.4 6.3 4.7 2.6 2.8 3.4 4.7
9.0
9.6
10.0
7 6 5 4 3
Uganda Tanzania Namibia Zambia Malawi Kenya Congo
2.0
2
1 -1
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000F
-2 97 98 99 00F 01F Source: Datastream
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook (October 1999)
Foreign direct investment has increased for 11 consecutive years
Sub-Sahara region demonstrates impressive economic growth forecasts
4
MSI: belief in the African opportunity
Fixed network faults per 100 lines - 1996
Cellular subscribers growth – 1999
(Annual Growth to June 30, 1999)
78.5
109.00%
85.00% 68.60% 70.20% 50.80% 73.47%
43.7
46.80%
19.9 8.9
22.3
25.52%
Americas
Europe
World
Asia
Africa
North America
Asia
Global
Western Middle Latin Europe East America
Eastern Europe
Africa
Source: International Telecommunication Union
Source: Global Mobile November 1999
5
MSI Growth Story:
licences at end 1998
Egypt
Uganda
Sierra Leone Malawi Congo Brazzaville Zambia
Pre 1998
1998
6
MSI Growth Story:
licences at April 2000
Chad
Egypt
Burkina Faso
Guinea Sierra Leone Gabon Congo Brazzaville
Uganda DRC
Malawi Zambia
Pre 1998 1999 to date
1998
7
MSI Growth Story:
future potential licences
Chad
Algeria
Egypt
Mali Burkina Faso
Guinea Sierra Leone Uganda Nigeria Gabon Congo
Brazzaville
Ethiopia
Cameroon
Tanzania DRC Malawi Mozambique
Angola
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Pre 1998 1999 to date
1998 Licence bids coming/outstanding
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Future Now:
acquisition of Mobitel Sudan June 2000
Chad
Algeria
Egypt
Mali
Sudan
Burkina Faso
Guinea Sierra Leone Uganda Nigeria Gabon Congo
Brazzaville
Ethiopia
Cameroon
Tanzania DRC Malawi Mozambique
Angola
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Pre 1998 1999 to date
1998 Licence bids coming/outstanding
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Celtel Congo: milestones
December 1998
Award of GSM licence
country emerging from civil war since early 1990s
December 1999
Launch of first GSM mobile operator
initially serving only Brazzaville
February 2000 April 2000
Launch of service in Pointe Noire
Opening of international gateway Becomes largest mobile operator
overtaking long-established analogue mobile operator
April 2000
May 2000
June 2000
With 14,000 subscribers becomes largest telco in Congo
Launch of WAP platform
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WAP: wireless application protocol
WAP enables access to
Internet services tailored for mobile use
Worldwide there are three
times as many mobile phone users as Internet users
•
(Gartner Group)
By 2004 at least 40% of
business to consumer ecommerce transactions outside North America are forecast to be mobile originated
•
(Gartner Group)
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WAP: constraints addressed
Delivering Internet applications and content to a mobile platform implies constraints
Handset constraints
CPU processing capacity
Memory
Display size Data input interface
Power consumption
Network constraints
Low data rates
Latency
Connection instability
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WAP au Congo
Among the first WAP implementations in Africa
Not “possible in Sweden one day”, but operating from Congo today
Piloting local access with closed user group of own staff, distributors & partners
WAP site publicly available over the Internet
Choice of Congo for pilot project
Early success of Celtel Congo
Support of regulator Own international gateway
The Service
Internet access from a Celtel Congo handset Enables Brazzaville customer to access local WAP content
Onward links to WAP content worldwide
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WAP au Congo: network architecture
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WAP au Congo: content http://wap.celtelplus.com
News
Congolese, regional, international
Exchange rates
Current rates, graphs, currency converter
Travel information
Airport scheduled arrivals & departures
Jump site to third-party WAP content
LeWap, Yahoo! France etc
Celtel Services
Services, partners, news, contacts
15
WAP Content through a Web Browser
http://www.gelon.net (For demonstration purposes only)
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WAP Content through a Web Browser
http://www.gelon.net (For demonstration purposes only)
17
Future Content
Mobile banking
SIM provides additional security
m-commerce
Mobile commerce Small transactions off pre-paid or post-paid credit balances
Stock quotes Sports scores
Personal Information Management
Agenda, mail, address book, memo pad
Position-based services
Nearest McDonalds, nearest friend, mobile dating
Home automation
The air-conditioning unit needs an IP address
18
Graham Matthews
Director, ISP Services
MSI Cellular Investments
E-mail: matthews.g@msi-cellular.com Web: www.msi-cellular.com WAP: wap.celtelplus.com