Challenges and Mobile Trends in Africa: Interview with BulkSMS
We caught up with Dr Piet Streicher, Managing Director of BulkSMS and asked him a few questions about the challenges he has faced in the current market conditions. To read more about how mobile technology is changing customer engagement click here.
Firstly, tell me more about your company and what you do…
BulkSMS.com is a wireless application service provider offering application-to-person SMS messaging solutions. We are network independent and connect to over 800 networks, enabling SMS delivery to cellphones via local and international networks. Our SMS gateway facilitates the sending of bulk SMS communications and handles reply messages. We also enable incoming numbers (using a shortcode or longcode) enabling our clients to run mobile marketing campaigns, where an advertised call to action it initiated from a consumer’s handset.
What challenges has your company been facing in this market?
There are two key challenges. Opening up connectivity routes and managing these in new markets to ensure reliable delivery and maintaining local and international competitive pricing structures.
Have you identified any solutions or strategies to overcome these challenges?
We undertake connectivity testing and review routings based on network performance. To address pricing, we have implemented online services that are region specific, offering best pricing in local and international currencies.
Who is your Target Market?
Our SMS messaging solutions are geared towards business and organisational communications. Our client list includes small, medium and large clients as well as not-for-profit organisations, schools and faith based organisations. To meet market requirements, and get clients up and running as quickly as possible, we have implemented stand-alone self-service messaging products: BulkSMS Text Messenger and Web to SMS solutions for managing communications from your laptop or desktop as well as an App for the iPhone, iPad and iPod. We also support an API that allows a company to SMS-enable their systems or developers to deploy solutions or Apps with SMS as a built-in functionality.
Do you do business in the African Market if yes explain, if no, is there an opportunity for you to look into the African market in the future.
As a Cape Town based company, we have a strong presence in South Africa. We have a growing demand for SMS messaging solutions in the rest of Africa. We have a longstanding engagement in the West African market. East Africa and Central/Southern Africa are strong emerging markets in the business and non-profit messaging sectors.
What are the main trends in this market?
We are seeing the rolling out of mHealth solutions that expand the prior focus on public healthcare to include healthcare value chain in general. There is also a shift from developing messaging solutions for basic phones to include opportunities for more interactive Apps for features phones and smartphones, especially with the latter becoming more affordable. We are seeing SMS used within the App market as an OTP (one time password) or a means to verify a user when registering for a mobile service.
Come and Visit BulkSMS’s stand and the Internet and Mobile Show Africa.
