Robert Lamptey is the CEO of Saya Mobile - an Angel funded technology startup in the Meltwater incubator which launched a mobile chat application for feature phones and smartphones in
emerging economies. In the 2 months since it launched it's flagship app Saya,
it has seen download numbers exceeding 150 thousand, 2Million messages sent on the
system, and 37 thousand active users.
The Com World Series caught up with Robert to learn a bit more about Saya, ahead of Robert's presentation at VAS Africa - Johannesburg, 3-4 July.
CWS: What does VAS mean to you?
RL: VAS to me is the provision of
services that supplement any other services a user may have, or be using, on a
Telco's infrastructure. VAS is the icing on the cake for Telecoms services and
may come in different flavors to suit a particular demographic.
CWS: How
would you describe the growth of Value Added Services in Africa over the past
year?
RL: I think over the past year,
Data services have become cheaper thereby fueling a new and improve breed of
VAS in Africa. We have seen more creative VAS being implemented across Africa
because of this.
CWS: What do
you think has been a major change in the nature of value added services in the
past year?
RL: a. The influx of cheap smart
phones (in particular android devices), b. Cheaper data services, and c. More mobile-centric
software developers. These have influenced a lot
of changes in how VAS are being implemented and consumed in Africa.
CWS: How
important do you think cost-efficiency is for the delivery of VAS and why?
RL: In any industry,
cost-efficiency means more revenues and hence it is expedient that VAS be run
cost-efficiently. This will also allow for more innovations to take place.
CWS: Who do
you think are the major players in the African market (or your region)
affecting the VAS industry?
RL: Firstly short code providers (examples from
Ghana are Rancard Mobility, SMSGh, Mobile Content.Com, etc), and secondly Mobile App Developers (like Saya, Streemio, Nandimobile, Mobile Web Ghana, etc)
CWS: What do
you think are the 3 key areas VAS providers need to focus on in order to
succeed in the African market?
RL: a. Data services, b. Mobile Devices & Mobile
Operating systems, and c. Voice VAS services.
CWS: Which
key message do you want to highlight during your participation at VAS Africa in
Johannesburg later this year?
RL: That there are increasing mobile
developer communities in Africa, and that we are seeing greater investment in mobile
software apps by Telecoms companies. It's good news all round.
Robert
is a Co-Founder and CEO of Saya Mobile, a mobile software development company in
Ghana, and responsible for identifying and exploring new business opportunities
& markets, coordinating sales & product development, and for negotiating & managing partnerships at Saya. He is an avid software developer with over 8
years of experience. Prior to Saya, he had been leading technical teams to
develop international standard software applications for various multinationals
in different industries.
@rlamptey
VAS Africa is the continent’s most exciting value added services, content & apps event, and when it launched last year it was hailed as a massive success. Participants praised the quality of the speakers, the depth of conference content, the breadth of discussion and the targeted networking with VAS decision-makers from across Africa. Therefore the 2nd year promises to be even bigger and better. Sign up today to be part of Africa’s only dedictaed value added services conference and exhibition. Sign up to for the 2012 agenda and event updates, find out more about joining in the speaker line-up and apply today to sponsor or exhibit.
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