Kampala, Uganda: Efforts by MTN Uganda, Grameen Foundation and Google to alleviate poverty in the disadvantaged communities in Uganda through mobile phone texts received global recognition at the just concluded 15th annual GSMA 2010 Mobile World Congress; Global Mobile Awards held in Barcelona, Spain on 16th February.
The service, known as Google SMS, won the award for Best Use of Mobile for Social and Economic Development fending off three other competitors for the award. Speaking upon receiving the award, Grameen Foundation’s Director of AppLab Uganda, Eric Cantor, paid tribute to the efforts by all the partners to ensure that the service could be launched and be a success.
“We are humbled by this recognition and we view it as a license to work even harder to make mobiles serve the needs of those who need them most. This is truly a team achievement for Google, MTN Uganda, Straight Talk and several others, and a lot of dedication from many on our team,” Cantor said.
The award comes on the heels of another local recognition. Partly due to the Google SMS service, MTN Uganda earned the Silver Award at the Uganda Investment Authority’s Investor of the Year Awards 2009 to which end MTN’s Chief Marketing Officer Isaac Nsereko added, “The fact that the service was rewarded by the Uganda Investment Authority and now the recognition by the Global Mobile Awards, it is testimony that MTN prides itself in providing value-adding and sustainable services to our customers.”
The Global Mobile Awards, initiated 15 years ago, represent the interests of the worldwide mobile communications industry. The awards seek to acknowledge great innovations in the sector, which also includes software companies, equipment providers, internet companies, handset makers, media and entertainment organizations. This year’s awards were contested by 105 companies across 18 categories.
The Google SMS suite of mobile phone applications was launched in Uganda in June 2009 with the main aim of availing information to poor and disadvantaged communities in Uganda by merely sending a question to a given number. Developed as part of Grameen Foundation’s Application Laboratory (AppLab), the suite of mobile services includes Farmer's Friend, Health Tips, Clinic Finder, and Google Trader. These services help subscribers improve their livelihoods and income through profitable trade, in addition to providing useful agriculture and health tips.
About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications industry. Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA is focused on innovating, incubating and creating new opportunities for its membership, with all the end goal of driving the growth of the mobile communications industry.
About the MTN GROUP
Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a multinational telecommunications group, operating in 21 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: "MTN". As at 30 September 2009, MTN recorded 108.4 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. The MTN Group is a global sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ and has exclusive mobile content rights for Africa and the Middle East. Please visit www.mtn.com and www.mtnfootball.com
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