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MVNOs
WEST AFRICA
Home and away: calling across the continents x-Mobility is a mobile virtual network aggregator (MVNA), providing a white-labelled MVNO service for brands wishing to enter the mobile space. Gist Mobile is a new MVNO – running on x-Mobility's AppVNO service – targeting the West African diaspora in the UK, US and Canada. The founders of both companies tell Communications Africa why they are working together and who could benefit.
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Using x-Mobility the MNOs can offer users branded OTT services.
Communications Africa: Can you explain your MVNA/MVNO concept in more detail? How does it keep costs down for everyone involved? What part does technology play? Aramide Adebanjo, co-founder of Gist Mobile: Technology is a huge part of this service offering. Gist Mobile is an app virtual network operator (VNO) that uses voice over IP technology (VOIP). It is an over-the-top (OTT) service that requires only a connection to Wi-Fi or mobile data to operate, like other OTT apps such as WhatsApp, Viber and Skype. Anyone can use the app, provided they have a smartphone and an internet connection on their mobile devices. Because the technology uses VOIP, voice calls can be originated and terminated using data networks. That greatly reduces the cost of making these calls as it uses existing packet data networks to offer the service instead of the more expensive dedicated circuit-switched networks prevalent in developing markets such as Africa.
20 Communications Africa Issue 1 2020
Shanks Kulam, co-founder of x-Mobility: It keeps costs super-low for the user, as they make and receive roam-free calls and texts via the AppVNO OTT app. It adds new digital revenue streams for the MNO such as the international mobile number subscriptions, plus it enables both MVNOs and MNOs to extend their brands in a digital-first OTT nature to offer their branded services beyond their geographical boundaries – targeting new users such as those in the diaspora. Communications Africa: Can you clarify the value chain? Shanks Kulam, x-Mobility: x-Mobility enables brands / MVNOs to launch telco-OTT services. We enable the brands / MVNOs to launch new telecoms services quickly and globally. For MNOs, such as the West African MNO we are launching with soon, it provides a new 'international' revenue stream that they would not otherwise have access to.
The international revenues work as subscribers can now afford to make calls and text back home when travelling due to the roam-free nature of our AppVNO. They also have the ability to subscribe to new digital services such as international mobile numbers. For example, African travellers can have a real French number when they travel to France, and maintain that French number even once they return home to West Africa, to continue to receive calls and text roam-free. Many of the MNOs that we are discussing this with see this as a great way to counter the other OTT offerings out there. Using x-Mobility the MNOs can offer users branded OTT services that can also create additional revenues and increase ARPU. Communications Africa: Why the West African diaspora? Aramide Adebanjo, Gist Mobile: The West African diaspora is really a subset of our sub-
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