GTS-Infotel Nigeria Ltd Plot 1205 Amodu Ojikutu street Victoria Island, Lagos Tel: +234 1 897 2772 Fax: +234 1 261 5143 www.gts-infotel.com Premier Mobile VAS Aggregator
GTS-INFOTEL NIGERIA SERVICES PROFILE MAY 2008
1 The company overview Incorporated in 2005, GTS-Infotel Nigeria is a joint-venture between Philips Projects Centre (PPC), a leading IT System Integrator in Nigeria and GTS Africa, a privately owned company based in France. GTS-Infotel is the first Mobile VAS Aggregator in Nigeria specializing in the provision & operation of unified shortcodes in partnership with local mobile operators, enabling third-party VAS Providers to quickly deploy and market their premium SMS/IVR services across all mobile subscribers in the country. To this end, GTS-Infotel Nigeria has successfully applied in May 2005 for a telecommunication VAS licence and is awaiting the grant of blocks of unified shortcodes by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), as to be authorized to establish direct connectivity links and revenue sharing agreements on premium rate services with each mobile operator. Thanks to its years of experience and technical partnerships with some key international players in the mobile industry, GTS-Infotel has designed and progressively deployed a carrier-grade VAS infrastructure for the provision of a wide range of mobile messaging & multimedia content solutions over SMS, Voice/IVR, WEB and WAP to its clientele base of mobile Operators and third party VAS Providers (Media/Brands, Corporate/Organizations, Web Portals, …). Acting as an aggregator, GTS-Infotel is also partnering with various local information & multimedia content providers for the provision of content aggregation and animation services of Operator’s Voice portal and WAP portal.
€
Our Philosophy: The success of mobile VAS in Africa relies mainly on the creation of an ecosystem that allows all the players involved in the mobile value chain to earn on a revenue sharing basis.
€
Our Mission: To be the leading Mobile VAS Operator in Nigeria, providing a comprehensible range of high quality mobile messaging & content solutions to all stakeholders in the value chain, thereby ensuring the sustainable growth of the mobile VAS market in Nigeria.
€
Our Vision: To Bridge the gap between mobile End-Users and Content/VAS Providers.
GTS-Infotel Nigeria delivers cutting-edge solutions to our valued clients, relying largely on the strength of its alliances, its sophisticated technology and its highly skilled human resources.
GTS-Infotel Nigeria Ltd, Registration Number RC 608716
Confidential
2 Overview of the GTS Mobile VAS Infrastructure GTS-Infotel is positioning as an Aggregator and operates a carrier-grade VAS infrastructure for the provision of mobile connectivity services as well as a wide range of applications & multimedia content solutions over SMS, Voice/IVR, WEB and WAP to its clientele base of mobile Operators and third party VAS Providers (Medias/Brands, Corporate/Organizations, Web Portals, …).
2.1 Overview of the GTS SMS Infrastructure Our SMS infrastructure is based on: -
A carrier-grade SMS Gateway platform, deployed at a Data Center in Lagos, with multiple connection links to mobile operators. All the connections are performed over Public Internet provided by a leading ISP in Nigeria
-
A wide range of SMS applications developed and hosted in our SMS Gateway platform or provided in ASP mode by local or international WASPs
-
A BulkSMS platform.
The diagram of the architecture of our global SMS infrastructure is shown below:
GTS-Infotel Nigeria Services Profile
May 08
Page 2/7
Confidential
Through our SMS Gateway, GTS-Infotel provide SMS connectivity services to third party VAS Providers wishing to market premium SMS services to all the mobile subscribers. Our SMS Gateway platform supports the following features: •
• • • • •
Multiple 2-way connectivity to Operators SMSC over public Internet via SMPP with powerful routing of inbound SMS-MO messages via shortcodes/keywords as well as outbound SMS-MT messages Multiple 2-way connectivity to third party SMS based applications over public Internet via a wide range of APIs (HTTP/XML, SMTP, SMPP, SOAP) Reception & Sending of text, binary and WAP-Push messages Creation of multiple customers account (VASP) Hosting & Configuration of multiple premium SMS services Real time message tracking, reports and statistics accessible per customer & per service.
An extranet is accessible via www.gtsmessenger.com by customers & partners to view statistics and various usage reports for both inbound and outbound SMS messages of their services. All these information are provided for the purpose of revenue sharing between each Mobile Operator and GTS on one hand, and between GTS and Third Parties (WASPs, VAS Providers, or Content Providers) on the other hand. As of today, our SMS Gateway is connected to the 3 dominant Operators (Celtel, Globacom and MTN) for the provision of premium SMS services via the use of shortcodes at various tariff bands allocated to us by each mobile operator.
2.2 Overview of the GTS IVR Infrastructure Our IVR VAS infrastructure is based on: -
A carrier-grade IVR Gateway, deployed at a Data Center in Lagos provided by an Interconnect Operator, who also provides multiple connections links to fixed & mobile operators to our platform,
-
A wide range of IVR/VoiceXML applications developed and hosted in our IVR Gateway platform or provided in ASP mode by local or international WASPs,
-
A Voice call broadcast platform.
The diagram of the architecture of our global IVR infrastructure is shown below:
GTS-Infotel Nigeria Services Profile
May 08
Page 3/7
Confidential
Through our IVR Gateway, GTS-Infotel provide VoIP connectivity services to third party VAS Providers wishing to market premium IVR services to all mobile/fixed subscribers. Our IVR Gateway platform supports the following features: • • • • •
Multiple 2-way connectivity to Operators MSC over E1 links with powerful routing for inbound voice calls via shortcodes or long numbers Multiple 2-way connectivity to third party VoIP Applications over public Internet via SIP protocol Creation of multiple customer accounts (VASP) Hosting & Configuration of multiple IVR based application services Real time message tracking, reports and statistics accessible per customer & per service.
An extranet is accessible via www.gtsmessenger.com by customers & partners to view statistics and various usage reports for both inbound and outbound voice calls of their services. All these information are provided for the purpose of revenue sharing between each Mobile Operator and GTS on one hand, and between GTS and Third Parties (WASPs, VAS Providers, or Content Providers) on the other hand.
3 GTS Mobile VAS Solution Overview Our mobile Value Added Services solutions’ offering covers all the domains of mobile marketing & Communication, mobile infotainment & entertainment, mobile business, and consists on the provision of: -
Professional Bulk SMS services,
-
Mobile connectivity services via SMS/Voice shortcodes
-
Hosted & Managed SMS Application services
-
Hosted & Managed IVR Application services
-
Multimedia Content Aggregation & WAP Portal animation services
3.1 Provision of Professional Bulk SMS solution Our professional BulkSMS Corporate solution enables clients to send Bulk SMS messages over the Internet to any GSM mobile subscriber in Nigeria or abroad, and is addressed to any type of corporate organisation in need of improving its customer relationship management by means of SMS channels. The GTS Bulk SMS solution is deployed on the Net2gsm.com platform, a powerful and reliable web based tool, enabling organizations to set up various types of professional SMS Push services, by the use of a Web SMS portal or any third party application via a specific API. The net2gsm.com platform is connected to Sybase365 a global SMS Broker, specialized on the delivery of SMS-MT messages to most of mobile operators around the world. The provision of our BulkSMS solution consists of the activation of a customer account on net2gsm.com platform, bundled with prepaid SMS credits. Using this solution, any authorized personnel in the company can send SMS messages to Nigeria and abroad, by the deduction of its SMS credits depending on the type of SMS and destination. With its BulkSMS account, the customer administrator can operate the following functions: -
creation of multiple user accounts and transfer SMS credits from its account
-
view all the SMS-MT delivery reports generated by its users
-
view its credit balance and the one of each of its users
Our solution supports the following features:
€ € € €
Sending of various types of SMS (normal text, long text, Binary, WAP Push) Different modes of SMS delivery ( normal, flash SMS, stored on SIM, stored on phone) Sending Bulk SMS using a contact group list or upload of a CSV file Sending personalized Bulk SMS using a CSV file
GTS-Infotel Nigeria Services Profile
May 08
Page 4/7
Confidential
€ € € € €
Import/Export contact list using CSV file (up to 10,000 contact per list) Deferred sending time Possibility to modify the Sender ID (max of 11 alphanumeric characters) Fast delivery with message status report (transmitted, delivered, buffered, failed) Outbound messages reporting and statistics.
3.2 Provision of SMS/Voice shortcodes service The unified shortcodes service as offered by GTS is addressed to any VAS Provider who wants to brand its own premium mobile service accessible by SMS and/or IVR to all GSM subscribers in the country, at different rates (tool-free, standard, premium). This service is subject to the acquisition of a block of special numbers (unified shortcodes) from the Regulator and the establishment of technical & commercial agreements with each GSM operator. The commercial agreement is based on the access tariff of the shortcode, which can be of 3 types: €
Premium rate shortcode: This is a special number whose access tariff to the service is overcharged compared to the normal rate. Suitable for mobile marketing & mobile entertainment services, the premium revenue generated by these services is shared between mobile Operator, the Aggregator (GTS-Infotel) and the VAS Provider/Publisher.
€
Standard rate shortcode: This is a special number whose access tariff to the service is the same as the normal off-net tariff applied by each Mobile Operator to its subscribers. Suitable for some corporate based mobile interactive solutions, the revenue generated by these services is kept by each Mobile Operator in compensation of the transport cost, while GTS revenue is derived directly from the VAS Provider.
€
Toll-free shortcode: This is a special number whose access tariff to the service is free of charge to the subscribers. Suitable for some specific mobile business & mobile infotainment solutions, the transport cost generated by these services as well as the GTS revenue are paid by the VAS Provider.
The GTS unified shortcodes is branded as Infotel numbers. The provision of SMS/Voice shortcode service is based on the connectivity of an SMS/IVR application service to mobile operators and consists of the following: €
Allocation of dedicated shortcode or shared shortcode associated with a unique keyword to the VASP’s application at a predefined user tariff
€
Activation of the shortcode across all the mobile networks
€
Set up & operation of the service through our SMS Gateway or IVR Gateway
€
Settlement & revenue sharing from mobile operators to the VAS Provider if applicable.
Based on its technical & marketing expertise, GTS-Infotel ensures the following professional services on behalf of its customers, relating to all the aspects of the implementation of the Infotel service: ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚
Assistance on the design of the mobile interactive service if required Development and setting up of the service if required Assignment of a special number to the specific service Contracting with each mobile Operator for the activation & operation of the Infotel number Assistance in the promotion of the service to the public Operation & maintenance of the mobile service
While thus choosing the Shortcode service offered by GTS, the VAS Provider will benefit from the following advantages: €
Easy promotion of the mobile premium service: by communicating to the general public one unique shortcode (Infotel number) at a single access tariff
€
Service availability: accessible to all mobile subscribers in the country, on a 24/7 basis
€
Cost effective solution: Zero upfront capital investment, lower start-up costs
€
Profitability: Possibility of earning a new source of income according to the amount of the revenue shared by mobile Operators to GTS.
GTS-Infotel Nigeria Services Profile
May 08
Page 5/7
Confidential
3.3 Provision of Hosted & Managed SMS application services In complement to our SMS shortcode service, GTS-Infotel can provide a wide range of ready to use SMS applications services to Brands wishing to integrate mobile marketing & communication in order to improve their brand image or customers relationship management and/or create interactivity with their audience. The SMS applications are hosted & managed by GTS-Infotel or by one of our technological partners, and are as follows: •
SMS Contact Solution, enabling any organization to add SMS into their existing contact channels for multi-purpose services such as: Helpdesk/Enquiry, Comment, Opinion poll. It is a powerful P2P communication tool between handsets users and desktop user via Internet.
•
SMSMedia Tool: This module is used as an option to SMS Contact and is dedicated to TV & Radio stations. It facilitates the reception, visualization, the saving or deletion of SMS messages sent by the viewers or listeners of a particular program. The saved messages can then be published to a third interface (TV screen or display panel).
•
SMS Info on demand solution: enabling the VAS Provider to set up various type of Interactive SMS response services based on web based information or pre-loaded information on the platform. It is a P2A communication tool between handset users and application server. Based on a specific syntax command sent by the user, the application will deliver information on constant, sequential or dated mode depending on the nature of the information. This solution is used to set up services such as: SMS directory, SMS selfcare, SMS query, etc.
•
A set of SMS Promotion & Competition Applications powered by the Alcatel smsBox Professional platform, which includes: o
SMS Voting: enables the set up of various types of services of vote and opinion poll (with single, multiple or modifiable choices), with possibility of winners determined by drawing of lots.
o
SMS Quiz : enables the set up of various types of services of quiz or predict game based on one or more handles, with winners given either instantaneously or by drawing of lots.
o
SMS Instant-Win: enables the set up of various types of services of lottery game with winners instantaneously given according to some probability rules.
For each of these applications, web-based interface is provided to VAS Providers both for the configuration of their service and viewing of their traffic statistics.
3.4 Provision of Hosted & Managed IVR application services In complement to our Voice shortcode / special numbering service, GTS-Infotel can provide a wide range of customized IVR application services to Brands & Enterprises wishing to integrate mobile marketing & communication or mobile infotainment in order to improve their brand image or customers relationship management and/or create interactivity with their audience. The IVR applications are hosted & managed by GTS-Infotel or by one of our technological partners, and are as follows: •
Enterprise Voice Portal Solution, enabling any organization to outsource their enterprise IVR solution for multi-purpose services such as: automatic call attendant, pre-recorded information broadcast . Alternatively, calls can be forwarded to the Enterprise’s IPBX or call center for processing.
•
Voice Mail Tool: This module is used as an option to Voice Contact and is dedicated to TV & Radio stations. The voice messages recorded by the viewers or listeners of a particular program are sent to a particular email address and can then be read and published to a third interface.
•
Voice Voting: enables the set up of various types of services of vote and opinion poll (with single, multiple or modifiable choices), with possibility of winners determined by drawing of lots.
For each of these applications, web-based interface is provided to VAS Providers for the configuration of their service and viewing of the traffic statistics and for the update of the content if required.
GTS-Infotel Nigeria Services Profile
May 08
Page 6/7
Confidential
3.5 Provision of WAP content aggregation & animation services Our WAP content aggregation and animation services are based on a multimedia content management & WAP portal platform provided in ASP mode by a technologicaly partner for the provision & operation of WAP portal services to mobile operators. The deployment and operation of a WAP portal enables mobile subscribers to view/listen, order and download to their own mobile phone a wide range of multimedia content such as: €
Browsing Information: news, horoscope, joke, useful infos, religious messages,…
€
Download content: ringtones (polyphonic, Hi-fi), color pictures, mini videos, java games.
The content aggregation services consist of partnering with various local content providers for the sourcing and integration of their content catalogue into the content management platform. The animation services consist of updating on a regular or event basis all the types of browsing information and download content hosted in the WAP portal of the mobile operator. Based on the specific requirements of mobile operators, GTS with it technological partners can provide all the technical and operational support required for the deployment of hosted and managed WAP portal solution while mobile operators focus on the promotion and billing of the services. Our solution offers to Mobile Operators a range of tangible benefits when compared with the option of implementing an in-house licensed software and platform solution for the deployment of their mobile value-added services: €
Cost effective : Zero upfront capital investment, Zero upfront license fees, lower start-up and ongoing operating costs
€
Time-to-market: The Operator can rapidly ramp up its service offering and get to market with a wide range of mobile multimedia content services
€
Third parties integration: Avoiding the burden of dealing with many small content providers by contracting with one major VAS & Content Aggregator
€
Customer satisfaction: Enhancing the content service delivery to the end-users (in quantity and in quality)
€
Profitability: Increasing the VAS revenue while saving additional CAPEX and OPEX
€
System reliability: Secure hosted site operated & maintained on a 24/7 basis, proven track record, ongoing system updates, service level agreement
The deployment of WAP portal solution for Mobile Operators creates an opportunity for local content providers to acquire a new source of income according to the amount of the revenue shared by mobile Operators with GTS and relating to the corresponding volume of traffic generated by the use of its content catalogue.
GTS-Infotel Nigeria Services Profile
May 08
Page 7/7
