Syniverse, the world’s most connected company, has become a Gold Member of Smart Africa Alliance with an aim to slash fees on making phone calls, text messages and using mobile data from outside of one’s home country.
The partnership was signed in Kigali by Mr. Lacina Koné, Director-General of Smart Africa, and Mr. John McRae, the Syniverse Group Vice President and General Manager, Operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
The joining of Syniverse as a private sector member of Smart Africa will mainly support the Alliance’s One Africa Network project, which aims to end roaming charges among Member States, according to officials. This partnership will also help to create a mobile network hub on the continent to keep voice and data traffic on the continent while reducing the costs of communication among the people on the continent.
After signing the membership, Lacina Koné said “Smart Africa’s joint efforts with Syniverse represent a giant leap towards greater integration of African continent to support the free movement of people, boost trade, and foster economic growth and partnership.”
John McRae said “Using our IPX Network and blockchain solution, we will provide a versatile world-class quality roaming network backbone, a quicker and easier billing and charging process to bring mobile users more cost-efficient voice and data roaming and cross-border mobile payment.”
He added that Syniverse boasts of huge connection with mobile operators in the world and 70% of African mobile operators are customers of Syniverse, an American giant provider of mobile network and internet services worldwide.
“We collaborate with over 750 mobile operators around the world. We process 4 billion transactions and 2 billion messages a day and we connect 7 billion devices daily. We want to leverage those contacts to support the SmartAfrica mission,” said McRae.
Smart Africa Alliance is an innovative commitment from African Heads of State and government to accelerate sustainable socio-economic development on the continent, ushering Africa into a knowledge-based economy through affordable access to broadband and usage of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT). It has its Head Office in Kigali, Rwanda.
Launched in 2013 by seven African Heads of State, the Alliance has grown to 26 member countries and dozens of private sector and academia members including Inmarsat, Ericsson, Econet Wireless, Huawei, CIB, MTN, Microsoft, Orange, Facebook, Intel, Rohde & Schwarz, Intelsat and Carnegie Mellon University Africa to name but a few.
Karegeya Jean Baptiste
