Johannesburg, 22 Apr 2010
Nokia has unveiled a consumer messaging service in SA, called Nokia Messaging, and announced the first local operator deal to offer the service.
Nokia Messaging allows Nokia users to mobilise up to 10 personal e-mail accounts on one device. It supports all leading consumer e-mail solutions including Gmail, Windows Live, Hotmail and Yahoo mail, as well as local e-mail service providers such as MWeb, MTN Play and Webmail.
As part of an agreement with MTN, the service will be available as a bundle on the Nokia E63 smartphone combined with 10MB data plan as a complete consumer offering.
"In today's busy world, e-mail has become a standard means of business communication and is fast becoming an extension of our personal lives. To meet this growing customer need, MTN is making consumer e-mail messaging as easy and affordable to use as SMS," says Serame Taukobong, chief marketing officer of MTN SA.
“There has been a high demand for smartphones with business communication and social networking applications and we believe the Nokia E63 is an ideal device to bundle with the Nokia Messaging service,” she adds.
Pseudo-competition
Reminiscent of BlackBerry's key offering, the question arises as to whether Nokia is gearing up to take on the mobile messaging giant. World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck says: “Any improvement in messaging efficiency is welcome, but right now it's just Nokia playing catch-up to BlackBerry.”
“The pricing appears designed to compete with the BlackBerry Curve, but without the broader messaging ecosystem of the BlackBerry,” he adds. “It will have little impact on BlackBerry's core offering beyond retaining loyal Nokia users who may have been wavering about migrating to BlackBerry. It does not provide a compelling reason for BlackBerry users to migrate to Nokia,” opines Goldstuck.
Nokia's head of communications for sub-Saharan Africa, Delia Sieff, agrees that Nokia Messaging does not compare head-on with BlackBerry.
Instead, the service is more suited to Nokia users, who enjoy all the functionality of the Nokia phones but also want the ability to aggregate all personal e-mail into one box, she explains.
Nokia's messaging strategy is aligned with the company's latest music and navigation offerings, and stems from a strong demand for a messaging service, states Sieff. She points to the beta testing phase over the past year, during which the Nokia Messaging Service had enormous uptake in SA.
While the service bundle is limited to MTN on Nokia's E63 smartphone, Sieff notes there is an intention to eventually offer the service on all Nokia devices, as well as data packages with all of SA's cellular operators.
She believes this will breed a different kind of consumer - one who previously had no access to a computer, who will now be able to use only a handset to access all e-mail.
The Nokia E63 Messaging bundle will be available at participating MTN stores from the end of April at an approximate retail price of R119 per month on MTN AnyTime 100.