Helsinki-listed company Tecnomen has announced a deal with Siemens SA to supply one of its products for use in the Cell C network.
The company, part of the Kyro Group, characterises itself as a supplier of telecoms systems that can help operators make a profitable transition from second-generation (2G) to high-speed data third-generation (3G) networks.
The Tecnomen eZONER system, which Cell C is to install, is touted as a unified messaging system which allows operators to segment their users according to their needs.
The product is divided into four groups of services: a voicemail manager including an e-mail reader, a "funzone" which includes entertainment, personalisation and chat functions, a wireless diary organiser, and a mail module which can handle e-mail as well as multimedia messaging.
Tecnomen says the eZONER voice module will soon include support for voice-portals, information gateways which can be accessed through voice commands, and that the messaging module has a clear upgrade path to 3G wireless services such as video messaging.
The deal is worth around $3.5 million, which makes it only a small part of the total $221 million contract Siemens has to supply Cell C with most of its operational network.
Tecnomen says the product will cater for one million users at launch, which is scheduled before year-end, and is easily scalable beyond that.
The installation will be the first use of Tecnomen products on the African continent, with the company traditionally focusing its business on Europe.
"The Tecnomen solution which advocates open standards and technology offers a powerful and long-term architecture that will generate services revenue and provide Cell C`s subscribers with enhanced messaging services," the company quotes local Siemens Telecoms COO Pete da Silva as saying. "The close working relationship between Siemens and Tecnomen is crucial for our mutual and Cell C`s success."
Related stories:
Cell C in 15-year roaming deal with Vodacom
Share