NamITech, the end-to end secure technology solutions provider in the JSE Securities Exchange-listed Nampak group, is eyeing Africa as a growing market for its wireless-based e-business solutions following the launch of its locally developed UNIT-e Platform, a wireless software solution that acts as a hub for secure communications between the GSM, the electronic and the Internet environments.
Nikkie Kettles, managing director of NamITech Telecommunications the business unit responsible for the development and deployment of UNIT-e, said the company`s main aim is to provide a wide range of Value-Added Services (VAS), from prepaid electronic reload right through to holistic mobile solutions such as mobile banking and information services.
"Africa is warming to technologies such as GSM - and to solutions such as our UNIT-e platform - which is inexorably opening up a whole new market for e-business solutions on the continent. There are already, for instance, about 15 million cellular subscribers in Africa and this is expected to grow to more than 100 million by 2005. Nigeria is currently embracing the cellular revolution and, with a population of more than 100 million, we are looking at a colossal market - albeit off a low base. The ability to embrace wireless communications," she said, "is going to open up a host of e-business opportunities on the continent."
Commenting further, Kettles said the company`s VAS offerings follow two philosophies: developing solutions to meet customer requirements rather than to let technology dictate to solution; and to keep it simple.
"We have mobile commerce offerings and prepaid offerings designed to suit the environment within which they operate. These solutions can be tailor-made for an operator, or we have solutions using our own switching infrastructure, which can facilitate low barrier to entry for the operator."
At the heart of these solutions - which are growing in number - is the UNIT-e Platform. "UNIT-e acts as a hub for secure communication between the GSM, the electronic and the Internet environments. New services of third-parties can be `plugged` into the system with minimal effort, thereby enabling the operator to launch new services to market within a very short time," Kettles explained.
The main features of the UNIT-e Platform include multi-legged transactions non-repudiation, access to online marketing information, full audit trails, integration of new merchants and end-to-end security.
In addition to catering for totally secure mobile transactions, the platform also acts as a conduit for information commerce. This includes location-based information (information specific to the subscribers` current locations), transportation, timetables, stock quotes, financial indicators and the results of sporting events.
"People want to be able to access services while on the move. NamITech`s platform facilitates secure transactions to any third-party. Through the security inherent on the SIM, mobile subscribers can make payments or complete purchases from their mobile handsets, as well as a variety of other terminals," Kettles added.
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