Africa: Google launches Gmail SMS service in Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Africa: Google launches Gmail SMS service in Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya.

Google has recently announced Gmail SMS, a new service available in Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya, which brings Gmail to all cellphones capable of sending SMS text messages - no data connection required.

Google states that the only technical capability which cellphones must meet in order to use the service is the ability to send and receive SMS messages, allowing owners of even the most basic or venerable handsets to use email without the need for 3G, EDGE or any other form of data connection. This places the potential of email communication into millions more hands than before.

The Gmail SMS service works as follows: following an initial setup process which presumably does require internet access as it involves linking an existing Gmail account to the cellphone in question, Gmail SMS will then automatically forward emails received to the cellphone as SMS text messages.

Africa: India’s Bharti Airtel has launched commercial services in Rwanda.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

Africa: India’s Bharti Airtel has launched commercial services in Rwanda.

  India’s Bharti Airtel has launched commercial services in Rwanda, becoming the African country’s third mobile network.

In a statement, Bharti said that it had taken just 83 days to build-out the network from start to finish, describing this as “the fastest Greenfield launch in the history of sub-Saharan Africa.” It plans to invest US$100 million in the unit over the next three years and generate “direct and indirect employment opportunities.”

The launch extends Bharti’s footprint in Africa to 17 markets, following its US$9 billion acquisition of Zain Africa in 2010.

“It will be our endeavour to bring world-class and affordable services to our customers in Rwanda and add value to the economy,” commented Manoj Kohli, CEO of Bharti’s international operations.

The launch was also welcomed by Rwanda’s Prime Minister, Dr. Pierre Damien Habumuremyi. “We are looking to partner with the private sector to provide good quality, accessible and affordable telecommunications services,” he said. 

“As Rwandans begin engaging in business ventures and looking for regional partners, telecommunications companies – like Airtel – that are able to provide access to a pan-African wireless network, become a crucial part of expansion.”

Bharti was awarded licences by the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA) last year to operate both 2G and 3G mobile services. According to Wireless Intelligence, the market is currently a duopoly between MTN (2.9 million connections in Q4 2010) and Tigo (1.2 million). Market penetration is calculated at just 37 percent.