By Andrew Irumba
Kampala: MTN-Uganda has partnered with SIMFY Africa to launch instant messaging app; Ayoba that enables users to access more affordable communication, subscribe to news channels as well as entertain themselves through gaming.
The mobile application is available for download for Android users, while iOS will have to wait. On the other hand users with feature phones are still in position to chat with users that have app. This makes it one of the uniqueness the app offers that other instant messaging platforms don’t offer.
“Ayoba is not just a new platform for people to chat with each other. It is a one of a kind digital platform elevating the concept of instant messaging to a whole new level of instant and integrated connecting,” Mr. Wim Vanhelleputte, MTN Uganda CEO says in a statement.
The innovation, underscores MTN’s leadership ambitions in innovation as it helps Africa claim its place in the instant messaging evolution.
MTN customers will not need any data (internet-free) as the telco offers them 1GB of data every month to use the app.
Speaking about the partnership, Mr. David Gilarranz; CEO of SIMFY Africa, says “We’re delighted to partner with MTN Uganda to offer its customers the ability to use the app with no data costs. In the coming weeks, our app will surely become a super app as we will be adding more features, like mobile money and music, as well as allowing other apps to co-exist in ayoba.”
With ayoba much like any other Internet Multimedia app, the app offers end-to-end encryption and users are able to send and receive messages in form of text, voice, video or photos.
The app on the other hand allows users to subscribe to news channels for locally relevant content across various
categories. They can as well play games on the app.
Ayoba is a Pan African messaging platform, built by Africans for Africans. It speaks to the diversity of Africa as it’s built with some features not available on other IM platform. The app supports and can be used in African languages, such as Swahili, Luganda, Hausa, isiXhosa, and Yoruba.
