Redknee Provides MTC-Vodafone with Prepaid Data Service and Paves the Way for New Revenue Streams

Redknee Provides MTC-Vodafone with Prepaid Data Service and Paves the Way for New Revenue Streams

Prepaid Services Spur Mobile Telecom Growth in Middle East Region

GSM>3G Middle East & Gulf, DUBAI and KUWAIT CITY – Sep. 11, 2006 – Redknee Inc., a leading provider of innovative infrastructure software that monetises and personalises services and content for mobile users, announced today that MTC-Vodafone in Kuwait is using Redknee solutions to mange the rating and charging of roaming data services for its eeZee branded prepaid service. The new roaming service is exclusive to MTC-Vodafone prepaid customers.

“With the eeZee service, MTC-Vodafone is the first telecommunications company in the Middle East to offer prepaid customers mobile Internet service and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) roaming services,” said Abdullah Al-Qabandi,
from Prepaid Services O&M at MTC-Vodafone (Kuwait). “Since the launch of this roaming service we have seen subscriptions increase by 15 percent. We attribute the uptake directly to the accessibility and ease-of-use of the service.”

Through its Unified Rating and Charging System (URCS), Redknee added capabilities to the MTC-Vodafone network to rate and charge eeZee prepaid subscribers for data roaming services. This includes General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Short Messaging Service (SMS) and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) while traveling in more than 20 countries internationally. Redknee enables differentiated charging of mobile data, allowing service and value-based pricing for data services – key capabilities to help operators increase uptake and usage of prepaid data services.

“Prepaid service coverage in the past was primarily limited to an operator’s home network,” said Lucas Skoczkowski, CEO of Redknee. “With the Redknee solution, operators are able to expand data services to support roaming. This enables operators to offer a prepaid service experience that is on par with postpaid, and increase average revenue per user (ARPU) through loyalty, mobile commerce and on-the-go purchase promotions.”

According to research from Informa, the Middle East and Gulf market expanded from 15 million subscribers in 2002 to 47 million subscribers at the end of 2005. Growth is forecasted to increase by 35 percent at the end of 2006 with penetration to expand by as much as 32 percent.

“Redknee works closely with operators in every region of the world,” added Skoczkowski. “Prepaid ARPU is rising and will also begin to tangibly contribute to an operator’s bottom line throughout other regions of the world within the next few years.”

About Redknee
Twenty-six of the world’s leading mobile operators depend on Redknee’s proven infrastructure software to deliver value-added services and content to over 207 million subscribers. The converged revenue engine enables operators to quickly bring to market personalised voice, messaging and content services in real-time. Redknee allows operators and brand owners to maximise their differentiation and revenue while reducing expenditures by integrating with existing environments. The subscriber experience is improved with Redknee’s self-care, loyalty, and analytics that deliver the content and services subscribers want when they want them. For more information, visit www.redknee.com.

About MTC Group
Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) is the pioneer of mobile services in the Middle East and now a major player in Africa. The company was established during 1983 in Kuwait as one of the region’s first mobile operators, and has rapidly expanded to become the fifth largest company in the world in geographical presence with a footprint in 20 countries.

As a leading mobile and data services operator in six Middle Eastern and 14 sub-Saharan African countries with over 9000 employees, MTC Group provides a comprehensive range of mobile voice and data services to over 22.91 million individual and business customers.