Kathy Gibson reports from AfricaCom, Cape Town – Ericsson took home last night’s AfricaCom award for the Best Quality User Experience, with Huawei Technologies winning the Best Network Improvement award.
Ericsson Multiscreen Self-care enables communication service providers to put the user in full control of their multi-screen experience and empowers the user to take charge of and maximise their user experience. The portal makes it quick and simple for subscribers to make purchases and monitor spending. It enables them to buy credit, access new services and watch spending.
The Huawei FMC Solution is Huawei’s partnership with Telkom, which saw a fixed line and mobile switch solution to bring Telkom up to speed in South Africa allowing it to offer fixed voice and broadband services to its customers.
The award for Best Cost Efficiency Solution for Africa went to Liquid Telecom for the longest fibre links in Africa, connecting the continent and ensuring that millions of people now have access to communication that is also affordable as Liquid Telecom have also worked hard to keep costs down.
The Rural Telecoms Award was handed to Safaricom for VUMA online, which gives off-grid customers the ability to have lighting and charging for their mobile phones while paying through the easy mobile payment system of M-PESA.
Seacom won the award for Best Connectivity Solution for Africa, for Remote Peering that enables pan-African connectivity for small to medium operators whose growth to date has been constrained by capital expenditure and lack of infrastructure.
The Best Marketing Campaign went to Orange for the Orange African Cup of Nations 2013, while the Best Mobile Marketing Campaign was awarded to Mobitainment for The Excella’nt Competition.
Best Digital Music Initiative was awarded to Spice VAS Africa for MOD360, an on demand music service with a customized music solution which offers music through multiple storefronts.
Mahindra Comviva won the award for Best Mobile Money Service, Ecocash. The Best App for Africa went to Prezense Bid or Buy, South Africa’s largest online marketplace.
The Most Innovative Service award were to MTN Swaziland for MTN XtraTime, while the Best Pan African Initiative was awarded to Seacom for its IP network.
Industry Personality of the Year was WIOCC’s Chris Wood. The Changing Lives award was given to Open Idea for its Medigraf web platform.
Also awarded last night was the Orange African Social Venture Prize 2013, which went to start-up QuickDo-BookBox, with runners-up Ivoire Job and Chifco.
The Etisalat prize for innovation was also handed out. The winners of the most innovative idea was the EFIWE mobile social education network; while Genii Games won the most innovative product for its Asa mobile apps for children.