Comments on: Interview With MTN’s Erik van Veen – Part 2 http://appfrica.net/blog/2008/10/09/interview-with-mtn%e2%80%99s-erik-van-veen-part-2/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=interview-with-mtn%25e2%2580%2599s-erik-van-veen-part-2 Ideas, Development, Data and Design Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:32:03 +0000 hourly 1 By: Ivan Komarov http://appfrica.net/blog/2008/10/09/interview-with-mtn%e2%80%99s-erik-van-veen-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-348 Ivan Komarov Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:26:53 +0000 http://appfrica.net/blog/?p=662#comment-348 Quote: "With regards to MTN – all our core services and key products (eg. USSD, voicemail, content portals) need to be supported and supplied by large reputable organizations for obvious reasons. The risks of going with unknown quantums, as good as they may be, is just too high. So it is in the peripheral value added space where I see the opportunities. Software applications that can be placed on the edges of our network providing innovative niched services to customers is where there are plenty of opportunities." Comment: "large reputable organizations" are not the best choice. The best choice is "innovative organizations with an excellent track record". Like our company which due to this mindset has a very difficult market because of bureaucratic operator companies. In any case, if I understand correctly, MTN didn't hire a "large reputable organization" to do its USSD gateway, thus saving millions and making even more! See Graeme's answer at http://www.linkedin.com/answers/technology/information-technology/telecommunications/TCH_ITS_TCI/260135-7613196. Quote: “With regards to MTN – all our core services and key products (eg. USSD, voicemail, content portals) need to be supported and supplied by large reputable organizations for obvious reasons. The risks of going with unknown quantums, as good as they may be, is just too high. So it is in the peripheral value added space where I see the opportunities. Software applications that can be placed on the edges of our network providing innovative niched services to customers is where there are plenty of opportunities.”

Comment: “large reputable organizations” are not the best choice. The best choice is “innovative organizations with an excellent track record”. Like our company which due to this mindset has a very difficult market because of bureaucratic operator companies. In any case, if I understand correctly, MTN didn’t hire a “large reputable organization” to do its USSD gateway, thus saving millions and making even more! See Graeme’s answer at http://www.linkedin.com/answers/technology/information-technology/telecommunications/TCH_ITS_TCI/260135-7613196.

]]> By: Uganda’s main mobile provider’s take on o3B « Aid Worker Daily http://appfrica.net/blog/2008/10/09/interview-with-mtn%e2%80%99s-erik-van-veen-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-346 Uganda’s main mobile provider’s take on o3B « Aid Worker Daily Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:20:25 +0000 http://appfrica.net/blog/?p=662#comment-346 [...] here is an interesting bit of journalism.  AppAfrica interviews Erik van Veen of Uganda’s MTN.  Erik gives his opinion of o3B and the future of [...] [...] here is an interesting bit of journalism.  AppAfrica interviews Erik van Veen of Uganda’s MTN.  Erik gives his opinion of o3B and the future of [...]

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