With 233 million users in Africa in 2018, the MTN Group continues to roll out its services in the 21 countries on the continent where it operates.
Since March, the South African telecoms company has been making a series of announcements, gradually revealing its ambitions for 2019. On March 4, MTN confirmed the upcoming launch of a mobile advertising offering in the various countries where the group operates. To launch this new service, the operator has signed an agreement with Out There Media, an Australian company specializing in mobile advertising. MTN will use the Mobucks technology platform developed by the Australian company. This technology allows brands to connect and engage with their consumers via mobile in a highly targeted manner.
MTN subsidiaries in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda will be the first to roll out this new service, with plans to expand to other markets where MTN operates.
As part of this rollout across the continent, MTN is also pursuing other digital opportunities with the launch of an instant messaging service in 2019. Modeled on WeChat, this new messaging service will first be launched in beta in West Africa before expanding to other territories.
Designed and developed as an "African WeChat," this instant messaging service, available in 54 languages, will also integrate MTN's Mobile Money service "MoMo," which already covers 14 countries on the continent.