Kirusa’s unique next-generation messaging application blends voice and SMS; enabling GrameenPhone subscribers to be the first in South Asia to send SMS messages with their voice

Kirusa deployed its innovative Voice SMS solution at GrameenPhone, Bangladesh in late 2005. GrameenPhone is the leading telecommunications service provider in Bangladesh with more than 10 million subscribers (as of October 2006).

The launch of Voice SMS with GrameenPhone subscribers has helped it to remain the preferred mobile operator in the country and retain its leading market position. GrameenPhone knew that providing distinctive and quality Value Added Services are the key to success in the local market.

To consolidate its position in the country, GrameenPhone has always relied on innovative offers, with additional attractive value for customers. Their decision to offer Voice SMS, a first in South Asia, was one such value proposition.

"Kirusa Voice SMS was selected after a comprehensive evaluation of all Voice SMS solutions available in the market as it had faster installation capabilities. Kirusa’s solution leads to a robust deployment in customer’s network versus a hosted solution," said Shibly Zaman, DGM, Market PMD (Product & Market Development) at GrameenPhone.

He further added, “We needed a highly scalable solution that provided a simple and fast integration with existing network and messaging infrastructures. Kirusa demonstrated their product successfully. We were impressed with the Direct Listen^TM technology and the fact that the open, standards based multimodal platform helps bridge services into a 3G world and IMS, and simplifies the implementation of future services.”

The Kirusa Voice SMS TM (KV.SMS^SM) service allows a user to leave a voice message without having the phone ring (Ring Free Messaging^SM). The recipient is not disturbed, and can pick up the message at his leisure. The service also provides for sending SMS messages without typing the messages on small mobile keypads. A user simply dials “*” followed by the recipient’s phone number, and speaks a short message, in the language of his or her choice. The recipient gets an SMS message, and can dial a short code *0* to retrieve the new Voice SMS message. The user can dial a different short code *1* to retrieve old Voice SMS messages. The recipient can also reply to the Voice SMS message, and forward a Voice SMS message.

Within a short period, Kirusa implemented the Voice SMS solution for GrameenPhone. Voice SMS Service was deployed and operational within 60 days from the signed LOI. GrameenPhone launched the Voice SMS Service, facilitated by Kirusa, in 2005 nationwide in Bangladesh. This was a first for the South Asia region as no telecom operator in the region had this capability. The launch was supported with newspaper and TV advertising.

The process of sending and receiving a Kirusa Voice SMS message is very simple, and is believed to be one of the reasons behind the wide scale adoption by the GrameenPhone subscribers. GrameenPhone saw remarkable success with Voice SMS. Within 6 months of the launch of the service, nearly half of GrameenPhone’s subscribers became active users of the Voice SMS service. GrameenPhone achieved its Return on Investment (ROI) for the initial installation in less than six months.

Multiple upgrades were undertaken to meet the needs of GrameenPhone subscribers. In October 2006, GrameenPhone ran a promotion for Voice SMS. The promotion resulted in a phenomenal upsurge in the usage of Voice SMS. During the promotion, Voice SMS message traffic increased to almost 12 times pre-promotion levels and after the promotion, Voice SMS message traffic remained at 3 times pre-promotion levels

The Voice SMS service at GrameenPhone is Kirusa’s first multimodal deployment in Asia, following closely on the heels of Europe’s first multimodal deployment in Spain (3Q 2005). To bring the service to market, Kirusa and GrameenPhone have deployed Kirusa’s innovative KV.SMS application to meet the needs of Bangladesh’s mobile users. The Voice SMS service has helped Grameen grow its subscriber base, and to retain its leadership position in the market.

For the detailed Case Study, please contact us at marcom@kirusa.com.

© 2001-2008 Kirusa, Inc.