Robert Rwakabogo, MTN’s Senior Manager of Marketing Operations said, “Our strategic objective is to drive data penetration in the different regions in Rwanda by offering enjoyable customer experience and exceptional value when using the Internet. As part of our vision of delivering a bold, new Digital World to our customers we will be educating our customers on the role of the Internet, showcasing MTN’s wide product and service portfolio as well as offer data enabled devices at affordable prices.” The MTN Data Fest will not only focus on the immense benefits of the Internet, but will also nurture innovation and local talent in the field of ICT while enabling people to experience MTN’s wide array of latest innovations. During the 2 months, MTN customers will be educated on different data products such as Data Center Services, Broadband, Cloud Services, LTE, Hotspot Premium, Directory Services, Internet bundles (3 month pack, monthly, weekly and daily packages), Free Wikipedia, Facebook Zero, Social Pack (WhatsApp, Facebook & Twitter) and Small Packs. They will also be able to enjoy various promotions tailored for each segment. There will be free 10 MBs given to non-data users who have data enabled devices, free Cloud trial services, free 3-month adverts on Directory Services and free 10 MBs daily on Hotspots among other offers. In a bid to nurture innovation and local talent in the field of ICT, MTN has also launched a Mobile App Contest to reward initiatives by individuals or groups of university students who conceive and deliver the best Mobile Applications in the spheres of Education, Health, Agriculture, Social Networking and Local Government Administration. All applications should be targeted to benefit the people of Rwanda by enabling them access local content to enhance and aid them live a better life. According to Rwakabogo the Mobile App contest will add momentum to existing initiatives to support home grown solutions through initiatives that positively impact society in a sustainable manner. “The contest will be at two stages, an initial concept proposal and review followed by a final app delivery and review by a panel of industry experts. The winners will be announced at the end of the Data Fest.” When asked about the countrywide launch of 4G LTE, Rwakabogo added “We have tested the service and we are ready to go live as soon as our infrastructure provider is ready.” 30 percent of the over 3.6 million MTN customers use data services and these have resulted into year on year increase in the contribution of data revenues to the company’s overall revenue now accounting for about 20 percent of total earnings. MTN’s goal is to increase the percentage of customers using data services from the current 30 to 65 percent by the end of 2014.
