Zain launches Voice SMS for its customers in Kuwait

National and International Voice SMS Launch on Kirusa Platforms

Kuwait and New Providence, New Jersey, December 23, 2008: Zain, the leading mobile service provider in Kuwait, has launched a nationwide Voice SMS service on Kirusa platforms. All prepaid and postpaid subscribers of Zain Kuwait can now send Voice SMS to mobile customers in Kuwait and to over a billion people across the globe. Kirusa is the world’s leading vendor of Voice SMS and a leading developer of mobile value added services.

Voice SMS enables users to send messages in their own voice rather than typing an SMS, enabling them to communicate their emotions in any language. Voice SMS will put life into the messages sent by Zain customers to their family, friends and colleagues, making messaging a unique, lively and personal experience.

“We see a great opportunity for Voice SMS in Kuwait and are also delighted to offer our customers the flexibility of reaching out to their friends and families overseas. Voice SMS gives them an option to communicate with voice messages across borders and time zones,” said Khaled Al-Hajeri CEO of Zain Kuwait. He further added, “Kirusa’s leading Voice SMS offering has huge proven potential, and serves as the platform for many other value added services, including International Voice SMS and broadcast of voice messages.”

“Kirusa’s Voice SMS solution enables Zain customers a greater freedom to communicate and provides an emotional touch to their messages within Kuwait and to mobile users across the globe,” said Dr. Inderpal Singh Mumick, CEO and Founder of Kirusa. “We are very excited to be a part of the Zain Kuwait’s Voice SMS launch and are sure that Zain subscribers will welcome the flexibility that the service offers.”

To make the service available to its customers, Zain has incorporated Kirusa Voice SMS Solution integrated with the HP Opencall Media Platform into its network.

International Voice SMS enables Zain customers to communicate with over a billion customers across the globe. Sending messages internationally is just as easy as sending a message across town. A Zain subscriber can dial * 88 followed by 00, country code and the international number; record a voice message and disconnect. 

About Zain

Zain is a leading emerging markets player in the field of telecommunications aiming to become one of the top ten mobile operators in the world by 2011. Zain was established in 1983 in Kuwait as the region’s first mobile operator. Since 2003, it has grown significantly becoming the 4th largest mobile network in the world in terms of geographic presence with a footprint in 22 countries spread across the Middle East and Africa providing mobile voice and data services to 56.3 million active customers (as on 30 September 2008).

Zain operates in the following countries: Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Ghana, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. In Lebanon, the company manages the network on behalf of the government operating as mtc-touch. The company’s mobile operations in Ghana will begin by the end of 2008.

The Zain brand is wholly owned by Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC, which is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (Stock ticker: ZAIN). The company had a market capitalization of over US$ 23.4 billion on 30 September, 2008.

About Kirusa

Kirusa is one of the leading global developers of Mobile Social Media and Value Added Services enabling mobile subscribers to reach out to their family and friends. Kirusa’s solutions include the hugely successful Kirusa Voice SMS service, the world’s most advanced Voice SMS solution, used by over 30 carriers around the world. Kirusa has pioneered a suite of social media applications that facilitate mobile subscribers to interact through voice, including the Call-n-Tweet application which helps users update their Twitter status using voice. Kirusa provides an open platform with APIs to enable third parties to offer mobile applications services to mobile subscribers. Used by mobile subscribers millions of times daily, Kirusa solutions are built on its patented and patent pending technology and its highly reliable and scalable open multimodal platform. Kirusa has been recognized as one of top 100 technology companies by Silicon India, and one of top 25 emerging technology companies by Smart Techie magazine. Headquartered in New Jersey and led by an experienced team of wireless telecom executives and technologists, Kirusa has offices in three continents. ‘Kirusa Voice SMS,’ is a trademark of Kirusa, Inc.

For more information visit: www.kirusa.com.

Media Contacts

Zain Kuwait
Besma Al-Nafisi
Zain Kuwait Corporate Communications & Relations
Tel: +965 99005494
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Kirusa
Navneet Anand
GreyMatters Communications
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.