Yu launches first ever Voice SMS service in Kenya on Kirusa platform

Nairobi, Kenya, New Providence, New Jersey, Tuesday, April 19, 2011: yu, the mobile phone brand of Essar Telecom Kenya Limited and Kirusa, the leading global developer of Mobile Value Added Services, today announced the launch of the first ever Voice SMS service in Kenya.

The Voice SMS service is available to all yu subscribers, on all mobile handsets, and allows them to send and reply messages by voice, eliminating the need to type. It enables the subscribers to communicate faster, with greater ease, and convey emotions as compared to limitations imposed by text messages. Use of Voice SMS by mobile subscribers is gaining global traction, for its benefits in enabling people to communicate on the go. Subscribers have to pay 1 KES for sending replying, or forwarding voice SMS messages.

Commenting on the launch, yu Country Manager Madhur Taneja, said, “We are excited to be presenting our subscribers with this innovative means of communication. This revolutionary service will be very handy for certain people with disabilities who might find it difficult to type on phones. Kirusa’s solution comes with proven success as well as a platform that supports several additional Value Added Services.”

To use the new service yu subscribers can dial ‘*’ followed by the number of the person they wish to send the message to, and speak a short message for up to 30 seconds in any language. The recipient gets a notification message from the sender and can dial *0* to hear new voice messages. Previously received voice messages can be listened to by dialing *1*. First listen is free. Repeat Listen is priced at 50 cents.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Inderpal Singh Mumick, CEO and founder of Kirusa, said, “We are very pleased to have been selected by yu for the launch of value-added services for their subscribers. This win and the subsequent launch are testimony to our positioning in the marketplace as an eminent and trusted VAS partner to mobile carriers worldwide.”

About Essar Telecom Business Group

Essar has significant interests in telecommunications services, spanning mobile telephony, telecom tower infrastructure, telecom retail and IT/telecom enabled services.

• Essar holds a 33% interest in Vodafone Essar, which is a joint venture with the Vodafone Group, and is one of India’s largest cellular service providers, with over 115 million subscribers
• Essar Telecom Kenya has within the past year launched Kenya’s fourth mobile cellular network under the brand “yu”
• ‘The Mobile Store’, a pioneering telecom retail initiative from the Group, is India's largest national retail chain of mobile phone stores with over 1300 stores spread across 200 cities

About Essar Group

The Essar Group is a diversified business corporation with a balanced portfolio of assets in the manufacturing and services sectors of Steel, Energy, Power, Communications, Shipping Ports & Logistics, and Projects. Essar Group has a presence in more than 15 countries worldwide.

With a firm foothold in India, Essar Group is focused on global expansion with projects and investments in Canada, USA, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean and South East Asia.

For more information visit: www.essar.com

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

Bayan Telecommunications
John V. Rojo
VP, Corporate Brand and Communications
Direct: (632) 449-2556
Fax: (632) 449-2251
Wireless Landline: 497-0378
Mobile: (63920) 927-2399
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Freya D. Santos
Corporate Brand and Communications Manager
Direct: (632) 449-2530
Fax: (632) 449-2251
Wireless Landline: 490-7304
Mobile :( 63917) 534-1380
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Kirusa
Navneet Anand
GreyMatters Communications
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