Last checked at 18 Jan 2011 10:30
18 January 2011
LONZIM PLC
("LonZim" or the "Company")
LonZim subsidiary ForgetMeNot Africa Limited purchases exclusive perpetual licence for mobile messaging technology for Africa
LonZim Plc (AIM:LZM) is pleased to announce that the Company's 51% owned subsidiary in the telecoms sector, ForgetMeNot Africa Limited ('FMNA'), has exercised its option to take the exclusive, perpetual licence for FMNA's unified messaging system, Message Optimiser and other applications for Africa.
Since LonZim's initial trial investment in FMNA in early 2009, FMNA has delivered significant progress in the deployment of its products such as mobile email, online chat and Facebook solutions, signing up five African mobile network operators.
FMNA has established a network footprint across Kenya, Nigeria, Lesotho and Republic of the Congo, making access to mobile email and online chat available to 42 million Africans. FMNA now has agreements with Econet Telecom Lesotho, Econet Telecom Zimbabwe, Glo Mobile in Nigeria, Safaricom and yu in Kenya and Warid in Republic of Congo.
Message Optimiser is deployed in mobile networks to enable access to low-cost internet messaging on first generation, SMS-enabled mobile phones. LonZim has paid ForgetMeNot Software (Hong Kong) US$1m for the perpetual licence. ForgetMeNot (Hong Kong) retains its 49% minority shareholding in FMNA.
David Lenigas, Executive Chairman of LonZim, said:
"FMNA has made astounding progress in a short time and in just eighteen months has signed up access to networks with over 42 million subscribers in Africa. The purchasing of the perpetual licence establishes a solid foundation for the further expansion of the FMN product range across Africa."
Jeremy George, Chief Operating Officer for ForgetMeNot Africa, said:
"Internet access across Africa remains very low compared to the rest of the world, but the fast growth rate of mobile phone ownership means that mobile access may be the only way the vast majority of Africans ever access the internet, so the market potential for Message Optimiser is huge. LonZim's securing the perpetual licence to Message Optimiser lends further mettle to FMNA's objective of bridging the digital divide by turning the millions of basic handsets on the continent into virtual messaging smart phones that can access email and other FMN applications."
For further information contact:
LonZim Plc | +44 (0)20 7016 5106 |
David Lenigas, Executive Chairman | +44 (0)20 7016 5106 |
Geoffrey White, Chief Executive Officer David Armstrong, Finance DirectorEmma Priestley, Executive Director | +44 (0)20 7016 5106+44 (0)20 7016 5106+44 (0)20 7016 5106
|
WH Ireland Ltd: NOMAD and Broker | |
James Joyce | +44 (0) 207 220 1666 |
Pelham Bell Pottinger | |
Charles Vivian | +44 (0) 20 7861 3126+44 (0) 7977 297 903 |
James MacFarlane | +44 (0) 20 7861 3864+44 (0) 7841 672 831 |
About ForgetMeNot Africa
ForgetMeNot Africa Limited is a "software as a service" (SaaS) company specialising in unified messaging that supports seamless interoperability between SMS, email and Instant Messaging clients for telecommunications operators. The core product is Message Optimiser which allows telecom operators to immediately provide cost-effective comprehensive unified messaging services to all of their customers without any upgrades to the device or any need for downloading new applications onto the device. This opens up a range of previously inaccessible services to many of their customers including 2-way email and 2-way instant messaging communication capability. For more information visit www.fmnafrica.com.
About ForgetMeNot Software
ForgetMeNot Software Limited is a "software as a service" (SaaS) company specialising in Unified Messaging that supports seamless interoperability between SMS, Email and Instant Messaging clients for telecommunications operators. The core product is Message Optimiser which allows telecom operators to immediately provide cost effective comprehensive unified messaging services to all of their customers without any upgrades to the device or any need for downloading new applications onto the device. This opens up a range of previously inaccessible services to many of their customers including 2-way email and 2-way instant messaging communication capability, mobile banking, mobile educational services, commercial market alerts such as commodities pricing and Government notifications for emergencies, without the need for a PC or internet connection. ForgetMeNot Software Limited, based in Hong Kong with operations in Middle East, Los Angeles and London. For more information visit www.fmnsoft.com.