TV News South Africa

New WASP partnership announced

The SABC and Foneworx announced on Monday 27 March 2006 that they would partner to establish a best-of-breed wireless application service provider (WASP) for the national public broadcaster. The SABC WASP partnership comes one year after SABC established a mobile business unit and is the result of a lengthy process.

According to Philip van Tonder, who heads up SABC Mobile, the SABC has been using IVR and SMS very effectively to create interactivity with viewers and listeners. "In this regard, we have built strong relationships with the WASP community and these will continue. However, we intend taking audience participation to the next level, and we are taking TV and radio content to the mobile phone. The partnership with Foneworx provides us with the opportunity to do it professionally and effectively".

Mark Smith, chief executive of JSE-listed Interconnective Solutions (Isolutions), is confident that subsidiary Foneworx can, in association with SABC Mobile, develop and host exciting and innovative interactive services which will provide viewers with enhanced value.

Says Mark Jakins, chief executive of the SABC's commercial enterprises, "Broadcasting and telecoms are converging at a rapid rate and the SABC will do what is required to leverage mobile platforms to best effect, in line with international best practice."

"Foneworx has very good technology skill sets and has developed some exciting products embracing the convergence of telecoms and multimedia and we are excited about working with the SABC and extending this intellectual property to the SABC viewer and other stakeholders of the SABC," adds Smith.

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