Ultranet Ghana is thrilled to announce its participation in the ITW Africa Conference 2024 in Kenya! 🎉
As a leading player in the telecommunications industry, we’re eager to connect with innovators, industry leaders, and experts from across the continent. Our team looks forward to engaging in discussions, exploring new opportunities, and showcasing our latest advancements in technology.
Stay tuned for updates and highlights from the conference!
ULTRANET GHANA is super excited to unveil our strategic alliance with AT Ghana as the exclusive international A2P/SMS messaging partner for AT Ghana. Together we seek to embark on this journey of redefining mobile communication standards for the esteemed subscribers of this telecommunications giant.
Our CEO, Raymond Oppong-Dapaah, encapsulated the above statement stating, “We are sincerely privileged to expand our ongoing collaboration with AT Ghana into this strategic partnership. Our dedication to supporting AT Ghana in meeting and exceeding its business objectives is stronger than ever. Through our joint efforts, we aim to forge extraordinary communication experiences, paving the path toward enduring success.”
This partnership is a pivotal milestone in Ultranet Telecom’s commitment to the African market. With a sharp focus and profound understanding of African telecommunications, Ultranet Telecom persists in its mission to establish a commanding presence in the African Telecoms sphere, particularly in Voice and SMS services.
Our commitment resonates in our pursuit of enhancing accessibility, reliability, and the overall quality of telecommunications services across the African market. This partnership marks a new beginning, where Ultranet Telecom’s expertise and AT Ghana’s reputation come together to be a part of the communications revolution on the African continent.
From the slow process of sending handwritten letters to the instant and interactive nature of A2P messaging on mobile phones, the evolution of communication reflects the continuous quest for faster, more efficient, and more immediate ways to connect people across distances.
The ancient messaging system, relying on letters, often took days or weeks to reach its intended destination. However, the 1990s era changed the world dynamics in the communications industry. With the advent of SMS, things were looking up. In contrast to earlier times, people could now send messages instantly to anyone, marking a significant improvement in the delivery speed of text messages compared to the recent past. The initial stage of SMS was Person-to-Person (P2P). People were excited enough to be able to just reach people. Mobile phones were new and belonged to a limited number of people. However, with the surge of mobile phones, businesses sought an inexpensive way to reach their customers with timely messages. Mobile applications were the zeitgeist of the season. These applications offered varying functionalities from gaming to utilities to social networking… Businesses saw it as an opportunity to reach out to their consumers directly through these applications, hence the name A2P (Application to Person).
WHAT IS A2P?
A2P, short for Application-to-Person, is the method through which computer programs or applications, such as those on your phone, send direct messages to you as an individual. We have all received these messages in the form of notifications, updates, or alerts. The applications on a device use A2P to send direct messages to each phone’s connected mobile operator. Since each person has a number with an MNO (Mobile Network Operator) distinct from others, each number serves as a unique identifier. Although A2P sends messages over the internet, it does not eliminate the mobile network. The ideology behind A2P is leveraging the benefits of the internet to make more efficient a system that is cumbersome and costly. OTT (Over-the-Top) was the name given. OTT refers to the delivery of content over the Internet without the direct involvement of traditional cable or satellite service providers. So now we know the main difference between traditional SMS and A2P: the internet.
TECHNOLOGIES & PROTOCOLS
With the advent of the internet, various technologies and protocols became integral components to its success. Every structure existing on the internet is built on unique protocols and underlying technology on which they work. A2P is no different. The following are the major technologies and protocols for A2P:
1. SMS (Short Message Service): Traditional SMS is a common medium for A2P messaging. It is supported on almost all mobile devices and delivers text-based messages efficiently.
2. MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service): The MMS technology allows businesses to send multimedia content such as images, videos, and audio messages.
3. API (Application Programming Interface): A2P messaging can also be utilized through APIs, enabling seamless integration with applications and other systems.
4. RCS (Rich Communication Service): An advanced messaging protocol that supports rich multimedia content and has a better user experience than traditional SMS.
NOTE: The items in the list mentioned above are both technologies and protocols. For example, SMS is a communication technology that enables the transmission of SMS between mobile devices. But also, SMS refers to the protocol that dictates how SMS messages are formatted, transmitted, and received between mobile devices.
Now that we have ascertained what A2P is and how it works, what role does Ultranet play in this market?
ULTRANET A2P
Ultranet Telecom Ghana Limited is a leading wholesale international voice and SMS connectivity provider in the telecom-related business field. Ultranet is an aggregator in the A2P market serving as a middleman between the OTT companies WhatsApp and Google and mobile operators MTN and AT Ghana. Although Ultranet Voice has been established in the voice business, SMS is relatively new (2 years and counting), but that hasn’t impeded the company from making strides in the A2P market. Ultranet has secured partnerships with major companies in the market, including Bayobab, Orange, e& UAE, and Bharti Airtel Services. Our core business services include:
Our cumulative achievements have led us to the most significant milestone to date: an exclusive partnership.
ULTRANET’S BIG MOVE: A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
ULTRANET GHANA made a big move in the A2P market when we signed our first-ever exclusivity with AT Ghana. Out of more than 20 viable companies competing for the bid, Ultranet was awarded the contract in December 2023, marking a big step in our road to the transformation of the technological space on the African continent. Our CEO, Raymond Oppong-Dapaah, encapsulated the above statement stating,
We are sincerely privileged to expand our ongoing collaboration with AT Ghana into this strategic partnership. Our dedication to supporting AT Ghana in meeting and exceeding its business objectives is stronger than ever. Through our joint efforts, we aim to forge extraordinary communication experiences, paving the path toward enduring success.”
It is safe to say Ultranet is here to stay in the A2P market, and this is the beginning of many things to come.
CONCLUSION
Ultranet Telecom is rising and moving the tide of technology space, not only in Ghana but the African continent. Our commitment resonates in our pursuit of enhancing accessibility, reliability, and the overall quality of telecommunications services across the African market. Our partnership with AT Ghana marks a new beginning, where Ultranet Telecom’s expertise and AT Ghana’s reputation come together to be a part of the communications revolution on the African continent.
Thank you for reading and stay tuned for our next article. (Potentially on the next evolution in communication: “CPaaS”).
Orange Mali, a prominent player in the Malian telecommunications landscape, proudly announces an exclusive collaboration with ULTRANET GHANA aimed at optimizing the delivery and safeguarding of A2P SMS and OTP voice traffic within its network.
This groundbreaking partnership signifies a direct, tailored connection between Ultranet and Orange Mali, granting Orange Mali access to Ultranet’s extensive expertise and cutting-edge capabilities in A2P Voice and SMS traffic management.
Our foremost objective is to empower telecom providers such as Orange Mali to achieve sustained revenue growth and drive innovation. We are honored to embark on this journey and remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting our partners in achieving their business goals.
This collaboration marks a significant step forward in enhancing communication experiences across Africa and ensuring the continued success of the telecommunications sector in the region. Our founder and CEO, Raymond Oppong-Dapaah shares his thoughts:
“Ultranet’s growth has been exceptionally rapid, marked by the signing of two exclusivity deals in less than three months—a record-breaking achievement. This success is just the start of Ultranet’s journey in the African telecommunications market, propelling it to greater heights. Ultranet stands as a leader in revolutionizing communication across the African continent.”
This partnership highlights Ultranet’s dedication to equipping telecom operators and enterprises with cutting-edge strategies for smoother business operations. Ultranet aims to establish itself as a trendsetter in the African market, championing ethical business practices and setting new industry standards.
