Etisalat’s AppZone gets intl. award for contribution to Mobile Infrastructure

The AppZone, the mobile application development platform, introduced by Etisalat, has won an m-billionth award at the ceremony held recently in New Delhi.

The m-billionth, awards who look to honor the achievements of those who drive to take mobile technology forward in the South Asian region, have selected the AppZone as the best mobile infrastructure solution to be presented this year.

From left: Mihira Herath – Engineer VAS, Rajith Thiyambarawatta – VAS Specialist, Channa Munasinghe – Head of VAS, Hiruni Mendis – Senior Brand Executive

The m-billionth Awards are dedicated to exploring and bringing recognition to the latest technological innovations and latent potential within the mobile and telecommunication sector. Etisalat who have long been supporters of the efforts of the South Asian Mobile Conference, both through their sponsorship and through their cutting edge solutions which drive the sector forward has been awarded the honor in the category of mobile infrastructure. A category that looks to recognize mobile and telecommunication technology, and platforms that allow for easy, cost effective solutions, content and applications to be delivered to the masses, as well as technology and platforms that assist application developers and content providers in reaching said masses.

Etisalat CEO Dumindra Ratnayaka, said Etisalat is honored to win this award, “We started this initiative with the customers in mind; we wanted them to get more out of their phone, more than just voice communication services but complete lifestyle solutions, and we are so honored that organizations such as m-billionth are recognizing our efforts through awards such as m-billionth.”

Ratnayaka also elaborated on the increasing divergence of services and platforms in mobile telecommunications, “We also wanted to see the platform itself grow; as our role as Mobile Telecommunications Provider continues to expand, we have to consider the establishment and development of more value adding platforms such as the AppZone and develop the skills of those who will become the content providers on these platforms. This is why we are pleased with the way AppZone has also helped to develop the skills of young technocrats in Sri Lanka by becoming a vehicle through which they have been able to get their first taste of the business, as developers and entrepreneurs. We also have to thank hSenid through whose  platform, which has been invaluable, we have been able to realize our intention.”

hSenid Software International CEO Dinesh Saparamadu, who provided the platform through which Etisalat developed the award winning mobile application ecosystem, commented on the award, “We are delighted to acknowledge the industry’s recognition of the Telco App Store as an emerging platform for Mobile Operators to harness a developer community with vibrant software developers to bring out their cutting edge applications based on mobile network capabilities - so that these apps & the AppStore experience can be provided to the entire subscriber base of an operator irrespective of the phone models in use.”

AppZone was the first independent, 3rd party application development platform to be introduced in Sri Lanka by a Telco. Developed and introduced by Etisalat in conjunction with hSenid Mobile; the platform allows innovative tech savvy individuals to use the platform to develop mobile phone applications by providing all the necessary tools. It also acts as an avenue through which these tech talented entrepreneurs can upload their applications for sale to the public, and Etisalat even offers them 70% of the revenue earned through their Apps. This in turn has made AppZone double as a one-stop-shop in Sri Lanka for consumers to log onto and satisfy their mobile application needs.

So successful has it been, that three app developers who used the AppZone platform; Tharindu Dassanayaka, developer of ‘Word Puzzle’, Haneez Haroon, developer of ‘Tech News’ and Roshan Gunathilake, developer of ‘mscup’ were finalists nominated for m-billionth awards themselves.

As one of the most powerful players in Sri Lanka’s telecommunications industry, Etisalat continues to discover new horizons and explore new possibilities in the domain. Etisalat further offers Sri Lanka’s most cutting edge Internet solutions with the launch if it’s 3.75G technology. Offering a variety of Value Added Services, Sales Offerings, Affinity Packages and other service, they stand atop of the ladder in innovation, quality and customer service. Having passed an impressive 3.5 million subscribers in a record time since its launch, Etisalat remains dedicated to increasing its subscriber base and taking the company into greater heights.