Stepping back and observing the progress of hundreds of mobile technology companies present in the MENA region, it's safe to say that Actel is one of the established leaders in the industry. With a global client base and well established carrier connections, Actel has reserved a place in the front along with the top players.
Group CEO at Actel, Paul Salameh, outlines to Telecom Review how Actel has been such a success since its inception in 1998, and how it has maintained and grown that success over the years. Actel is now one of the largest players in the Middle East and has a client base of more than 300 customers.
Actel is acting as a medium between top developers and international operators. Being able to work with such creators that have influenced a wide set of users across the globe is a huge advantage for our enterprise. Further to the app industry, we are also in business with several partners, providing services with high end entertainment content.
Actel has been around for 20 years now; therefore, competing with top service providers gives us the extra push to always stay on our best game in all areas where we operate. It will always be a matter of who will get the best content, most successful apps and strong carrier connections.
Our added values
We have maintained a good relationship with mobile operators. We have implemented and updated our policies and procedures to comply with the specific rules and regulations of each operator which strengthen the trust and reliability between us.
As for the content providers, we serve them with first class execution and provide them with online advanced reporting tools which enhance our credibility with them and attract new ones.
We are always proactive on the ground searching for new products/services and new potential markets that can provide good monetization. We are aiming to provide mobile users with products and services based on their needs, for their fun, increasing their know-how and helping them to manage their stuff.
For that purpose, our innovative team is on a continuous search for startups, new ideas and content that we consider having a potential. We provide directions as well on products and services to our content providers based on our know-how in the market, users' preferences and mobile operators' requests so our portfolio will be always unique and diversified.
Our unique platform simplifies the process of connecting to various platforms and makes it as easy as counting from 1 to 3. Therefore, we are offering our clients the peace of mind of having their services hosted from our end. Actel will take care of applying all operator rules and guidelines, billing users, taking care of user service complaints, observing traffic and spotting any slips that might come along.
With such enhanced and solid payment platform hosted on the cloud, feature-rich and linked to more than 30 operators in the region, we are providing access to more than 700 million users and offering full-fledged VAS service solutions.
Market challenges
Content Integration's sales have been passing through some challenges due to the recent VAS market transformation. The business segment tends to maintain a certain level of sales thanks to the good relationship Actel has with all carriers and content providers as well as to its superior VAS platform.
However, the current market transformation towards VAS gives this business segment great growth perspective.
Innovative move
In terms of products, we have a direct operator billing connection with most mobile operators in the region. This connection helps us in providing a payment method that can be used in the market for advanced products. We are looking for new products offering real value, and even though the market is not mature yet, we are working on a Fintech Solution providing payment access to mobile users.
Geographical expansion
Our global network currently reaches over 30 mobile operators in MENA region. We are in continuous geographical expansion and upgrade of our coverage. Our portfolio is flexible and can be easily adapted to any culture or language.
By Paul Salameh, Group CEO, Actel
