Vodacom's ‘The Grid' wins award in Dubai

Shameel Joosub, Managing Director of Vodacom South Africa, collects the award at the Hyatt in Dubai.

Vodacom has launched one of the region's first mobile-based social networking platforms, described by the judges as a “perfect combination of Web 2.0 applications and mobility”. Vodacom's the Grid is also the first of its kind in Africa.

The Comms MEA Awards set out to celebrate and pay tribute to the telecoms industry professionals and operators that have shown outstanding performance and results in key market segments. Organised by ITP Technology Publishing, the awards ceremony took place at Grand Hyatt Dubai, and gathered more than 250 senior executives and personalities from the Middle East and Africa telecommunications industry.

Twelve awards were presented at the ceremony in categories that encompassed a different facet of the telecoms industry from individual excellence, to corporate success, to outstanding service and expertise in implementation. In addition to these categories, there was also the category of lifetime achievement award, awarded to an individual who has helped shape and inspire the Middle East and Africa telecoms market.

The winners were judged by a panel of industry experts, selected from within the regional communications sector. The awards acknowledged those operators and individuals who have taken a leadership role in the growth of the regional industry. The winners were chosen for consistently investing in technology, implementing winning strategies and developing services that capture the hearts and minds of end users.

Accepting the award, Shameel Joosub, ND of Vodacom South Africa, says: “The Grid is South Africa's first location-based social networking service available on cellphones and can be used at no extra cost by anyone with a South African cellphone number. The impact of this innovative technology reaches far beyond traditional social networking borders as anyone with the Grid loaded on their cellphones can find friends in their area on The Grid, locate them on a map, chat to them and share experiences and much more.”

“The recognition of The Grid as New Telecommunications Service of the Year by the Comms MEA Awards is a great honour for Vodacom and testifies to the endless possibilities for growth in the mobile social networking environment across the world,” Joosub says.

For more information on the Comms MEA Awards and for details of all the winners visit http://www.itp.net/events/commsmeaawards/.