Monday, December 04, 2006

Onetouch Brings Ogo, the First Mobile Data Service for the Masses to Ghana

From: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=ind_focus.story&STORY=/www/story/12-04-2006/0004484589&EDATE=MON+Dec+04+2006,+08:38+AM

 

 

Onetouch Brings Ogo, the First Mobile Data Service for the Masses to Ghana

 

 

 

    REDWOOD CITY, Calif. and ACCRA, Ghana, Dec. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Onetouch, one of the leading mobile operators in Ghana, has announced today
that it plans to bring a revolutionary mobile data service for the masses
to Ghana. Based on the Ogo platform by IXI Mobile, Onetouch, will make the
Ogo device and associated services available in Ghana, mainly focusing on
young adults, with services such as mobile e-mail, mobile Instant
messaging, RSS, and Web Browsing.
    "We recognized a significant need in the market which is not served by
any other offering today," said Mr. Philip Sowah, Chief Executive at
Onetouch. "Practically all mobile data services available in the market are
focused on the elite enterprise market, leaving the mass market completely
underserved. We believe the mass market wants mobile data access, and the
Ogo end to end solution is a wonderful solution for that market," said Mr.
Sowah.
    "Bringing a mass market mobile data product to the market was not only
about price. Usability and functionality were just as important," Mr. Sowah
continued. "We searched for an offering that would be affordable, without
compromising the rich experience expected by users who are accustomed to
the online experience of email, instant messaging, RSS, and other
applications."
    "The Ogo device, coupled with the hosted services we provide gives
innovative operators such as Onetouch the ability to bring mobile data to
the masses with ease, and at a price point that makes it a mass market
play," said Amit Haller, President and CEO of IXI Mobile, the maker of the
Ogo device and provider of the hosted services associated with it. "We
believe mobile data services geared towards the mass market is a huge,
completely untapped opportunity for the operators, which was the guiding
principle behind creating the Ogo end-to end solution that includes the Ogo
device and the hosted back end data services that eliminate the need for a
large infrastructure investment on the part of the carrier."
    Ogo devices deliver a true on-the-go mobile messaging experience with
their large screen, QWERTY keyboard, easy-to-use interface and clamshell
design. The offering in Ghana includes the following services: MSN Instant
Messaging, email, contact book, calendar, Web browser, GSM voice, and SMS.
    About Onetouch
    Onetouch, the mobile division of Ghana Telecom, is headquartered in
Accra, Ghana. Onetouch has enjoyed significant subscriber growth over the
last 12 months and has expanded its network coverage throughout most parts
of Ghana. Nationwide GPRS services have been launched on their network with
EDGE available in some areas. Onetouch continues to differentiate itself by
providing innovative products and value-added services to their customers.
    About IXI Mobile
    IXI Mobile, Inc. offers solutions that bring innovative, data-centric
mobile devices and services to the mass market. IXI Mobile's Ogo devices
are designed to improve the mobile user experience and increase mobile
voice and data usage. The company provides a turn-key solution to mobile
operators and Internet service providers worldwide to launch and support
Ogo products.
    IXI Mobile is headquartered in Redwood City, California, and has
research and development facilities in Israel and Romania. IXI Mobile also
maintains regional sales offices. For more information on IXI Mobile,
please visit http://www.ixi.com.
    On February 28, 2006, IXI Mobile and Israel Technology Acquisition
Corporation (ITAC) (OTCBB: ISLTU.OB, ISLT.OB, ISLTW.OB) entered into a
definitive agreement pursuant to which a wholly owned subsidiary of ITAC
would merge with and into IXI Mobile, with IXI Mobile surviving the merger
and becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of ITAC. Upon consummation of the
merger, ITAC will change its name to IXI Mobile, Inc. and IXI Mobile will
change its name to IXI Mobile (USA), Inc.
    About Ogo
    The Ogo family of devices delivers popular applications, including
email, instant messaging, SMS, RSS, voice and Web browsing on optimized,
easy-to-use handheld devices for a true on-the-go mobile messaging
experience. Ogo was launched in the United States by AT&T Wireless (now
Cingular Wireless), Switzerland by Swisscom Mobile, Turkey by e-kolay.net.,
Germany by 1&1, and Uruguay by ANCEL. More information on Ogo is available
at: http://www.ogo.com.
    CONTACT: Dror Liwer, 917.559.2104