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