Nimbuzz planning African mobile launch

Nimbuzz, the mobile social messaging service, may not be particularly well-known in Africa, but all that is about to change. This is according to Tobias Kemper, the General Manager of Nimbuzz Inc. USA, who spoke to Memeburn about his vision for the company and the various ways Nimbuzz is used around the world.

Memeburn: Where did the idea for Nimbuzz originate?
Tobias Kemper: The idea began in 2006, and we launched in May 2008. So it’s roughly two-and-a-half years old and we already have 25-million users. It’s a mass market application, that started as a java-app for feature phones, before we added Symbian as a client.

MB: Do you think Symbian can maintain its market dominance?
TK: It seems to me that Symbian is already slipping. But it depends on the geographical region you’re talking about. Nokia is still very dominant in emerging markets. Nokia Money was just launched in India. So it’s still huge in certain markets. But in the innovative markets, like Korea and Japan, Symbian is not on the radar.

MB: What’s the elevator pitch for Nimbuzz?
TK: In a nutshell, it’s an all-in-one communications application that unifies and simplifies all your communications. So you can call, chat and text on an internet-enabled mobile through Nimbuzz. It also connects you with all your friends from your networks at the same time.

MB: What makes Nimbuzz different from competitors?
TK: We’re a mass market solution. We’re trying to integrate and because we’re doing so much, we have many competitors. But none of them can deliver the same quality that we can. We believe that competition is healthy and there are many great companies out there. We came in late to the game and are overtaking a lot of the competition.

MB: What is your vision for the company?
TK: We want to see mobile communication moving to an all IP-based frontier. We want to guarantee quality, by transitioning to an IP-based solution. In the future, we think everything will revolve around the address book. Our product will be as integrated and user-friendly as possible. All you do is just manage your contact list.

MB: What’s the demographic of Nimbuzz users?
TK: Our average user is under the age of 24. eight percent are 35 and younger. Typically, they are hyper-connected. Again, it depends on geography. In Brazil, people use it as cheap communications alternative, for making calls. In Indonesia and India, we see people building their own social networks. These are people who have grown up on the mobile. They use the chatrooms and organise meetups. In North America, it’s used more as a “having all your friends in one place” solution.

MB: Why are you coming to the Mobile Web in Africa conference, and what can people expect from your presentation?
TK: I want people to demand more from their phones. I want to open people’s eyes to what it can do, so they start navigating and using it on their own terms.
We’re also here trying to look for partners and operators to help us deliver in a new market. The challenge is to present solutions that can be monetised, to show operators that Nimbuzz is not a threat, it’s an opportunity. So we’re presenting some highlights of what we’ve learned in the last few years.

MB: Do you think mobile tech might be a “game-changer” for Africa?
TK: Yes, I do. It’s a great new starting point for Africa. No-one has done it right yet, but it’s coming. In Africa, mobile banking is really happening, but you don’t even see it happening in the West. In Africa it’s an everyday occurrence. So I agree that mobile levels the playing field.

MB: Do you have a presence in Africa?
TK: We’re beginning to get into South Africa and Africa. But we’re still growing. We do have some local office in other countries, but not yet in Africa. At the same time, we are talking to players here. One of our biggest investors is Naspers. So it’s only a matter of time before Nimbuzz comes here.