Mobile application service provider Info2cell.com has set up a joint venture with Sudanese telecom firm ADU Communication Technology to provide SMS and MMS services in the country.

The venture is part of Info2cell.com’s strategy of expansion into the Arab region, the company said.

While mobile phone penetration rates in many Middle Eastern countries exceed 100 per cent, the average rate across the region is less than 40pc, it said. But the mobile sector is expected to attain 10pc revenue growth towards 2012 to reach almost $40 billion in value, the company said.

“Sudan’s telecommunications sector is still in the middle stages of development and thus represents a lucrative growth area,” Info2cell.com founder and CEO Bashar Dahabra said.

He said the Sudanese market was vital for the company’s expansion plans and ADU’s expertise would help it attain operational and marketing goals.

Recent projects launched under the new services include the LAKI and Women in Islam channels dedicated to Muslim women; full coverage of Euro 2008 via both SMS and MMS messages; and a first-of-its-kind mobile application in Sudan called the Euro-2008 Guide.

Additional services being planned include the launching of multimedia content from ring tones and Java games and the introduction of MAGALATI, the first SMS magazine in the country. – Trade Arabia News Service