Melon Mobile, the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that runs on MTN South Africa’s network infrastructure, has partnered with SourseAI, an artificial intelligence-driven data analytics and decision-making platform, to boost its business intelligence capabilities.

The company wants to use the partnership to create individualised mobile packages for users that consist of voice minutes, data and SMSes. The MVNO markets customisation as one of its main selling points.

Other goals it has through the SourseAI deal include using AI to improve its understanding of its customers, optimise costs, and incorporate of a more data-driven decision-making framework, it said.

Although SourseAI’s clients are not limited to the telecommunications industry – it has customers in media and utilities, too – it has 15 telecoms partnerships across the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Originally an Australian company, SourseAI recently registered in the UK, and Melon Mobile is its first customer in Africa.

“The telecoms sector is fiercely competitive in every market. Traditional operators face a real challenge to genuinely connect with their customers and understand their true value. They sit on mountains of data, but they often struggle to make the most of it,” said Tanya Hyams-Young, CEO of SourseAI, in a statement.

‘Pure’ telecoms play

Launched in April 2023, Melon Mobile is one of South Africa’s few “pure telecoms” MVNOs, as opposed to the MVNOs that offer telecoms services as an add-on to an existing portfolio, such as retail or banking. Pure telecoms plays like Melon Mobile do not have an established customer base they can leverage for growth.

Read: Listed: MVNOs in South Africa – and a look at the state of the market

“Atlas, from SourseAI, gives us the tools to understand deeply our business and our customers to develop solutions proactively that work for them,” said Calvin Collet, CEO of Melon Mobile. – © 2024 NewsCentral Media