KUWAIT and NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ - Zain, the leading mobile service provider in Kuwait, has launched a nationwide Voice SMS service on Kirusa platforms. All prepaid and postpaid subscribers of Zain Kuwait can now send Voice SMS to mobile customers in Kuwait and to over a billion people across the globe. Kirusa is the world's leading vendor of Voice SMS and a leading developer of mobile value added services. Voice SMS enables users to send messages in their own voice rather than typing an SMS, enabling them to communicate their emotions in any language. Voice SMS will put life into the messages sent by Zain customers to their family, friends and colleagues, making messaging a unique, lively and personal experience. "We see a great opportunity for Voice SMS in Kuwait and are also delighted to offer our customers the flexibility of reaching out to their friends and families overseas. Voice SMS gives them an option to communicate with voice messages across borders and time zones," said Khaled Al-Hajeri CEO of Zain Kuwait. He further added, "Kirusa's leading Voice SMS offering has huge proven potential, and serves as the platform for many other value added services, including International Voice SMS and broadcast of voice messages." "Kirusa's Voice SMS solution enables Zain customers a greater freedom to communicate and provides an emotional touch to their messages within Kuwait and to mobile users across the globe," said Dr. Inderpal Singh Mumick, CEO and Founder of Kirusa. "We are very excited to be a part of the Zain Kuwait's Voice SMS launch and are sure that Zain subscribers will welcome the flexibility that the service offers." To make the service available to its customers, Zain has incorporated Kirusa Voice SMS Solution integrated with the HP Opencall Media Platform into its network. To subscribe, a Zain customer has to send VSMS to number 99999. To compose a Voice SMS, a Zain customer has to dial *88 followed by the number of the person to whom he wishes to send the message to and speak for up to 30 seconds. He can then disconnect, or choose further options by pressing 1. The recipient will receive a text SMS notification and can dial the retrieval number '+965 9969-0989' by clicking the embedded link in the notification, to hear the Voice SMS. Zain customers can dial the same number to listen to the Voice SMS again. They can also reply to or forward the Voice SMS by following the instructions played in the recipient's language of choice. Recipients who are not on Zain's network can also listen to the Voice SMS by dialing the same number '+965 9969-0989'. International Voice SMS enables Zain customers to communicate with over a billion customers across the globe. Sending messages internationally is just as easy as sending a message across town. A Zain subscriber can dial * 88 followed by 00, country code and the international number; record a voice message and disconnect. About Zain Zain is a leading emerging markets player in the field of telecommunications aiming to become one of the top ten mobile operators in the world by 2011. Zain was established in 1983 in Kuwait as the region's first mobile operator. Since 2003, it has grown significantly becoming the 4th largest mobile network in the world in terms of geographic presence with a footprint in 22 countries spread across the Middle East and Africa providing mobile voice and data services to 56.3 million active customers (as on 30 September 2008). Zain operates in the following countries: Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Ghana, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. In Lebanon, the company manages the network on behalf of the government operating as mtc-touch. The company's mobile operations in Ghana will begin by the end of 2008. The Zain brand is wholly owned by Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC, which is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KUWAIT: ZAIN). The company had a market capitalization of over US$ 23.4 billion on 30 September 2008. About Kirusa Kirusa is the world's leading vendor of Voice SMS and a leading developer of mobile value added services. Kirusa's solutions include the hugely successful KV.SMS(TM), the world's most advanced "Voice SMS" solution that has been selected by more than twenty five carriers around the world. The Voice SMS solution allows mobile subscribers to send and reply to SMS messages with voice. Kirusa's solution works on all handsets and on all networks, and offers the industry's most intuitive user interface, with features such as DirectListen(TM) for direct access and reply to messages, Speed Codes(TM) for quickly sending messages, group messaging, mobile number portability, background music, interconnection, international Voice SMS. KV.SMS can be deployed in a matter of weeks, and its rapid user adoption has led to explosive revenue growth for Kirusa's customers. Kirusa offers an exchange service for interconnection of Voice SMS messages between carriers, and is pioneering a suite of applications that touch mobile users through voice. Kirusa has partnered with Qualcomm to deliver a Brew client for sending and receiving Voice SMS messages. Kirusa solutions are built on Kirusa's patented and patent pending technology and its highly reliable and scalable multimodal platform. The platform enables subscribers to cost effectively deploy additional revenue-generating services such as messaging, search, information, and entertainment applications. Kirusa's solutions are used by mobile subscribers millions of times every day. Kirusa has been recognized as one of top 100 technology companies by Silicon India, and one of top 25 emerging technology companies by Smart Techie magazine. Headquartered in New Jersey and led by an experienced team of wireless telecom executives and technologists, Kirusa has sales offices in three continents, with research and development facilities in New Delhi and in Bangalore, India. 'Kirusa Voice SMS,' 'DirectListen' and 'Speed Codes' are trademarks of Kirusa, Inc. Source: MSNBC