Seems Safaricom which has been criticizing Airtel about outsourcing to IBM, etc has engaged an Indian [not Kenyan] firm to provide Value Added Services http://www.nation.co.ke/...68/-/i8eano/-/index.html

would advise everyone never to get emotional about business....it is just business let never ever lie to you they care about anything else other than the cash they get as directors or as shareholders of the company...if you employees or suppliers or Govt happen to benefit in the process well and good but always remember the fundamental driver...

So I take it IBM is not a world-class firm? [Or some doublespeak here? Is kalonzo in the house???]
BTW, facebook & twitter are free services. However they make money, they do not charge you directly.
Also, why not encourage local VAS services [apart from SMS lotteries?]...??? There are local artistes coz not all of us want bollywood songs [I admit they can be catchy. Even taraab songs are sung to those tunes]

I was not aware that the jobs were outsourced to India but outsourced to Mara Group of Uganda...
Erm, not having a local VAS firm is probably the same as outsourcing...
Also seems many of the top managers, CEO & Board of Safaricom are... roll drum... not Kenyan!

@VVS Safaricom has Skiza that promotes Local artist in a big way We have also Kenya live I cant emphasize how this has helped a lot of our local artist grow.

When we talk of out sourcing I believe is taking non core services to a third party hence saving the cost of doing the same.

This collaboration has actually done the opposite it has brought in a company whose services were not previously offered by saf to enhance its services,and further more this service will greatly benefit the local artist given that this company will be paying a lot of loyalties for the music mixed.