Global telco Orange has announced that its new superapp, "Max it", will be launched in Botswana as part of a five-country rollout. The superapp will eventually be extended to twelve more countries in Africa and the Middle East. A superapp is a mobile or web application that can provide multiple services including payment and financial transaction processing, effectively becoming an all-encompassing self-contained commerce and communication online platform that embraces many aspects of personal and commercial life.
Orange's "Max it" superapp will have three services, being:
- Account functionalities to manage mobile and fixed lines.
- Orange Money with all its services for local and international money transfers, payments to billing and merchant partners, bank transfers, credit and savings.
- An e-commerce platform offering digital content (online games, music, TV, videos, news, etc.) and a digital ticketing service allowing customers to buy tickets for concerts, transport.
"With Max it, everyone can meet their different needs, such as managing their phone plan, finances or shopping," said Jérôme Hénique, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa. "It is an open, scalable platform that opens up many development opportunities for the continent and strengthens our approach to inclusion.”
The first version of Max it is available in five African countries (Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Botswana), and will be rolled out in waves, with functional updates, in the remaining countries. From launch, Max it will offer not only Orange services, but also digital services from local partnerships, as well as services from international partners, to meet users’ expectations.
Orange expects to have around 45 million active Max it users by 2025.