Voice SMS is a communication platform that uses voice instead of text or pictures to relay messages via any device with GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications).

"You don't have to peck at keys, and on the receiving end, you decide when to listen, even when you are in a place where you cannot carry on a conversation," a Uganda Telecom official explained.

Despite stiff competition in Uganda's mobile market, no other service provider in the country has yet introduced voice SMS.

Uganda Telecom's voice SMS offering is hosted by an external partner and is automatically provisioned to all subscribers.

The introduction of voice SMS does not require infrastructure upgrades or back-end provisioning by operators, nor does it require handset configuration for consumers. Moreover, there are no investment costs involved, as the business model is based on a revenue-sharing arrangement with the host partner.