Dubai: A Dubai-based businessman wants to take on WhatsApp. And SnapChat. And just about any free messaging platform that’s out there.
Balvinder Singh Sahni, Chairman of RSG Group, has put in Dh400 million for a 10 per cent stake in the business that developed the “Yzer” app, a voice, video and data messaging platform that has just gone live in the UAE.
Sahni dismisses any mention of the messaging app universe being already crowded with giants such as WhatsApp and SnapChat.
Instant translation engine
A potential upside of Yzer app: Its translation service.
If it works as expected, this could take messaging apps to the next level, possibly whipping up cross-cultural relationships and deals.
“Yzer is a robust platform that has instant translation engines for 17 languages and with eight more languages to be added shortly,” said Sahni.
“You can get a message in Chinese or Hindi and, trust me, you will get the best translation of that message in English. Yzer’s packed in with features that will win it a following… and not just in the UAE.”
“You can get a message in Chinese or Hindi and, trust me, you will get the best translation of that message in English. Yzer’s packed in with features that will win it a following… and not just in the UAE.”
The Yzer app is developed by Alibek Issaev, founder of Yzer Group, which itself is based in Dubai.
It is available on Google and Apple app stores.
Disruptor? Getting the nod for video calls
The app has already picked up the rights to offer video calls from du, and Sahni expects to get the same from Etisalat shortly.
Would Yzer's business and technology model — video and instant translation, among others — disrupt the well-entrenched global incumbents in messaging services? It's too early to say.
But licensing from operators could be decisive in winning over an immediate user base in the UAE and elsewhere.
“Yes, I think video will be a decisive factor — this is my first exposure into the app/tech world, and I wouldn’t have done it if I did not believe there were prospects to grow,” said Sahni, who has had major exposures in the local real estate market for years now.
The market talk is that he made quite the “killing” when Dubai real estate went through its second boom during 2011-14.
Making a 'killing'
UAE residents will also know Sahni from the millions — $9 million to be precise — he paid to acquire a vanity number plate - 5 - in 2016.
“The intention is to make a killing in any business I’m in — Yzer’s has got that kind of credentials,” he added.
The intention is to make a killing in any business I’m in — Yzer’s has got that kind of credentials.
The app does not need to hide behind a virtual private network (VPN) to allow users to access the video feature.
“With the UAE launch done, we will start approaching other telecom operators in the Gulf to get the rights to offer video facility.”
Adding payment options
The Yzer app, if all goes well, can start pulling in revenues when it offers payment options via the platform.
Such a business model has already proved hugely successful for tech giants in China. Facebook, too, has similar plans for WhatsApp.
If Yzer gets in with its own such services, it could be a prompt to get in more users, especially in markets such as India and Africa.
Build up enough user-friendly features and a lot of security and the users will follow is what Sahni believes in.
Industry sources say that multi-purpose apps will define the next level of user experiences. Smartphone users will move away from having a range of apps on their mobile interface and limit themselves to a few, which can be used for more than one need. Again, the Chinese tech giants are way ahead in the multi-purpose app game.
No such time as the present
Sahni shows no concern that he may have got in late into this digital space, and that too with a commitment of Dh400 million.
“I don’t believe in being late into something… messaging platforms are getting to be far more than just sending messages,” he said. “I don’t think when WhatsApp started, they were thinking of touching 1.6 billion users.”
