(A column highlighting scientific, technological, engineering and design innovation in Africa)
OTGPlaya Entity LLC, a Nigerian company, developed small Internet broadcast devices that could solve the “frustrations Africans face when trying to go online” and possibly help reduce Africa’s enormous DVD piracy problem.
Slow bandwidth and high network costs inhibit Internet access. Nollywood entertainment producers in Nigeria reportedly lose an estimated 50 percent of their US$500 million annual revenue to piracy.
Launched commercially in August 2012 under the brand name Storm, OTGPlaya’s devices allow users to access content offline and share it with others through the OTGPlaya Network. Content providers can convert their content into software and bypass Internet constraints.
Nollywood, for example, can release content securely and directly to Storm users, and monetize their product either by making customers pay for it, or by selling advertisements with the content. OTG Playa says it is working with two entertainment content providers in Nigeria to build content for its network.
You connect to Storm the way you connect to a WiFi port, co-founder Michael Oluwagbemi said in an interview with the blog How I Made It In Africa. “All you need is to have an OTG Playa application that allows you to buy the content, watch the content, share it as much as you like if it is free content, and even get rewards to buy premium content,” he said.
The OTGPlaya app can be downloaded in IOS, Android or Windows Store.
As of Nov. 1, 2013, the company had sold 25 boxes, with orders for 500 more from the Lagos State government that wants to distribute educational content in local secondary schools. Commercial customers purchase the Storm for $5,000, while franchise buyers like the Lagos State government buy it at a subsidized cost of $3,000
One of a few hardware technology companies that launched at the 2013 Demo Africa conference in Nairobi, Kenya, OTGPlaya says it raised more than $120,000 from angel investors and has won more than $100,000 in grants. It aims to have an OTG Playa within every four miles in West Africa before building out to the rest of Africa.
OTGPlaya products include 7- and 9-inch proprietary “Genie” tablets for education customers and the OTGPlaya Projector, which operates with rechargeable batteries. OTG Playa’s On the Go power system keeps going for 72 hours after a power cut.
