What Cellfind does

Cellfind (Pty) Ltd is a South African mobile technology solutions company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the DNI Group, self-described as "South Africa's Largest Mobile Messaging Partner." Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Centurion, Gauteng, the company provides enterprise-grade multi-channel communication products that integrate SMS, WhatsApp Business API, USSD, MMS, and Live Chat through an Omnichannel platform designed to consolidate fragmented customer communications. Its core technology centers on a managed SMS routing platform with carrier-grade integrations across all three major South African mobile network operators (Vodacom, MTN, and Cell C), alongside proprietary intellectual property including a Virtual Short Message Service Center (vSMSC) and the Mobiserv managed mobile service solution. The company is a founding member of WASPA, a GSMA member, and POPIA-compliant, with regulatory infrastructure designed to navigate sender ID registration and consent requirements across multiple African jurisdictions.

Cellfind monetizes through usage-based SMS services (Bulk SMS, International SMS, Registered SMS), recurring subscription revenue from its Omnichannel platform and value-added solutions (Panic Solutions, Mobile Documents, Prepaid Solutions, Reverse Billed Data), and managed services for enterprises outsourcing communication infrastructure. The company sells primarily into large organizations in financial services, insurance, healthcare, media, and telecommunications, alongside a reseller and white-label channel program for mobile communication providers. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; contact is facilitated via direct sales ([email protected], +27 (0) 10 442 3100) and through network operator partnerships.

Cellfind reports a 98% SMS open rate versus 70% for WhatsApp and 65% for Telegram, and claims a 30-40% operational cost reduction and response time improvement (hours to minutes) for clients adopting its omnichannel solution. It is led by CEO Niel Barnard and CMO Don Lange, with Theo Lategan serving as CTO/CIO overseeing Multi-Channel Engagement. Revenue, customer count, and ownership structure beyond the DNI Group parent relationship are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Cellfind

Legal name

Cellfind (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://cellfind.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cellfind (Pty) Ltd is a South African mobile technology solutions company, wholly owned by the DNI Group, providing enterprise-grade multi-channel messaging (SMS, WhatsApp Business API, USSD, omnichannel) and managed services. It serves financial, insurance, healthcare, media, and telecom clients across Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Messaging Platform

NAICS

Telecommunications Resellers (517121), All Other Telecommunications (517810)

SIC

Services-Telephone Interconnect Systems (7385), Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Mobile Roaming & Interconnect Services (roaming hubs, IREG/TADIG, clearing) (HDAIAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Numbering, DID, Porting & Carrier-of-Record Services (HDAIAHAK)

Keywords

• Mobile messaging services
• Enterprise SMS solutions
• Omnichannel communications
• WhatsApp Business API
• Mobile network operator services

Headquarters

HQ city

Midrand

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. SMS Services: Bulk SMS, International SMS, Registered SMS, Long Codes, Short Codes, and MMS messaging services for enterprise communications and marketing campaigns.
2. Omnichannel Communication Solutions: Integrated multi-channel messaging platform combining SMS, WhatsApp Business API, USSD, and Live Chat with unified management for customer engagement.
3. Managed Services: Managed enterprise communication services including gateway management, integration support, and operational oversight for businesses requiring outsourced communication infrastructure.
4. Value Added Solutions: Panic Solutions, Mobile Documents, Prepaid Solutions, Reverse Billed Data, and NI USSD services providing additional revenue streams from specialized mobile applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cellfind provides enterprise multi-channel mobile messaging and customer engagement solutions, including Bulk SMS, International SMS, Registered SMS, USSD, WhatsApp Business API, Live Chat, and MMS, unified through a proprietary Omnichannel platform. Enterprise customers also receive managed services, the Mobiserv engagement suite, and the vSMSC virtual SMSC gateway for outsourced communication infrastructure. The company serves financial, insurance, healthcare, media, and telecommunications organizations across Africa.

Product overview

Cellfind is a South African mobile technology solutions company providing a comprehensive portfolio of multi-channel messaging and engagement products. The core offering centers on Bulk SMS, International SMS, and Registered SMS messaging services, complemented by communication channels including WhatsApp Business API, USSD, and Live Chat. These individual products are unified through the Omnichannel platform, which integrates SMS, WhatsApp, USSD, and live chat into a single customer communication hub. Supporting services include Short Codes, Long Codes, NI USSD, and MMS for enhanced messaging capabilities. The company also offers value-added services such as Panic Solutions, Mobile Documents, and Reverse Billed Data. Enterprise solutions include Managed Services, Mobiserv, and vSMSC for businesses requiring outsourced or scalable messaging infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bulk SMS High-volume SMS messaging solution for enterprises to send promotional, transactional, and notification messages to large customer bases.
• International SMS Managed SMS routing platform enabling businesses to reach customers across international markets, achieving 98% open rates and supporting compliance across African jurisdictions.
• Registered SMS SMS solution with sender ID registration and consent management for regulatory compliance across multiple African jurisdictions.
• Short Codes Short numeric codes enabling customers to interact with campaigns or services via SMS, commonly used for competitions, voting, and information services.
• Long Codes Standard phone numbers used for two-way SMS communication, suitable for business applications requiring dialogue with customers.
• USSD Unstructured Supplementary Service Data protocol enabling menu-driven mobile interactions without internet connectivity, working on all phones including feature phones.
• NI USSD Non-Interactive USSD service for background data collection and simple query responses.
• WhatsApp Business API Enterprise-grade WhatsApp integration enabling automated customer interactions, notifications, and support through the WhatsApp messaging platform.
• Omnichannel Unified customer experience platform integrating SMS, WhatsApp, USSD, and live chat to consolidate fragmented customer communications, reducing operational costs by 30-40% and improving response times from hours to minutes.
• Live Chat Real-time web-based chat solution for customer support and engagement, integrated into the omnichannel platform.
• MMS Multimedia Messaging Service enabling businesses to send images, videos, and rich media content via mobile networks.
• Reverse Billed Data Service providing free mobile data access to customers for engaging with business websites and online platforms, increasing customer engagement without data costs.
• Panic Solutions Emergency alert and response solutions enabling individuals to send distress signals and location information to designated responders.
• Mobile Documents Digital document delivery and management solutions for secure transmission of documents via mobile channels.
• Prepaid Solutions Airtime and data solutions for prepaid mobile customers, enabling businesses to offer mobile value services.
• Managed Services Full-service outsourcing of messaging infrastructure and operations, enabling enterprises to scale communication without in-house development overhead.
• Mobiserv Managed mobile service solution for enterprise customer engagement and communication management.
• vSMSC Virtual Short Message Service Center solution providing SMS gateway infrastructure and routing capabilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% SMS open rate compared to 70% for WhatsApp and 65% for Telegram
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• VodacomcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCellfind is an Accredited Service Provider for Vodacom, providing enterprise-grade SMS and mobile messaging services through the Vodacom network infrastructure.
• MTNcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCellfind is an Accredited Service Provider for MTN, enabling high-volume mobile messaging solutions across the MTN network footprint.
• Cell CcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCellfind is an Accredited Service Provider for Cell C, providing mobile messaging services through the Cell C network.
• Wireless Application Service Provider Association (WASPA)coreOthersCellfind is a founding member of WASPA, demonstrating long-standing industry leadership and adherence to industry standards for wireless application services.
• Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA)coreOthersCellfind is a proud member of GSMA, investing in world-class mobile technology and maintaining industry standards through global association membership.
• DNI GroupcoreOthersCellfind (Pty) Ltd is a subsidiary of the DNI Group, providing organizational backing and group resources for operations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Clickatell: South African-origin CPaaS provider offering SMS, WhatsApp Business API, and omnichannel messaging to enterprises globally. Most directly comparable to Cellfind given shared South African roots, MNO aggregator heritage, and enterprise messaging focus.
• Africa's Talking: Pan-African CPaaS platform providing SMS, USSD, voice, and payments APIs across multiple African markets. Highly comparable to Cellfind's omnichannel and cross-border African messaging capabilities, with a stronger developer-API orientation.

Broad incumbents

• Twilio: Global CPaaS leader offering SMS, voice, WhatsApp Business API, and omnichannel communications. Overlaps broadly with Cellfind's product set but serves a global enterprise base with significantly larger scale and engineering depth.
• Infobip: Global CPaaS platform with strong presence in emerging markets and direct carrier interconnects worldwide. Comparable to Cellfind in offering omnichannel messaging, WhatsApp Business, and managed services, but at materially larger scale.
• Sinch: Swedish-headquartered CPaaS provider specializing in messaging, voice, and identity verification across global carrier networks. Comparable to Cellfind in SMS aggregation and enterprise communications, with much broader international footprint.
• MessageBird (Bird): Dutch-headquartered omnichannel CPaaS offering SMS, WhatsApp, voice, and email APIs. Competes with Cellfind on the omnichannel messaging layer for enterprise customers, though with global rather than African focus.

Regional players

• mNotify: South African SMS and bulk messaging provider serving local enterprise and SME customers. Directly comparable to Cellfind's Bulk SMS and Short Code offerings within the same South African market.
• SMSPortal: South African messaging platform offering bulk SMS, two-way messaging, and WhatsApp Business APIs. Competes with Cellfind for the same South African enterprise and SME messaging wallet.

Emerging players

• Plivo: Cloud communications platform offering SMS, voice, and WhatsApp APIs to global enterprises. Comparable to Cellfind's messaging and omnichannel capabilities, particularly for international SMS use cases.

Others

• WhatsApp Business (Meta): Meta's enterprise messaging platform that Cellfind resells and integrates via WhatsApp Business API. Indirectly competitive as enterprises could choose to engage WhatsApp's ecosystem directly rather than through aggregators.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cellfind
• Facebookfacebook.com/Cellfind
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/433284

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cellfind