Peer-to-peer file-sharing app SHAREit says it has seen huge demand for affordable, centralised mobile storage solutions in SA, driven by increasing volumes of data generation among users.
The cloud-based resource-sharing company, which made its local debut in 2015, says it has garnered almost 20 million monthly active users locally, as South Africans increasingly look for data-free methods of sharing large files.
The company says it is looking at expanding its Cape Town and Johannesburg teams, while increasing its local partnerships.
Developed byglobal internet technology company SHAREit Group in 2013, the file-sharing, content streaming and gaming platform says it has been installed by nearly 2.4 billion users worldwide, reaching over 150 countries.
In an interview with ITWeb,Chanel Hardman, country director for SHAREit Africa, said the data-free element is a key contributor to the local growth witnessed by the company, with SA still ranked among the countries with the world’s most expensive mobile data prices.
“We have seen more than one million applications shared daily by South African consumers via the SHAREit app. The total data consumed by this transfer of data in South Africa would have been 10 million GB per month.
“This highlights that, if all the users choose to utilise a data-free peer-to-peer file-sharing app, R390 million would be saved every month based on R39 per GB.This helps people save on data costs as near-distance file-sharing can happen without connectivity,” explains Hardman.
The app is free to use on Windows, macOS and Android; however, users are charged to download the app.
Competition in the file-sharing market has intensified over the years, with strong global contenders including Google’s Nearby Share,P2P Share Alliance, the Z Share App and Zapya, among others.
According to research firm Market Research Future, the file-sharing market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 27% from 2020 to 2030, reaching $18.33 billion.
Among the factors that propel growth of this market is the accessibility of communication networking technologies such as 5G or 4G, the increasing development of file-sharing apps and the surge in created data.
According to Hardman, SHAREit is growing its African market share through an expanded partnership network.
SHAREit has selected PerformDM, an African digital media sales agency, as the exclusive strategic sales partner of SHAREit in Sub-Saharan Africa, and continues to sign up new partnership agreements, she adds.
“We have also tapped into over 90 South African advertisers and their existing user bases. SHAREit also helps brands with their awareness campaigns, user acquisition, digital payment options and seamless user monetisation via extensive audience networks.”
File-sharing apps have over the years been accused of security vulnerabilities and flaws by cyber security firms. However, SHAREit says it has beefed up its security with a new tool called SHAREit SAFE, to keep users’ private files safely locked-up, through a multi-layered security approach.
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