Celtel Kenya and Strathmore University are studying possibilities of the university offering specialized training for the company's staff. This was said by Celtel's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr David Murray during an address to Strathmore University students that turned into a heart-to-heart discussion during question time on Monday, 30th July 2007 as Mr Murray pulled legs all over the floor.

Mr Murray also said Celtel is ready and willing to collaborate with students with mobile telephony applications projects that are viable through a revenue sharing arrangement. "Mobile phones companies don't invent anything but use what is already invented."

"This is a people-centered business. We study human behaviour then try to satisfy people's needs. Mobile telephony is more about people than technology."

"Who cares what technology is behind your cell phone as long as it has the functionality you need and thus suits your lifestyle?" he asked starry eyed students.

"This business is about touching people's lives. There are many human dynamics involved. And ultimately, we make a difference in people's lives," he added.

He recounted a dramatic incidence in Colombia where through use of cell phones, four people were saved after an air crash. "That could not have been possible without mobile technology," he observed.

Celtel made a difference in people's lives during the recent Kenya Airways plane crash in Cameroon. "We set up the call centre which was a source of information for families of victims," Mr Murray said.

"Mobile telephony has made life easy. You don't have to remember telephone numbers as was the case before. And neither is your phone tied to a wall," he added.

Fielding questions from students ranging from the difference between GSM and CDMA technology, to how to hold a conversation and to whether he could consider working for competition, Mr Murray revealed some unique attributes of the mobile telephony.

"The industry has now 3 billion people - nearly half of the world's population – subscribed to it and it is the only business where you can communicate directly and immediately with your customers," he enthused. He told the students that he hoped to see them working for Celtel soon.