Bharti Airtel launches ‘PayOnline’ in Africa
Bharti Airtel’s African unit has launched an online payment system – PayOnline enabling users to use their mobile handsets to make purchases. As per reports, the company has said that while the system has initially been launched in Kenya, it will soon be available across Africa.
The online payment system will allow Airtel users to purchase goods from any site where MasterCard is accepted. The customers will receive a 16 digit number in order to complete the transaction, following which the consumer will receive a confirmation message.
As per reports, N. Arjun, chief projects and transformation officer, Airtel Africa, has said that the sustained socio-economic changes witnessed in Africa over the last decade have shown that the continent has the ability to leapfrog conventional systems and embrace innovations on platforms such as the mobile phone.
Three raises concern over joint mobile payment service (UK)
UK based company, Three, has objected to the joint venture by network operators O2, Everything Everywhere and Vodafone which seeks to offer users a single system of paying for goods and services via mobile phones, citing unfair competition. Three met with the European Commission (EC) regarding the joint venture and has reportedly said that it will provide a more in-depth response when the operators make a formal submission to competition authorities.
According to reports, Stephen Lerner, Director, Regulatory Affairs, Three UK has said that the planned and explicit exclusion of Three from the proposed UK mCommerce joint venture is designed to weaken Three’s ability to be a competitive force in the UK and denies the initiative’s claimed ambition to be a ‘One Stop Shop’ for mCommerce. He added that instead of competing for the benefit of consumers, the three operators that hold 90% of the UK market have engaged in a cozy collaboration and closed ranks against competition.
In a bid to counter Three’s claim, a joint statement from the three operators said that the fact that other companies are not shareholders in the venture has no impact on their ability to benefit from the technology it will develop. The carriers further stated that they have already opened dialogue with the European Commission and expect to have further discussions and make a formal submission later in the year, as per reports.
Monitise partners with RBS for Mobile Banking (UK)
Monitise has signed a new partnership agreement with Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Technology Services to broaden mobile banking and payments services across its banking divisions. The five year deal will enable RBS to utilise Monitise’s industry leading and award-winning platform to provide innovative bank-grade and secure mobile apps and services to RBS customers.
According to reports, Will Jones, general manager for Monitise’s RBS partnership has said that new apps have been developed on the Monitise platform as part of a partnership project with RBS called Quantum Leap. The integrated technology is expected to be fully flexible along with allowing the bank to optimise every app so as to take advantage of what advanced handsets can do. The contract covers all RBS group divisions including NatWest UK Retail, Ulster Bank and RBS Global Corporate and Business.
Telefonica Germany partners with PaymentOne for Mobile Payment Solutions
PaymentOne, one of the world’s fastest growing Payment Service Provider (PSP) has partnered with Telefonica Germany enabling merchants to accept direct carrier billed payments. As per reports, Telefónica Germany subscribers will have the option to charge services up to $43.4 directly to their mobile phone carrier bill. The partnership enables one time transactions, recurring subscriptions, in-app billing and Web billing.
Brad Singer, executive vice president of PaymentOne has reportedly said that the company’s agreement with Telefónica Germany will help expand their direct international footprint and provide the broadest global reach and best payout rates to the merchants. He further adds that PaymentOne puts the users wallet away and enables them to use their phone number to pay, bringing speed, security and convenience of mobile payments to the millions of Telefonica Germany subscribers.
TCS and HCL Tech look to acquire Comviva as Bharti plans to sell (India)
Bharti Enterprises may sell off a majority of its stake in Comviva, a leading company specializing in providing value added services (VAS) for mobile handsets. Sources claim large IT companies such as TCS and HCL Technologies are competing to acquire the same and a deal might be in the pipeline. Reportedly, Bharti aims to receive between $300 and 350 million for sale of its non-core business.
The youth segment provides for a large consumer base demanding quick downloads for music, video clips and sports updates among others, enabling VAS to become a good revenue stream for mobile service providers. With competition causing voice tariffs to be priced at very low rates, mobile operators are increasingly turning to VAS for better revenue generation.
Services such as SMS account for half the VAS revenues, while caller tunes and mobile applications for radio, live score update and mobile gaming downloads are increasingly gaining popularity. For some mobile companies, VAS accounts for as much as 7-10 percent of their revenues.
With mobile players working to provide various new services on their 3G network and innovations like mobile banking on the rise, VAS revenues are expected to rise significantly.
