Afghan Wireless partners with world leaders for mobile recharge (Afghanistan)
Afghan Wireless (AWCC), Afghanistan’s leading telecom operator and one of Afghanistan’s largest private employers, has announced an expanded services footprint by adding More Magic and very soon, ezetop, two world leaders in mobile recharge, to their already popular TOHFA recharge service. As per the company, with these three leading international top-up providers, Afghan Wireless customers and their friends and families throughout the world can recharge their own, or anyone’s, AWCC mobile phone at any time and from anywhere.
AWCC’s TOHFA, launched in 2009, was one of Afghanistan’s first online mobile phone recharge services. To recharge an AWCC mobile number through TOHFA a customer simply visits the Afghan Wireless website (http://www.afghan-wireless.com/tohfa) enters their/family or friend’s AWCC number, selects a denomination & pays with a credit card through Google-Checkout. The AWCC subscriber receives the airtime within an hour.
MoreMagic Solutions, a leading mobile financial solutions provider, will soon expand AWCC’s international mobile phone recharge capabilities throughout the world. More Magic will provide AWCC top-up services through the internet at http://www.etopuponline.com, or by visiting any of the hundreds of thousands of participating retail locations worldwide. The AWCC More Magic solution is planned for activation before December 1, 2011.
ezetop and AWCC have reached an agreement to facilitate AWCC customers with additional mobile recharge access across Asia, the Middle East, Pacific, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, North America and Europe. As per this agreement, ezetop will integrate their mobile top-up services with AWCC’s platform to serve AWCC customers across the globe. ezetop enables people living or working abroad to instantly top-up mobile phones of family and friends back home. Services are available from over 350,000 retail stores across the world as well as from their online website, http://www.ezetop.com.
Ehsan Bayat, AWCC’s Chairman, said that AWCC welcomes MoreMagic Solutions and ezetop as new value added service providers along with their existing TOHFA service. He added that AWCC strives to serve all of their customers as well as their geographically distributed family and friends who want to provide the AWCC customer with recharge credit. By providing their customers services from 3 international mobile top-up providers we can offer assurance that AWCC consumers will always be able to make or receive that next important call.
Etisalat launches 3G service in Afghanistan (Asia)
UAE’s leading mobile operator Etisalat has launched third-generation (3G) network services in Aghanistan, as per a statement made by the company. The operator claims that it is the first operator in the nation to provide 3G services.
However, the operator is yet to provide details regarding which areas of Afghanistan will receive 3G services, Currently, the operator’s network covers 30 provinces in the country.
As per reports, Etisalat has invested over $300 million in Afghanistan since 2007 and accounts for 3.5 million customers in the country.
Etisalat launches mobile money services (Afghanistan)
Etisalat Afghanistan has reportedly launched Telepin Software’s mobile money service titled mHawala. According to reports, Etisalat Afghanistan is the first mobile network operator to offer complete mobile banking services as well as cross-border money transfers in the future.
As per sources, Vincent Kadar, CEO, Telepin has said that they understand transactions better than any general value-added services infrastructure vendor and apply this knowledge to forward-thinking operators such at Etisalat Afghanistan. He added that Etisalat is responding to the needs of its customers, and is delivering a best-in-class mobile money solution that will extend value to its mobile subscribers, merchant networks, and ecosystem partners.
3A Technology signs 10 year satellite contract with NewSat
Pakistani telecommunications company, 3A Technology has reportedly signed a ten year contract with NewSat, for $134 million. Reports suggest that the Australian satellite company NewSat, is planning to launch the satellite Jabiru-1, in 2012. This satellite will serve mobile carriers, enterprise and government clients in multiple regions having high demand within the Middle East, including Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Sources claim that Ali Ather, President, 3A Technology, will use the capacity to provide services to companies such as Mobilink, Pak Datacom and the Pakistan government in areas of the Middle East with previously poor coverage, including Pakistan and Afghanistan. Further, he has also said that the rapidly growing consumer, business and government markets for internet, voice and secure data in Pakistan and Afghanistan require reliable satellite communications to support their network expansions and future business growth.
NewSat has reportedly said that the capacity would also be used for cellular backhaul in Pakistan and Afghanistan and to support the roll-out of 3G and 4G networks.
Mobile number portability roll out slated for next year (Afghanistan)
The issue of a tender for augmenting mobile number portability (MNP), slated for mid next year has been announced by Afghanistan’s Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA).
The ATRA is known to be on the lookout for an international expert advisor who would provide technical assistance in formulating the MNP approach by way of which a request for proposals (RFP) will be issued for a systems house, eventually to implement and operate a MNP third party service; come, middle of next year.
Amirzai Sangin, the Afghan minister of communications had stated on 17 May, 2011 that the country would usher in mobile number portability in a bid to foster competition in the mobile market amongst the five mobile service networks across the country.
According to what Sangin had said, the growth and vitality of the telecommunications sector in Afghanistan was one of the most remarkable success stories of the recent past. Since 2003, when the first two licenses were issued for GSM mobile services, mobile telephone subscribers had increased from zero to 17 million subscribers. More than $1.6 billion had been invested in modern infrastructure, services crossing over 80% of the population and sustaining over 100,000 jobs across the nation.
Afghanistan brace up for the issue of 3G licenses tender
The issue of a tender for 3G and 4G licenses has been announced by the government of Afghanistan, slated for next month. Certain aspects of auctioning will be witnessed at the issue of the licenses; the current GSM operators will be allowed to acquire a similar license at the same price offered by the new operator.
The date for issuing the 3G/4G tender package is fixed for 1 August 2011.
As per sources, Roshan, MTN, Etisalat, Afghan Wireless and Afghan Telecom constitute the incumbent five licensed mobile network operators in the Afghanistan with market shares of 28.5%, 24.5%, 24.3%, 22% and 1% respectively.
According to Eng Amirzai Sangin Minister of (MCIT), the growth and vitality of the telecommunications sector in Afghanistan is one of the most remarkable success stories in its recent past. In addition, there has been an increase from zero to 17 million subscribers in mobile telephone subscribers ever since the first two licenses for GSM mobile services were issued. In terms of investment, this sector has absorbed $1.6 billion for augmenting modern infrastructure; services now have reached out to over 80% of the population to sustain over 100,000 jobs nationwide.
MTN buoyed by political risk insurance in Afghanistan
The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) is a member of the World Bank Group. MTNA, MTN’s Afghanistan subsidiary is to receive political risk insurance from the MIGA, in order to propagate its operations in the country.
Previously, MTN’s operations in Afghanistan had received $74.5 million in the year 2007 to kick off operations. The current grant, amounting to $82.1 million doled out to the parent company MTN Dubai (MTND) by the MIGA is supposed to secure the operator’s equity investment and shareholder loan with regard to risks of transfer restriction and expropriation that will cover a time span of 10 years.
Currently, there are four operators doing business in Afghanistan. It has been observed that there has been an increase by seven times as regards the country’s mobile network in the last five years, representing 47% penetration. By the year 2014, the overall figure for mobile subscribers in the country is expected to cross over 18 million. MTN is attributed with a considerable contribution with regard to the growing network coverage it Afghanistan, especially the far corners of the country. At the moment, MTN connects by way of telecommunications services 31 of the country’s 34 provinces.
Enhancing mobile telecommunications infrastructure, expanding geographical coverage, in addition to improving quality of mobile services is touted to be the main focus of MTN Afghanistan’s investment.
Beeline Tajikistan sashes roaming rates in Turkey, Afganistan
Beeline Tajikistan has launched the Hot Roaming offer for subscribers. The company has slashed the roaming rates by 50% in Turkey and Afghanistan under the service option.
Subscribers are offered outgoing calls to Tajikistan for US$ 1.80 per minute when using the service.
M-Paisa and Kam Air Announce Airline Ticket Purchase On Your Mobile Phone
M-Paisa, Afghanistan’s first mobile money transfer service, today announced an agreement with Kam Air to provide airline ticket purchase using the mobile phone. For the first time in Afghanistan, customers can now pay for airline tickets, quickly, easily and securely, with M-Paisa, powered by Roshan. Customers who purchase tickets through M-Paisa will also receive 10% off the airline purchase price.
“As part of our commitment to bringing innovative services to Afghanistan, we are pleased to be partnering with Kam Air, to bring the convenience and safety of mobile purchases to our customers. This partnership expands our growing merchant network throughout the country, providing more ways for Roshan customers to make purchases, using their M-Paisa wallet,” said Karim Khoja, Chief Executive Officer, Roshan. Kam Air is also a strategic partner in Roshan’s VIP program, the first of its kind in Afghanistan.
“The introduction of mobile airline ticket purchase with M-Paisa and Roshan is part of our continued focus on our customers. Our partnership with M-Paisa will enable us to provide a superior level of service and flexibility by using unique technology to make air travel more convenient for our customers travelling within and beyond Afghanistan, said Zamarai M. Kamgar, Chief Executive Officer.
Customers can dial 4422 from their Roshan mobile to book their ticket. Upon payment through M-Paisa, customers will receive an SMS with a reference number, which will serve as their ticket.
M-Paisa is powered by Roshan, Afghanistan’s leading telecommunications provider and is also part of the Vodafone Money Transfer Group, which has over 22 million M-Paisa/M-Pesa customers worldwide. In April 2011, M-Paisa received Afghanistan’s first Electronic Money Institute (EMI) license from the Da Afghanistan Bank.
About M-Paisa
Introduced by Roshan in 2008 in partnership with Vodafone, M-Paisa is Afghanistan’s first mobile money transfer service, providing service to 97% of the unbanked population in the country. M-Paisa offers safe, secure and fast access to a range of financial services including receipt and payment of microfinance loans, peer-to-peer fund transfer, salary disbursement, purchase of airtime and bill payments. The service facilitates the transfer of funds using a mobile phone through Short Message Service (SMS) and an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. The IVR based menu is available to customers in Dari, Pashto and English, an important feature in Afghanistan where 70% of the population is illiterate. M-Paisa relies on Roshan’s robust mobile network which spans across 230 cities and towns in all of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. This allows for the extension of financial services to the mass unbanked population.
About Roshan
Roshan (Telecom Development Company Afghanistan Ltd) is Afghanistan’s leading telecommunications provider, with coverage in over 230 cities and towns and approximately 5 million active subscribers. Roshan directly employs more than 1,200 people and provides indirect employment to more than 30,000 people. Since its inception seven years ago, Roshan has invested over $500 million in Afghanistan and is the country’s single largest investor and tax payer. Roshan is deeply committed to Afghanistan’s reconstruction and socio-economic development. The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a major shareholder of Roshan and promotes private initiatives in building economically sound enterprises in the developing world. Also owned in part by Monaco Telecom International (MTI) and TeliaSonera, Roshan brings international expertise to Afghanistan and is committed to the highest standards of network quality and coverage for the people of Afghanistan.
MTN Afghanistan selects Aircom to audit mobile network
MTN Afghanistan has chosen Aircom International, a network planning and optimization consultancy to perform an audit of its mobile network.
Aircom will inspect MTN Afghanistan’s network performance and optimization, assessing its radio access network, transmission network, circuit switching core, billing system and packet switching core.
Aircom will explore whether areas of MTN Afghanistan’s network are over or under-dimensioned, scrutinise transmission and RAN quality of service, complete a full review of RF design and maximize use of spectrum.
Aircom will be able to identify the bottlenecks affecting network performance, where routing can be improved, and where additional capacity may be needed. This will reduce dropped call rates, improve areas of low signal strength, especially indoors and check that roaming revenues are captured.
By undergoing this audit followed by a network redesign, MTN Afghanistan will enhance the quality of network coverage for its subscribers.
