Digicel offers bonus payouts to workers who choose to leave (Jamaica)
Telecom operator Digicel is offering its employees a bonus package under its voluntary separation programme (VSP), which is open for two weeks, According to a report by the Jamaican Observer, permanent, temporary and part-time employees are eligible to receive enhanced packages based on years of service as well as extended health cover, pro rata bonuses and career change advisory sessions.
The move is aimed at driving efficiencies and maximising performance following the integration of the Jamaican Claro operations into the company, said Digicel, noting that the programme is being initiated as the company diversifies from being a pure mobile service provider into offering customers options that include 4G mobile, cloud computing and, soon, mobile financial services.
In a statement, Digicel Jamaica CEO, Mark Linehan, said that with progress comes change — but their commitment to delivering an excellent service to their valued customers remains the same. Now is the time to review operations to ensure they are well positioned to meet the opportunities that are ahead of them and that they have the right people with the right skills in the right jobs.
He added that since launching here in Jamaica in 2001, the business has grown and developed hugely. From their origins as a pure mobile service provider, today they are evolving into a full service converged communications provider.
Visa, Monitise join hands for mobile banking services in India
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: To develop mobile banking services in India, Visa Inc. and London-based mobile financial services company Monitise PLC have entered into a joint venture. The business arrangement is expected to be completed in June and under the agreement, a system for financial services providers in India will be developed to accelerate the delivery of mobile services such as banking, bill payment, and mass transit ticketing.
Financial institutions, mobile network operators and technology providers, including Monitise have been partnered by Visa over the past two years, to extend mobile banking to more consumers in more countries. 200 banks and financial institutions in the United Kingdom and United States are served by Monitise to deliver mobile banking and payment services to over 2 million registered users.
According to Visa spokeswoman Elizabeth Buse, creating this joint venture is a crucial step that can help expand the acceptance of digital currency in India and enable the migration of $700 billion of annual consumer spending from cash to electronic forms of payments.
Nokia Money due to launch soon
Nokia is attempting to create a multi-bank, multi-operator and multi-device collaboration on mobile banking, a service dubbed Nokia Money.
Nokia’s mobile banking and payment service is expected to be commercially available in its first market in Q1 2010, though no location details have been revealed yet.
According to Teppo Paavola, vice president, GM mobile financial services, Nokia cannot reveal any details until a banking partner is confirmed. It is learnt that the service requires a banking license before it can be launched.
Nokia said its target is to have 300 million active users of its services by the end of 2011.
Paavola said the service will enable un-banked people in emerging markets to transfer money, top up prepaid mobile services, pay bills, carry out online transactions, and pay merchants.
Global mobile payments market is expected to be worth €18 billion by 2014 – €12 billion from emerging markets and €6 billion from developed markets.
Approaches to mobile banking so far have lacked scale and have not worked across operators and across banks. Nokia therefore plans to drive the collaboration on an open financial ecosystem, with Nokia Money at its core.
The Nokia Money application will not only be pre-loaded but could be sideloaded, or downloaded later.
Nokia will also be able to provide the physical distribution channel that is critical for the service to work. For example, Nokia handset sellers can be turned into Nokia Money agents, providing the devices, the application, and the ability to handle cash.
Verizon Wireless Launches Mobile Banking Services (USA)
Verizon Wireless and Firethorn, a Qualcomm company specialized in mobile banking and payments solutions, announced that customers of major financial institutions in the U.S., including Wachovia, SunTrust, FirstBank, and BancorpSouth, can access their accounts from their mobile. The mobile banking solution powered by Firethorn allows Verizon Wireless customers to manage their finances while on-the-go, enabling them to check bank account balances, transfer funds between accounts within the same bank, and review and pay bills that are already set up through the financial institution’s online account service.
“After announcing our relationship with Firethorn two months ago, we’re making mobile banking a reality for our customers,” said Jim Straight, Verizon’s senior vice president of consumer products. “And whether our customers prefer to bank at Wachovia, SunTrust, FirstBank or BancorpSouth, they can now do so wherever they go because Firethorn and their financial institution partners provide a secure, easy-to-use and flexible mobile banking application that delivers a superior customer experience.”
The Firethorn application is secure and utilizes both PIN and device lock-out capabilities, which are in addition to the security that is already incorporated by the financial institution. As another layer of security, customers will need to register with their financial institution’s online banking service in order to use mobile banking.
“Viewing balances, making transfers and paying bills on-the-go is an exciting first step for millions of Verizon Wireless customers. Together with Verizon Wireless and our financial partners, we are helping to define the market for mobile financial services,” said Tripp Rackley, CEO of Firethorn. Financial institutions that have joined the Firethorn network include Wachovia, SunTrust Bank, Regions Financial, BancorpSouth, Synovus, FirstBank, Arvest Bank, and America First Credit Union.
The Firethorn application is currently available on several phones from Verizon Wireless, including the Chocolate, enV, X8700, VX8600, VX9400 by LG, and the Samsung SCH-a950, with support for new devices to be added in the coming months. Users can download the Firethorn application for free from Verizon Wireless’ Get It Now virtual store.
For Best Practices/ Case Studies on Mobile Money – Banking, Remittances, Commerce & Payments. Please contact Christina@WirelessFederation.com
