MTN Group increases MTN Mobile Money presence in Zambia (Africa)
The MTN Group announced last week that its increasingly popular MTN Mobile Money service will now be available through the extensive MTN agent network and Banc ABC branch network in Zambia, further improving accessibility to financial services via the convenience of mobile telephony for thousands of Zambians.
According to a company report, in terms of the strategic partnership with Banc ABC, MTN customers will be able to load and withdraw money from their mobile phones using MTN Service Centres, MTN agents, Connect Stores and the Banc ABC branch network.
Christian de Faria, Group Commercial Officer, MTN Group, has said that the phenomenal uptake of Mobile Money in Zambia is a clear indication that an increasing number of Zambians are excited to finally have the ability to conduct financial transactions through their mobile phones.
MTN Mobile Money creates a safe environment for the banked and unbanked portion of the population to perform basic banking transactions. In some of the markets where the service is offered, customers are now able to pay their utility bills, among other transactions, using MTN Mobile Money. MTN has successfully deployed its MTN Mobile Money service in 11 other markets, including Uganda, Swaziland, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Rwanda.
De Faria adds that the launch of MTN Mobile Money in Zambia is opening up plenty of exciting opportunities in terms of financial services inclusivity. For them, MTN Mobile Money is integral to their efforts to increase accessibility to financial services for people in their markets.
He added that the agreement with Banc ABC also confirms our commitment to continue exploring innovative ways to make our products as accessible as possible within the Zambian market.
The launch of the MTN Mobile Money service with Banc ABC will enable MTN subscribers to open a mobile money account at any of the bank’s 19 branches and 10 mobile banks across Zambia. Subscribers will, upon registration, be able to load and store electronic money on their mobile phones and use their mobile number as an account number.
says Abdul Ismail, Chief Executive Officer, MTN Zambia has said that the unique feature of MTN Mobile Money is that customers can send money to any cellphone user on MTN or other networks. This joint partnership with Banc ABC as an MTN Mobile Money agent will assist greatly in agent liquidity and providing cash-in and cash-out services for their customers.
MTN Mobile Money is currently being utilised by over 6 million customers across the MTN footprint, with over 2 million of those users in Uganda.
Mobile money services receive success in Africa (Africa)
The success of mobile banking services in Africa can be gauged by a report by FNB, highlighting a 150 per cent hike in transaction growth for its cellphone banking service and 1384 per cent growth for eWallet, for the month of December 2011 when compared to the previous December.
The report reveals that customers conducted 2.4 million cellphone banking transactions during December 2011 in Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Swaziland and Lesotho, to the value of US$ 27.9 million as compared to US$ 128,485 transactions in December 2010.
Botswana, recorded over 1.3 million cellphone banking transactions, representing a 126 per cent increase year-on-year. Further, Namibia recorded year-on-year growth of 155 per cent, with Zambia at 308 per cent and Swaziland at 227 per cent.
As per the report, Ravesh Ramlakan, CEO, FNB Cellphone Banking Solutions, has said that the increasing confidence amongst consumers in using their handsets for money transcations have greatly aided in the adoption of mobile money services in the country. He added that innovation has played a key role in growing cellphone banking across Africa. Further, their ability to adapt the service for use on any cellphone has been an important driver of this growth.
Users can conduct a number of transactions using FNB Cellphone Banking, including transferring money between their own FNB accounts, buying prepaid airtime and making third party payments.
The report reveals that, FNB eWallet has generated 407,110 original sends in its four African Operations (Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho and Zambia) as at the end of December 2011. In Botswana FNB eWallet, saw an increase in original sends of 1236 per cent year-on-year from December 2010 to December 2011.
Yolande van Wyk, CEO, FNB eWallet Solutions has said that although eWallet has only recently been introduced to markets outside South Africa, the service has demonstrated strong potential for continued growth into the future. He claims that a country like Zambia for example has 5.4 million mobile phone users and a large informal sector, making a solution such as eWallet ideal in helping bridge the financial services gap between the banked and the unbanked. eWallet reduces both risk and cost, and in African markets they have found this to be essential in any financial product offering. Simple, convenient and affordable financial services represent the future of banking in Africa.
eWallet allows FNB customers to send money to anyone within the borders of the country in which the service operates. The convenience lies in the fact that the recipient does not need to have a bank account. The money is transferred instantly and the recipient uses a pin code sent to their cellphone to access the cash from FNB ATMs.
Airtel launches 3.75G service in Zambia (Africa)
Telecom giant Bharti Airtel has launched its 3.75G service in Zambia. The new technology will offer users high speed internet access enabling them to make video calls, stream and download music as well as watch live television on their mobile handset.
According to company reports, Fayaz King, Managing Director, Airtel Zambia, has said that the 3.75G technology will give their customers the opportunity to interact with data in a different way and that this is why Airtel doesn’t see 3.75G as a product but a platform that enables the community to expand its social and commercial horizons, alongside the rest of the world.
Further, as per the company, the latest technology will offer speeds up to 21 Mbps for its users including the business and youth segment and is similar to the technology being rolled out in Europe and USA. King also said that Airtel will be rolling out its data network across all its markets in Africa with the objective of building the largest 3G network across the continent.
King added that their 3.75G platform will allow customers to combine the enormous potential of the internet with the convenience of cellular phones and other devices. It will liberate the potential of the youth through enabling fast access to the internet for learning, sharing, social networking, creating and accessing content like music. Further, for the small and medium business, it will enable the entrepreneur to embrace a highly mobile way of working with high speed access to email and internet and it will allow large companies to increase productivity through vastly enhanced mobile internet speeds and access to record and allow for communication via video calls on handsets.
Bharti Airtel contemplates mobile service launch in South Africa and Cameroon (Africa)
India’s leading telecommunications operator Bharti Airtel may be planning to expand its network in South Africa and Cameroon, as learned through industry sources. Airtel is a dominant player in the mobile industry with operations in 19 countries across Asia and Africa.
Mobile penetration has steadily been increasing in African countries, and with most of the global markets being saturated, emerging markets such as Africa provide mobile operators with new opportunities to increase their subscriber base and enhance their revenue.
Currently Airtel offers services in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Madagascar, Niger, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. By adding South Africa and Cameroon, two of Africa’s fastest growing mobile economies to the list, Airtel aims to strengthen its position in Africa.
Airtel is the leading mobile operator in India and is well known for its innovative and competitive tariff pricing. The operator’s entry into these new markets is expected to take the mobile industry by storm and introduce an unprecedented level of competition.
Airtel presently offers services in 15 cities in India and with the population of one Indian city being similar to that of one African country, South Africa and Cameroon have the potential to be extremely lucrative for Bharti Airtel.
Further, sources claim that rival operators currently offering services in these economies such as MTN, Vodacom and Orange are already working on strategies to maintain their market share and offer stiff competition to Airtel.
Bharti Airtel signs deal with Nokia to expand 3G services in Africa
Bharti Airtel, a leading telecom operator has signed a contract reportedly worth $ 700 million with Nokia Siemens Networks to expand its 2G network and deploy and manage 3G services in Africa.
As per the agreement, Nokia Siemens Networks will manage all network operations as well as provide energy-efficient base stations for Airtel in seven African countries including Madagascar, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Congo Brazzaville. In an attempt to increase its subscriber base, Airtel has been expanding its presence in Africa’s rural regions.
According to reports, Manoj Kohli Airtel’s CEO (International) and Joint Managing Director said that this partnership will further enable them to rapidly expand their network coverage and provide high-speed wireless internet connectivity to their customers. Further, Nokia Siemens Networks, Chief Executive Officer, Rajeev Suri said that they look forward to working closely with Airtel to expand its network rapidly and deliver the right innovative products and services to help meet user demands.
Airtel Zambia to enter remote areas of Western Province (Zambia)
In an effort to target the large base of rural subscribers in Zambia, southern African mobile operator Airtel Zambia has begun infrastructure work in the remote areas of its western province. With this move, Airtel aims to maintain its market share by bringing connectivity to people living in rural areas accessible only by water. As per reports, Airtel Zambia managing director Mr. Fayaz King said that they would first be entering areas such as Mutomena, Lukena, Liuwa, Libonda Palace and Mishulundu in Western Zambia. He further stated that the network expansion comes as part of the initiative taken up by the company over the past 10 months in order to provide services to some of the most remote areas of the country.
According to reports, rural areas covered by Airtel in the last 10 months are in Luapula, Northern, North-Western, Eastern, Southern, Central and some rural parts of the Copperbelt like Lufwanyama, Masaiti, and Mpongwe districts. So far 88 isolated rural areas and communities have been connected by Airtel in Zambia .
Zamtel rolls out its 3G network (Zambia)
Zamtel the mobile network operator based in Zambia has launched its 3G network, in the wake of the network’s $37 million upgrade.
According to Zamtel’s chief commercial officer Amon Jere, the 3G technology will be first switched on along the line of rail and North-western province, Copperbelt province, Lusaka, Choma, Mazabuka and Livingstone.
Jere expects to finish the first phase of service roll out in October while the second phase will see them switch on the services across all provincial capitals.
A 75% stake in Zamtel has been purchased by the Libya based Lap Green Networks in the year gone by for $257 million. In addition, the former had also pledged to invest further $127 million in the company as part of recapitalization and also for upgrading the network.
Starcomms and its CEO part ways (Nigeria)
Starcomms is a CDMA network operator based in Nigeria. In an announcement, it said that Maher Qubain, its CEO/Managing Director is set to vacate his position in the company. Logan Pather who had come on board the company as Chief Operating Officer in February 2011, is also named by Starcomms as its Acting CEO and Managing Director.
According to Chairman Chief Maan Lababidi, Maher had joined Starcomms as early as 2002 when the company was still in its initial stages of development. The company was then operating as a fixed wireless operator in Lagos with 2,500 subscribers and 4 base stations. Since then the company has grown into a national telecommunication operator with a presence in 22 states, 31 cities, 175 towns, over 900 base stations and 1.6 million active subscribers.
On the other hand, Logan Pather, the Acting CEO had also held leadership positions since 1994, in the African telecoms market. He had rendered 5 years of service to Telkom South Africa, 3 years at Vodacom South Africa as Regional Manager. Eventually, he had joined MTN Cameroon as General Manager in 2001; later to become the CEO of Telecel in Zambia in 2004. In addition, he had served as Managing Director of Roamware Africa for the last 5 years.
WiMAX networks names its new chief executive officer
WiMAX networks are managed by Augere Holdings under the umbrella of the Qubee brand. Former Vodafone Ghana CEO, David Venn has been named its new chief executive officer. Previously, Sanjiv Ahuja was the CEO of the operator.
Sanjiv Ahuja keeps the executive chairman of Augere position. His primary role will now be chairman and CEO LightSquared, the LTE network based in the USA though.
David had also carried out responsibilities as CEO of Celtel Zambia prior to being appointed CEO of Vodafone Ghana.
Harbinger Capital, France Telecom, New Silk Route and Vedanta Opportunity Fund as well as its founder, Sanjiv Ahuja constitute the principal shareholders of Augere.
At the moment Augere holds spectrum access in Pakistan, Bangladesh, the states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in India, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania while aggressively going after spectrum in Africa and Asia.
Under the Qubee brand, Augere had launched its first commercial wireless network in Pakistan in July 2009. Then the Bangladesh network had followed in October 2009. As of mid 2011, Augere operates widely reaching wireless networks. Its network is powered by more than 650 radio base stations and serves more than 100,000 broadband customers.
UCell introduces night internet tariff (Uzbekistan)
UCell, which operates in Uzbekistan, has introduced a new night internet package called ‘Internet Mega Boom’.
The new package will be charged at US$0.05 per MB between 1am and 8am, while the daily fee will be US$0.10. Activation of the tariff is free.
The company has also announced that it has signed bilateral roaming agreements with KPN in the Netherlands (for GPRS and 3G) and Celtel in Zambia. Furthermore, prepaid UCell customers can use Wataniya Telecom’s network in Kuwait.
