DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, June 4, 2014/ — Tigo, Airtel and Zantel announced
yesterday a pioneering agreement to allow customers of Tigo, Airtel and
Zantel in Tanzania to send money to each other whether using Tigo Pesa,
Airtel Money or EzyPesa on their mobile handsets. It is expected that the
service will start by end of June.
This is the first agreement in Africa to adopt such “interoperabilityâ€
whereby mobile network operators allows their customer to send and receive
money across the network and the e-money goes direct to the respective
customer e-wallet account.
In the early years of the mobile industry, such agreements were common for
both voice calls and SMS text messaging. With this agreement, customers of
the three telecommunications company would be able to send money by mobile
to each other directly, according to a statement issued by the companies.
The joint press statement also listed other benefits customers of the three
companies would enjoy as including the ability to send money at more
affordable rates and in a simplified way which does not require use of PIN
codes when making withdrawals as had been the practice before signing of
the agreement.
Diego Gutierrez, Tigo’s General Manager for Tanzania, commented “We are
delighted to work with Airtel and Zantel to extend the mobile money
universe in Tanzania. With even more transactions possible, our customers’
money is made even more safe and secure with this technology. Just as we
co-operate with our competitors on voice calls and text to help our
customers, so we hope to be able to do the same with mobile money and help
make Tanzania a global pioneer in digital financial inclusion.â€
On his part Airtel Managing Director Sunil Colaso said: “Airtel is
committed to introduce to our customers new innovative services that look
beyond competition, a tremendous evolution to ensure mobile inclusion that
is sought by many Tanzanians taking into account our reach across the
country.â€
“Today’s partnership will bring our customers closer to mobile service and
ease their use of mobile money services, “added Colaso.
Zantel’s Managing Director Pratap Ghose, said “Zantel has a strong
commitment to excellence and innovation, and thus is happy about this
partnership which will enable all our customers to conduct their businesses
efficiently and with ease across Tanzania. “Zantel is proud to have been
the pioneer in launching Mobile payments in 2008; and hence will work with
the industry and the regulatory bodies to ensure that we offer ‘best in
class’ service to our customers†added Mr.Ghose.
The three companies also paid tribute to the Bank of Tanzania (B.O.T) for
facilitating interoperability, the Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation and
IFC for playing the leading role on this initiative.