Impact of mobile money interoperability in Tanzania

Tanzania is one of the most developed mobile money markets in the world, representing almost a third of all of East Africa’s active mobile money accounts in 2015. [1] It is also one of the most progressive, with ambitious initiatives regularly leading to new product innovation. Today, we are releasing a publication looking at the impact of one form of innovation coming out of Tanzania: the impact of account-to-account mobile money interoperability.

With Tigo, Airtel and Zantel having connected their services in 2014 and Vodacom integrating in 2016, account-to-account interoperability is still in early days in Tanzania. As such, this publication focuses on preliminary quantitative metrics alongside perspectives and reflections written by the service providers. The basic quantitative data offers a glimpse of initial customer behaviours and allows us to benchmark growth against a comparative use case, the off-net voucher. The latter half of the publication focuses entirely on the perspectives of the providers. These perspectives are critical because the experience of these players will inform both how Tanzania develops and how other practitioners evaluate the opportunity of interoperability in their own markets.

Between the data and the providers, Tanzania has provided more evidence to help all industry stakeholders develop more realistic expectations of and a better understanding for account-to-account interoperability.  For example:

• Basic market prerequisites in Tanzania provided the right dynamic for early growth. Growth in Tanzania is promising, particularly given providers have taken a “wait and see” approach in the early days. For Airtel and Tigo, cross-net transactions now exceed off-net vouchers, and both cite double-digit monthly percentage growth. To capture this early organic growth, providers benefitted from (1) an enabling regulatory environment that encourages innovation, (2) strong operational foundations across all providers and (3) a commitment to the user experience, including honouring a consistent price for all P2P transfers – whether on-net or cross-net. Markets lacking these basic prerequisites may risk a harder road before reaping the benefits that interoperability can enable.

• Interoperability between providers can also be a catalyst for further investment in industry collaboration. There is a healthy diversity of perspectives and expectations from providers around the implementation and impact of domestic interoperability. However, what is clear is that the launch of this singular form of interoperability is part of, and in some cases reinforced by, an on-going strategy to capture the benefits of broader industry collaboration. Millicom, Vodacom and Airtel all explicitly expressed an interest to build on their experience and potentially extend interoperability to new use cases, such as merchant payments.

• The impact of interoperability is best measured over the long-term. Mobile money interoperability has further to go in Tanzania before it is close to the transaction volume processed through bank integrations or on-net P2P transfers. To accelerate that growth, the industry continues to explore how improvements to the technological and financial infrastructure could make mobile money interoperability more efficient. New investment in customer campaigns are also underway, and these investments will help evaluate the long-term growth ceiling and the extent of mass-market need for the functionality.
• Source: gsma

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Tanzania in mobile money ‘first’ for Africa

Vodacom joined Tigo, Airtel and Zantel in a pioneering interoperability scheme for mobile money in Tanzania.

In 2014, Tigo, Airtel and Zantel agreed to enable their customers to send and receive money across their networks. After announcing it would join last year, Vodacom has now implemented the scheme.

Tanzania becomes Africa’s first country with full interoperability for P2P money transfers, according to a statement issued by three of the operators.

Interoperability means more traffic and hence revenue, at least that’s the argument of Tigo, Airtel and Zantel, which have seen off-network transactions grow 3.5 times since 2014.

Tanzania, like neighbouring Kenya, is a case study for mobile money with high usage levels. There are more than 16 million mobile financial users in Tanzania.

Source:mobileworldlive

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Vodacom and Tigo agree on mobile money interoperability

Millions of M-Pesa and Tigo Pesa customers in Tanzania will soon be able to send and receive money directly into each other’s wallets. This follows the recent signing of a mobile money interoperability agreement between Tigo and Vodacom.

The agreement announced today, will for the first time see four million Tigo Pesa users exchanging money directly with seven million M-Pesa customers. This is yet another tangible step towards the enhancement of financial inclusion in Tanzania as well as the expansion of the mobile money ecosystem in Tanzania. 

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) formulated the mobile-wallet-to wallet standards with support from Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA), (standards) which have been the basis of the interoperability discussions between mobile network operators in Tanzania.

Speaking at the signing ceremony in Dar es Salaam, Rene Meza, Vodacom Tanzania’s Managing Director said “This is a great evolution of the mobile money service in Tanzania. Our customers will soon be able to directly access the money received through Tigo Pesa and use it for whatever purposes they may have without necessarily having to cash it out.”

M-Pesa users can pay for an array of services from their phones. These include; TV subscriptions, Flights,  Insurance services, Utilities, Taxes, School fees, Pension Contributions  and Loans to name but a few.

In support of this, Meza says, "M-Pesa has added so much value to the lives of Tanzanians over the past seven years and the fact that this agreement with Tigo will see even more Tanzanians using our services to better their lives is indeed a major milestone.   We expect to launch the service by the end of the year and are currently working on upgrading our M-Pesa platform which will see us invest in excess of Tshs 150 billion/- to cater for the expected growth of users."

Meza went on to say that the agreement signed between the country’s two largest mobile operators’ networks would allow Vodacom’s M-Pesa users to directly send and receive money to an additional four million Tigo Pesa users across the country at no additional cost or inconvenience to them by the end of the year.

We are now working to ensure that we have both the technology and requisite resources needed to provide the quality of service that our customers have come to expect from us through the years…we are nevertheless excited about the opportunities posed by this new operating model. Our extensive agent network  which is over 85,000-strong as well as the enhancement of our M-Pesa service has  to date allowed our 7 million M-Pesa users  to be active players in the economy and we look forward to growing it even further. This is what making life better and financial inclusion is all about,” says Meza.

Source: Vodacom

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Tigo to invest $120m in network expansion in 2015

Tigo Tanzania plans to spend US $ 120 million (Tshs 221 billion) this year in expanding its network coverage and improving the quality of its services.

Announcing the company’s plans in 2015, Tigo Interim General Manager Cecile Tiano said this year’s investment represents a 20% increase from US $ 100 million (Tshs 184 billion) that the company spent on its network improvement in 2014.

“The increased level of investment demonstrates both our commitment to give our customers quality services that exceed their expectations and also giving more Tanzanians access to telecom services in the country,” Ms Tiano said.

Describing 2014 as a successful season, the general manager said Tigo achieved a record 30% growth in its subscriber base last year with the number of customers rising from seven to nine million.

“We want to continue expanding and maintaining the quality of our network coverage by rolling out 787 new sites countrywide. Some of the sites will be 3G and 4G, which means increasing penetration to the rural areas as well increasing access to data for our customers.” she said noting that Tigo has over 2,000 sites countrywide.

Other plans for 2015, according to Ms Tiano, include doubling the number of Tigo customer care shops from the current 42 to 100 in an attempt to bring Tigo services closer to the customers.

To continue driving digital transformation in the country, She said, Tigo intends to unveil more innovative services this year citing the recently launched Tigo Music that continues to revolutionize the music industry by giving Tigo customers unlimited access to local and international music through their phones.

This unique service followed several firsts by Tigo last year such as becoming the first telecom to offer international money transfer with currency conversion and the first to offer free Facebook in Kiswahili. Tigo in 2014 also integrated its mobile financial services with leading banks to enable its customers deposit or withdraw money from their bank accounts to the wallets. A similar partnership was also established to give Tigo Pesa users an opportunity to send or receive money from across other networks.

She added that Tigo will continue to support community development initiatives through its corporate social responsibility portfolio in 2015 mentioning education, health, women and child care as being sectors earmarked for this.

Source:Tigo Tanzania

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Tanzania’s Safe Motherhood Text Messaging Service reaches third year

Since its launch, exactly two years ago, 500,000 men and women accumulatively received 40 million informative safe motherhood messages and reminders through the Wazazi Nipendeni SMS Service.

So what makes this program so successful? According to the service, the answer lies in the collaboration of a diverse group of partners. “Each partner takes responsibility for its part in the service implementation, ranging from technical assistance to media promotion and training activities in health facilities. It’s a resilient collaboration as we all share the common goal to improve maternal health and reduce infant mortality. Our partners benefit from this participation, as most use the service as a tool to strengthen their own specific safe motherhood activities,” explains Mr. Saulo Mutasingwa, U.S. Government Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation Project Manager for the mHealth Tanzania Public-Private Partnership program in Tanzania.

His organization manages the text messaging service in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW). The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) – through the CDC – funded the development of the service and continues to provide financial and technical support for its further development and operation.

The numbers on maternal and infant mortality in Tanzania have improved over the years; the maternal mortality rate has decreased 55% from 1990 – 2013 and the infant mortality rate has decreased 64% in the same period. However, they remain high. At least 21 women die while pregnant or during delivery and over 180 infants pass away, daily. Less than half the pregnant women (43%) in Tanzania attend at least four antenatal visits and if they do they come late in their pregnancy. Early promotion of healthy behaviors during pregnancy is key. The Healthy Pregnancy, Healthy Baby Text Messaging Service (HPHB) is a tool able to reach these women as well as their supporters at any time. Mobile phones provide such an opportunity. Recent studies show that at least 85% of the Tanzanians used a mobile phone within a 7 day span.

According to the company, the HPHB service is free to use for its steadily growing number of subscribers. Its aim is to reach out to no less than 1 million people by the end of 2016 seems within its reach, looking at the popularity of the service. Partnering for sustainability is a necessity. The program management and technical costs are donor funded. Until recently the donors also covered the majority of the text messaging costs. Airtel Tanzania was the first mobile network to ‘zero rate’ the service for text messages to and from Airtel subscribers on a provisional basis for two years. The program’s sustainability was further strengthened mid-2014 when Tigo, Zantel and the Vodacom Foundation implemented a ‘zero rating’ agreement for HPHB messages to and from their respective subscribers. Today all mobile networks support the continuation and expansion plans of the existing service. Some mobile operators intend to support the partnership’s safe motherhood goals further and are taking steps to create innovative supplementary HPHB services, expanding the breadth and reach of HPHB information in 2015.

The service also benefits greatly from a growing number of ‘on-the-ground’ partners. They provide important ‘in-kind’ support. These partners leverage their existing networks and training activities to orient health professionals and community health workers on the content of the healthy pregnancy and early childcare text messages such as midwife Getrude Justin Mushi. During this orientation, trainers show Gertrude and many other health workers how to help pregnant women register for the text messaging service during antenatal visits. Partners that make this facility-based registration possible are Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Afya Connect for Change, Aga Khan Health Services Tanzania (Joining Hands Initiative), Walter Reed Program–Tanzania Patherfinder/Vodafone Foundation and PharmAccess.

The oriented healthcare workers regard the service as a tool that helps them to proficiently educate women and provide better care. Midwife Gertrude states, “The informative text messages women and men receive make the life of a midwife a lot easier. You see, those women who receive [HPHB] messages early, come to us in time and are well-prepared. They come with this information and ask questions. These mothers also become cooperative and that is so very important for a successful delivery. I find that a lot of women need this kind of information. So, I promote this service to my clients. I think I can register at least 300 women in a year, and I will!”

Gertrude is one of the 1,300 healthcare workers actively registering women during antenatal visits. Others, who do the same, can be found in 35 different Tanzanian districts. Together they have already registered over 14,000 pregnant women. This number will grow as the number of participating healthcare workers continues to grow. Also more community healthcare workers (volunteers working in the villages) will join this effort as the HPHB on-the-ground partners collectively work with over 2,000 community healthcare workers across the country.

However, most of the registrants will continue to ‘self-register’ thanks to the highly effective nationwide Wazazi Nipendeni (Parents Love Me) campaign. Its nationwide multi-media products — such as television, radio and print materials — include the promotion of the free short-code 15001 and the registration keyword ‘mtoto‘ (‘baby‘). It instructs anyone, interested in healthy pregnancy and early childcare information to register and receive the information for free. Pregnant women, women with newborn babies, their supporters or just those seeking general information will then start to receive regular text messages, for free. The Wazazi Nipendeni multi-media campaign is implemented by partner Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs. It is funded by PEPFAR and U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative through the U.S. Agency for International Development. This collaboration has proven to be critical in building awareness of the messaging service with registration rates reaching four times their average when there is a full media presence.

Lydia Mwakisambwe (age 35) is 16 weeks pregnant and she registered the moment she realized she was expecting. Lydia learned about the service while listening to a ‘Wazazi Nipendeni’ radio announcement. The pregnant housewife loves her weekly text messages with information on how to stay healthy. The service also reminds her when it is time to go to the clinic where she meets up with midwife Gertrude. Lydia believes that it is important for all pregnant women, mothers who have given birth and their supporters to know about the service. She agrees that the service is not just for first-time parents. Lydia herself has children ages three and six years-old, and she feels the text messages help her keep herself healthy and confident. “Last year I gave birth to a stillborn baby when I was 28 weeks pregnant,” she explains. “I lost a lot of blood during that delivery. I waited for the transfusion for almost 10 hours. I was in danger. Now I am so happy to see that there is a text message to tell your family to register at the blood bank and donate blood. I also learned about the right time to take medication against tapeworms and malaria, which is very good. I always plan to discuss this information with my healthcare worker when I go for a checkup. I like the text messages with good health information. I am learning things I did not know before.”

The mHealth Tanzania Public-Private Partnership, on behalf of the MoHSW and service stakeholders, will continue to connect as well as reach out to new partners in order to rollout the health facility registrations as well as sustain and expand the existing service.

source:itnews

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The State owned Tanzania Telecommunications Limited TTCL, yesterday inked a 328bn/- or 182 million dollars deal with Huawei Technologies

THE State owned Tanzania Telecommunications Limited TTCL, yesterday inked a 328bn/- or 182 million dollars deal with Huawei Technologies aimed at helping the national telephone communication build its landline and mobile ICT networks.

Speaking at the signing ceremony in Dar es Salaam, the TTCL Chief Executive Oficer, Dr Kamugisha Kazaura, said the first phase of the project will be completed by June, this year.

He noted that the projects in the deal involve building of a 4G Long Term Evolution, 3G UMTS and 2G GSM, technologies which will help TTCL to expand its services across the entire country at more sophisticated quality.

He pointed out that the technologies would help the company offer higher quality data services. The agreement involves procurement of equipment to take telecommunication services to rural areas under Universal Communications Service Access Fund (UCSAF).

UCSAF has been established by Universal Communications Service Access Act, 2006, with the key objective of fostering social and economic development in rural and urban areas through ICT intervention.

Other Objectives of Fund’s establishment include ensuring the availability of communication services in rural and urban underserved areas.

Dr Kamugisha said TTCL has won the contract to take telecommunications services to 69 wards that make up over 400 villages with over 500,000 residents.

Under the UCSAF project, TTCL will get 10 million US dollars for construction of infrastructure in earmarked wards. The agreement between Huawei and TTCL is part of the latter management efforts to improve services and expand them to reach more people across the country.

In a comprehensive plan that seeks to take advantage of the resilience of Tanzania’s National ICT Broadband Backbone, TTCL has recently won deals to sell more gigabytes of internet bandwidth as a commodity to neighbouring countries.

The nation has already closed a 6.7 million dollar, 10-year deal to supply 1.244 gigabytes of internet bandwidth to Rwanda. This means Tanzania becomes the first country in the region to start selling internet bandwidth to other East African Community (EAC) states thanks to the laying of the international submarine fibre-optic cable.

The deal was hailed as testimony to the firm’s growing international reputation. The deal is the biggest of its kind in Tanzania and the region in general.

Under the deal, TTCL is expected to test, install, configure, commission and activate a temporary link with 155 megabytes bandwidth per second by the end of this month.

The state-owned telecommunications firm’s chief said the government’s vision to transform the country into a communication hub for Africa is now within reach.

Source: DailyNews

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Jubilee, Vodacom partner in health insurance

VODACOM Head of Marketing & Communications, Mr Kelvin Twissa, clarifies procedures to purchase health insurance services via M-Pesa during the launch of a product known as bimaAFYA to the Deputy Commissioner of Tanzania Insurance Regulatory Authority (TIRA), Mr Juma Makame in Dar es Salaam yesterday. Looking on is Jubilee Insurance Company Tanzania CEO, Mr George Alande

AT last the insurance sector in partnership with Vodacom Tanzania has made access to health services easily affordable to many people in the low-income bracket.

This follows a health cover launched by Jubilee Insurance Company Tanzania, a leading Insurance provider in East Africa, powered by Vodacom’s M-PESA.

The product known as bimaAFYA is an affordable and comprehensive medical cover that will provide individuals and family premium cover at low price range while giving the users access to over 150 hospitals.

The insured will get inpatient, out-patient and maternity services in the hospitals. bimaAFYA is designed to cater for monthly, tri-monthly, quarterly and yearly packs at affordable premium prices.

“Like other African countries, Tanzania has for a long time been accused of lacking a culture of adopting insurance covers to cater for the needs of her population.

“However we believe that the real reason is the high cost of medical insurance packages currently in the market which favour the corporate staff.

There is a large percentage of the population who still pay for their medical expenses out of pocket,” said Mr Kelvin Twissa, Vodacom Head of Marketing and Communications.

“bimaAFYA, will therefore enable many Tanzanians to enrol in a medical insurance service equivalent to what M-PESA is to the financial services,” added Mr Twissa.

The Jubilee Insurance company of Tanzania CEO, Mr George Alande, noted that statistics indicate that only 18 per cent of the Tanzanian population have health insurance.

He said those covered were mainly employer based medical insurance covers because only a few individuals could afford current prices.

According to the Tanzania Insurance Regulatory Authority (TIRA) in 2013, medical insurance premium compared to the total premium for insurance market was only 19 per cent of the total short term insurance covers sold.

“We need to increase this by covering all the Tanzanians who are able to pay the premiums charged under bimaAFYA product,” he said.

Source: Dailynews

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Orange, USAID Collaborate On Mobile Health Innovations In Africa

VENTURES AFRICA – Global telecommunications operator Orange and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are collaborating to develop innovations in mobile health (mHealth) that will help treat and care for individuals in developing countries across Africa.

“There is a tremendous amount of good that mobile technology and digital innovations can bring to improve the quality of healthcare to those less fortunate,” Thierry Zylberberg, Director, Orange Healthcare said at the Global mHealth Forum in Washington, DC. “Together with USAID, we are creating innovative mHealth platforms that open up the opportunities for remote patient monitoring or healthcare workers to make better-informed decisions and facilitate quality care for all citizens.”

The first phase of these health system-strengthening programs will leverage the expertise, technology and local resources of both organizations to improve quality of care and ensure that health services are readily accessible to the public at large. They noted that Niger and other countries are currently under exploration.

Future services will use integrated mHealth platforms and Orange mobile networks to communicate alerts and share resources around family planning and maternal health. Healthcare workers will be able to use the technology to share medical expertise, collaborate with specialists regardless of location, and improve patient care. In addition, the public will be able to access health information via the mHealth platforms. Orange’s global fooprint, with mobile and fixed networks in 20 countries in Africa and the Middle East, will provide seamless and reliable access to these services.

“With the increasing use and decreasing cost of mobile phones, leveraging mobile phone technology to accelerate access to health information and services is a game changer,” said Dr. Ariel Pablos-Méndez, USAID’s Assistant Administrator for Global Health.

Pablos-Méndez noted that USAID’s partnerships with private companies, such as Orange, enable the US agency to have a larger impact in a cost-effective manner.

The goal of the USAID/Orange alliance is to create a framework for easily replicating these important mobile services in a number of African countries throughout the region. In West Africa, USAID and Orange are starting to develop a regional platform with a menu of mobile applications that ministries of health, donors and NGOs could use for consumer education, health worker tools, mobile money, and data collection.

Orange’s expertise in interoperability and scalability will ensure that such platforms adhere to local regulatory and structural organizations. Orange has been at the forefront of realizing Africa’s digital transformation, connecting people, entrepreneurs, towns and cities, and delivering innovative services such as mobile payment.

Source:Ventures Africa

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Millicom announces support for SMS-based AU Ebola initiative

International telecommunications and media company Millicom has announced its support for the African Union’s campaign to raise funds for its fight against the Ebola virus in West Africa using an SMS dedicated platform to raise funds for the deployment of African health workers to affected countries.

AU’s ‘#AfricaAgainstEbola’ is based on an SMS dedicated platform to raise funds for the deployment of African health workers to affected countries to combat the disease that has claimed over five thousand lives across some parts of West Africa.

At a recent Business Roundtable on Ebola hosted by the AU, mobile operators committed to support efforts to fight Ebola by unveiling an Africa-wide three-month campaign dubbed, ‘Africa against Ebola’. This will focus on donations from members of the public who are customers of the operators and will be channelled into fighting the Ebola Virus.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, said: “We are conscious of the urgent need for all of us to do more, and to act fast. It is only by acting together will we ensure that our continent and world is free of Ebola. Let me repeat our call to all Africans to lead the global efforts of solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.”

The SMS fundraising campaign will use the short code 7979 with local adaptations where technology requires. Customers will be asked to text ‘Stop Ebola’ to this code in order to donate in their respective countries. Mobile Operators across Africa including Airtel, Econet Wireless, Etisalat, MTN Group, Orange, Safaricom, Vodacom and Vodafone Ghana are participating in this campaign which will run between now and the end of February 2015.

Rachel Samrén, Project leader of the joint-operator campaign and Executive Vice President Strategic Operations and Partnerships at Millicom, commented “it has been a privilege to work with sector peers on this important cause and the spirit and determination of the operator group to get the campaign up and running has been truly inspiring. We are delighted to be part of the campaign which complements our internal employee matching donation campaign as well as the personal pledge of our Chairman to the Africa Against Ebola fund.”

Source:Humanipo

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Mobile industry has transformed millions of lives across Africa – GSMA

Anne Bouverot, Director General of the GSMA has said the mobile industry has transformed the lives of millions of people across Sub-Saharan Africa. Bouverot said this while commenting on ‘Mobile Economy 2014: Sub-Saharan Africa’, the new GSMA report released at the Mobile 360-Africa event in Cape Town, South Africa.

“The mobile industry has transformed the lives of millions of people across Sub-Saharan Africa, providing not just connectivity but also an essential gateway to a wide range of healthcare, education and financial services,” said Anne Bouverot, Director General of the GSMA.

According to the DG, over the next years, Africa will record millions of new subscribers.

“As today’s report shows, millions of additional citizens in the region will become mobile subscribers over the next six years, with many being able to access the internet for the first time via low-cost smartphones and mobile broadband networks. Operators and other ecosystem players, as well as governments and regulators, all have a role to play in ensuring that affordable mobile services can be extended across the region,” said Bouverot.

According to GSMA, over the last five years, Africa has been the world’s fastest-growing mobile region in terms of both unique mobile subscribers and mobile connections, and is forecast to continue to lead global growth through 2020. It said unique mobile subscriber penetration as a percentage of the region’s population is forecast to rise to 49 per cent by this point.

Source:humanipo

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BBC launches Ebola information service on WhatsApp

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has launched an Ebola information service on the popular multimedia instant communication platform WhatsApp.

The corporation said the service is in English and French languages. It will provide public health information on Ebola from the BBC, using audio, text message posts and images. Furthermore, the service would deliver Ebola-related breaking news alerts to subscribers.

Other features of the service include News About Ebola, a news and information programme broadcast twice every weekday, the focus of the programme is on the affected region of West Africa. It would also feature Ebola Infos, a twice-daily Ebola bulletin in French on BBC Afrique, and increased partnerships with other broadcasters.

Director of the World Service Group Peter Horrocks said: “This outbreak of Ebola shows no signs of abating. Myths and misinformation about Ebola are still widespread – and life-threatening. The BBC is trusted by millions of people in the affected countries, so we are stepping up our efforts to reach people with timely information, whether they’re listening to the radio, watching TV or using chat apps. We’re committed to playing our part and will continue looking at new ways to reach audiences, for example by developing programmes in local vernacular languages.”

source: Humanipo

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GSMA forms inter-industry mHealth partnership across Sub-Saharan Africa

A total of eight organisations have partnered with the GSMA through its Mobile for Development mHealth programme to launch a new cross-ecosystem partnership designed to provide a range of mobile services to women and children focusing on nutrition across Sub-Saharan Africa.

The programme, which is targeting an addressable market of 15.5 million pregnant women and mothers with children under five years of age, has attracted partners such as Gemalto, Hello Doctor, Lifesaver, Mobenzi, Mobilium, MTN, Omega Diagnostics and Samsung.

“This new mobile ecosystem partnership, developed by the GSMA, is committed to connecting the mobile and health industries to develop commercially sustainable mHealth services that meet public health needs,” said Tom Phillips, chief regulatory officer, GSMA.

“The companies in this partnership are working to deliver the objectives of the United Nations Every Women Every Child Global Strategy, as well as the Global Nutrition for Growth Compact, in the areas of nutrition and maternal and child health. We call on mobile ecosystem players, health providers, governments, NGOs, civil society and others to work with us to launch life-saving mobile health services.”

The service will be jointly launched in seven countries – Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia – from September 2014. Phase two, which commences in 2015, will incorporate additional partners and services and will also address Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania.

The partnership will collectively reduce barriers to handset ownership and connectivity for consumers and health workers, by offering discounted Samsung handsets and tablets to consumers and health workers across Africa, providing access to the Samsung ecosystem, and a pre-embedded Smart Health application that provides a range of professional applications, information and services on 80 million Samsung handsets.

source:humanipo

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Rural telecom infrastructure plan for completion next year

RURAL settlements without infrastructure for telephone communications will have the essential service by October next year, the National Assembly was told.

Deputy Minister for Communications, Science and Technology, January Makamba, said the government was determined to ensure that the entire country had access to reliable communication service by next year.

Responding to a question by Lulindi member of parliament Jerome Bwanausi (CCM), Mr Makamba however decried lack of infrastructure such as roads and electricity, as well as budgetary deficit to fund the projects.

He said the government through the Universal Communications Services Access Fund (UCAF) has already identified villages in Chiwata, Mkundi, Mkululu, Sindano, Chikolopola, Mnavira, Lipumburu, Mkonona, Namatutwe and Mpindimbi wards in Masasi district as the needy areas for the service.

The deputy minister said hitherto six wards had been assigned contractors and that the government planned to have wards accessing communications by February 2015.

He further said that the government was working out a comprehensive plan to provide communications services to the country’s border areas which had no communication service, saying Mchauru, Mnavira and Chikolopola wards would be among the plan’s beneficiaries.

The legislator, in his question, had sought to know when the wards in his constituency would have communications services.

Meanwhile, Mr Makamba has said that the government has, through UCAF, identified Ufuluma, Mabana, Imangulu, Ibiri, Ikangolo and Isikizya wards for communication services under the second phase of the project.

Answering a question by Shaffin Sumar (Tabora North –CCM) who wanted to know the progress of UCAF projects in wards, Mr Makamba said the government was encouraging mobile service providers to extend their services to areas that remained disconnected from communications services.

Source:Dailynews

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Zimbabwe mobile market Africa’s fastest growing

Zimbabwe’s mobile penetration rate increased to 80 per cent of households in 2013 from 26 per cent in 2008, a higher growth rate than the rest of the continent, according to American research firm Gallup.

According to the Gallup study, 65 per cent of households in 23 countries in sub-Saharan Africans have mobile phones.

While mobile penetration is far higher in numerous other countries – the highest being Mauritania with 96 per cent of households owning a mobile phone – Zimbabwe has seen the steepest growth rate on the continent, increasing at nine per cent per year since 2008.

Both Zimbabwe’s mobile phone penetration and annual growth rate is higher than that of South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania.

According to Gallup, Sub-Saharan Africa is the second largest mobile market after Asia. However, its growth rate is the highest in the world, although mobile penetration is not equal among urban and rural communities.

“Mobile phones remain most common in urban households. In 2013, 80 per cent of urban households had at least one mobile phone, compared with 63 per cent of rural households that have at least one mobile phone. This is a change from six years ago when 63 per cent of urban households had at least one mobile and 43 per cent of rural households did,” Gallup said.

However, the economic divide is not as apparent in the mobile phone market, with 55 per cent the poorest 20 per cent of households on the continent owning at least one mobile phone.

“Growth has been biggest among sub-Saharan African in the second lowest income group [second 20 per cent], increasing 28 percentage points since 2008,” Gallup said.

source:humanipo

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The new smart network for new africa-About Us

ABOUT US

East Africa has a new telecoms provider. Smart provides a range of innovative products to suit your lifestyle, and outstanding value-for-money packages to suit your wallet. But it’s not just in our products and packages that you’ll see a difference. It’s in the way we do things. That’s because Smart’s parent company is Industrial Promotion Services (IPS) Kenya, which in turn is part of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED). AKFED has been funding social enterprises across East Africa for decades – making long-term investments with the aim of building economically sound businesses that create employment and improve lives. And that’s just what Smart will do.

Smart:More Details About Smart

 Approach

Our approach is to bring AKFED’s social enterprise business model and reputation for innovation and customer service to telecommunications in Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda. AKFED will leverage more thanten years of telecommunications experience to make Smart East Africa’s operator of choice. Our partner, Timeturns, also adds a wealth of experience, having established and built leading telecom market players in Nepal and Cambodia. Together with AKFED’s other entities, we have extensive experience in emerging markets, particularly in East Africa.

Just as we have done with Roshan in Afghanistan, and Tcell in Tajikistan, AKFED brings a commitment to the local culture and values, and a genuine determination to improve the communities in which we operate. Our customer-centric approach is exemplifiedby the Give Us A Namecampaign. Just as Afghans chose the name Roshan, we launched our new operationin market by giving East Africans the opportunity to choose the company name. We let you choose our name, because we are your network! 

Impact

The launch of SMART will also combine AKFED’s experience of making long-term investments with the aim of promoting entrepreneurship and building economically sound enterprises, which provide employment opportunities and improve the lives of people. In East Africa, AKFED’s investments include the Serena Hotels, Diamond Trust Bank, Jubilee Insurance Group, the Nation Media Group and IPS’s diverse portfolio of projects in infrastructure (Bujagali and Tsavo power projects) as well as manufacturing.

AKFED’s parent organization – the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) – has been making a positive impact on the lives of East Africans for more than a century.  We look forward to many years of building on the investments that sister AKDN organizations have been making across Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda.

Looking Ahead

Smart is proud to be part of the East African infrastructure and community. We are excited to help connect the people of the region to one another and to the rest of the world.

Smart will build on the success of Roshan’s customer service model, to deliver an optimal consumer experience. Roshan’s commitment to its customers has been a primary focus since its inception, delivering world-class quality network technology to subscribers, and responsive customer service benchmarked against international standards. For example, Roshan opened the first customer call center in Afghanistan, receiving the first ISO certification in the country, and numerous international awards for its standards of excellence.

We’re confident the combination of our world-class telecommunications technology and innovative products and services will transform the lives of East Africans, just as they have elsewhere.  We look forward to being your carrier of choice.

Smart is a different company.  We are fun and exciting because you make us that way. Smart believes that we all havethe potential for greatness in our hands.  We are building today for a brighter tomorrow, by realizing our potential, and helping you realize yours. Together we can make a difference and really go places.  Smart is the new mobile network for a new Africa.  It is your network.

Let’s talk.

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Intel expands Student Partner Programme to Tanzania, Uganda

Intel is expanding its Student Partner Programme to Tanzania and Uganda following the successful launch of the programme in Kenya.

Last year on the launch of the programme, which is aimed at taking into consideration the young workforce which is constantly demanding technological freedom by providing an opportunity for students in Africa to act as liaisons between Intel and their universities.

The Intel partners learn about innovative Intel products and programmes, plan and host events on campus, act as a campus contact for Intel teams and help Intel better understand each university’s culture.

Aspiring participants can apply to be part of the Intel Student Partner Programme by submitting an application before April 31

source:humanipo

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Pay fees without queuing with M-pesa

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Tigo Tanzania has announced its sponsorship of Kariakoo @ Coco Beach Shopping Festival

Dar es Salaam. Tigo Tanzania has announced its sponsorship of Kariakoo @ Coco Beach Shopping Festival, an initiative that seeks to promote the work of local businesses from Kariakoo.  

Making the announcement to the press at the telecoms Headquarters in Dar es Salaam, Tigo’s Corporate Communications Manager John Wanyancha, said the shopping festival which will be held monthly at Coco Beach, Dar es Salaam - aims at bringing affordable and discounted goods from the original Kariakoo market to the shoreline in order to save customers the hassle of going to the very busy and swarmed market downtown. 

“Apart from the conducive environment which the festival will provide to customers, we believe that supporting this kind of initiative will help expose both small and middle business owners from Kariakoo to a much broader market, which in turn will boost their sales and allow their businesses to grow,” said Wanyancha.

Wanyancha continued to say that customers will also enjoy the convenience of paying for goods & services by Tigo Pesa at exact products prices without any extra charges.   

According to the organizers of the festival, Hazina Capital, the launch of the festival is set for Saturday and Sunday of 29th - 30th of March 2014, the first of many monthly weekend Kariakoo shopping festivals to come.

“Over 50 different businesses have registered for the festival so far. Apart from the fresh, stress free local shopping experience we hope to create. We expect customers to come and find a variety of quality goods available for sale at an affordable price,” said Rachel Ndauka from Hazina Capital.

The shopping festival will also host various entertainment segments from local artists, cultural exhibitions and special games and entertainment for children. The family event is expected to become a national shopping experience with new and exciting offers every two months starting March 2014. 

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Thuraya, Airtel in satellite partnership

Thuraya Telecommunications Company has partnered with Bharti Airtel to provide Airtel subscribers with mobile satellite products and services in 17 countries in Africa through Thuraya’s satellite network in Africa’s most remote areas.

Airtel Africa will sell Thuraya’s products and airtime packages at its retail outlets and via its enterprise account team.

It is expected that Thuraya satellite network will help bridge the digital divide by extension of mobile networks into remote or rural areas by providing an immediate and cost-effective way for Airtel to extend its coverage, while generating new revenue streams and providing vital connectivity.

“Thuraya’s partnership with Airtel Africa is a very positive development in bridging the digital divide in Africa. We recognise the massive impact that access to reliable communications can have on the lives of ordinary people,” Samer Halawi, chief executive officer (CEO) of Thuraya, said.

“Thuraya’s robust satellite network will enable Airtel Africa to provide its consumer and enterprise users with reliable, high quality voice and broadband services. Thuraya is well-positioned to support customer-centric mobile operators like Airtel Africa that are looking to extend their network and services with satellite-based solutions.”

Christian de Faria, CEO of Airtel Africa said: “Providing reliable connectivity in many remote parts of Africa can be challenging. This partnership enables us to further extend our coverage and services for businesses and general consumers who live or work in very remote areas.

“Thuraya’s satellite services will be combined with the reliable, high-quality voice calls and broadband access that our customers are accustomed to experiencing in our urban centres.”

Source:humanipo

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Millicom Opens Tech Incubator in Rwanda

Millicom has announced the creation of a tech incubator in Rwanda to develop new digital solutions. The company said tha the objective is to develop new businesses in which it will also take an equity stake.

The incubator, called "think", will be located in a purpose-built facility in Rwanda's capital, Kigali. It will be the base from which a small number of potential entrepreneurs will be selected by a competitive selection process, application details for which will be announced by the local Tigo operation shortly.

Millicom will provide these entrepreneurs with seed financing, structured training and coaching programmes, access to Tigo technical resources for product testing and trials and support in accessing outside investors and customers.

Last year, Tigo passed the two million customers mark having grown by over 25% in 2013 and achieving a 31% market share.

Source:cellularnews

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