Ecobank Tanzania unveils two digital payment systems

Dar es Salaam. Ecobank Tanzania has unveiled two digital payment solutions on Wednesday, September 20, 2017 aimed at easing retail payment.

Ecobank Tanzania Managing Director Mwanaiba Mzee addresses the media in Dar es Salaam after the launch of Masterpass and M-Visa for easier retail payment. She is flanked by the bank’s head of commercial Banking Respige Kimati (right) and head of personal banking Ndabu Lilian Swere

Using the platforms known as Masterpass and M-Visa which are available in the Ecobank Mobile Application, the bank says it will help to promote financial inclusion among Tanzanians.Speaking to journalists today,Ecobank's managing director Ms Mwanahiba Mzee said the new banking services will guarantee safety and easy financial transactions.

"This service can be used by any person be it a customer or non-customer, all one needs is a smartphone with Ecobank's application," she said.While demonstrating how the new services operate, Ecobank's manager for electronic channels Mr Filemon Tesha said the importance of using these new services include getting money faster and also increasing sales to all merchants.

He also said the digital services charge 0.5 per cent at the points of sales (POS) while the normal charges for money transactions range from 3 per cent to 5 per cent of the transaction made.He also said these services allow easy access for a person to follow up on their accounts as one can monitor the money transactions easily and it doesn't need physical contact with banks.The head of personal and domestic banking Ms Ndabu Swere added saying Ecobank's aim is to strengthen services and simplify transactions to its customers

Source: Citizentz

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JuaSimu – the world’s first solar-powered smartphone

Inexpensive smartphones are enabling mobile subscribers to access the internet at unprecedented levels across the African continent. However, it’s a challenge to keep mobile devices powered up, especially when access to electricity is often expensive, and unreliable. It is estimated that as many as 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity, with the electrification rate as low as 14.2% in rural areas. Solar energy can be an economically and environmentally competitive option that can contribute significantly to this scenario.

Today, Dotsavvy is delighted to launch its breakthrough innovation – JuaSimu – the world’s first solar-powered smartphone, made in Kenya. Dotsavvy’s research and development team has been working in stealth for almost 3 years developing a smartphone that is uniquely suited for Africa where access to reliable and affordable electricity can be challenging. JuaSimu is unique in that it has been designed from the bottom up to be a smartphone that relies solely on solar power.

The JuaSimu screen is an integrated solar panel that charges the battery whenever its exposed to the sun. The JuaSimu does not come with any charging cables or adaptors since it works directly from solar energy which is abundant for most of the year in Africa. Dotsavvy closely with Tesla Motors to develop a unique battery for the JuaSimu that can last longer and requires shorter charging cycles to achieve a full day of operating capacity. This battery technology is so cutting edge that Dotsavvy has patented the same.

Valentine Mghoi, User Experience Lead at Dotsavvy says, “JuaSimu is a massive breakthrough in terms of what a modern smartphone should be for African consumers taking into consideration our unique market conditions. JuaSimu is a mid-range Android smartphone and yet it packs amazing features in a cost-effective and high performance package. The seamless and refined user experience from the hardware to the software makes it look and work like most great smartphones, except JuaSimu is a one of a kind in that it only works using solar energy”.

Kenneth Ikiara, General Manager at Dotsavvy, says, “For almost 15 years the focus at Dotsavvy has been in digital solutions that enhance business performance. JuaSimu is our first foray in a consumer hardware offering which was a completely new experience for us compared to what we normally do. We had to work with global partners like Google and Tesla Motors to bring it to life. We are delighted to have made JuaSimu a reality after three years of hard work by our team”.

JuaSimu will be available from today the 1st April 2017 at all major supermarkets and mobile phone dealerships at an introductory launch price of Kes. 10,000.00 only. In addition, the first 1,000 buyers of JuaSimu smartphones will get a chance to win an all-expenses paid holiday to South Africa if they buy one by the end of August 2017. JuaSimu will also be available beyond Kenya from the 1st July 2017 in markets like Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda.

Source: Dotsavvy 

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Mobile Number Portability (MNP)

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Orange launches Orange Money between France and Africa

Orange Money is available in Metropolitan France. This service is offered to Orange mobile subscribers  in France and enables them to transfer money via their mobile to other Orange Money customers in Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal, and within Metropolitan France.

“We are delighted to offer the Orange Money solution to our customers living in Metropolitan France and particularly to those with a link to Africa – this is a simple, secure and instant money transfer service between family and friends via mobile,” states Patrick Roussel, Orange France Consumer Sales Director.

By launching the service in France, Orange is responding to strong demand from its customers with family or friends in Africa.
Orange Money provides a money transfer service from France to Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Senegal through a simple mobile transaction. Orange also makes it easier for recipients to withdraw money from over 30,000 Orange Money points in the three recipient countries, an unrivalled number of points of sale in these countries.
This service will develop gradually and Orange intends to number of points of sale in France. An Orange Money app will be available soon in France and Orange will look to expand the money transfer offer from France to other countries over time.
For the launch of Orange Money in France, Orange is supported by its subsidiary W-HA, which has an EMI agreement  and is authorised to issue and manage electronic money. The technical and banking expertise of W-HA allows Orange to offer international money transfer services with an excellent standard of customer experience and user security

You don’t need a bank account to use Orange Money. You just need a mobile plan and to register at a point of sale offering Orange Money with an ID card and proof of address.  It is free to open an Orange Money account.
Amongst the stores offering the secure Orange Money service in Metropolitan France, Orange already has 41 points of sale: newsagents, call shops, local grocery stores and tobacconists across the country, as well as an Orange Money store in Paris.
To carry out a money transfer, the customer credits their account with a bank card or cash at a point of sale. They then log onto their Orange Money account directly from their mobile by ringing #144#, entering the mobile number of the recipient as well as the amount to transfer and confirming the transaction with their Orange Money password. The transfer is then completed and the money is immediately available in the recipient’s  account.
#144# is a free and simple service which is compatible with all mobiles on the market.

Orange Money is a mobile account linked to an Orange telephone number, and it is designed to meet the needs of customers in Africa, where most transactions are made in cash. Orange Money service, launched in Côte d’Ivoire in 2008, has over 18 million customers already use it in 14 countries in Africa to carry out transactions such as payments and money transfers.

In 2013 Orange launched the first international money transfer service for its Orange Money customers between Senegal, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire. In March 2015, this service was expanded to transfers to and from Airtel Money customers in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal.

Source: techmoran

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Tigo Platinum sponsor of the GSMA Mobile 360 Series Conference – Tanzania

Millicom Group trading under the Tigo brand is the official platinum sponsor of the 2016 Mobile 360 Series- Africa conference, which will take place on 26-28 July at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre. The conference, the first of its kind in the country, is fully endorsed by the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) and the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA). 

 “By sponsoring one of the most powerful trade associations in the telecommunications industry in the world, Tigo underscores its commitment in promoting digital lifestyle transformation and its leadership in delivering cutting-edge technology and innovation-factors that are critical to the growth of the telecom industry in Africa”, said Tigo Tanzania General Manager, Diego Guttierrez who will be among the key speakers at the summit.

 The event will comprise thought-provoking keynote addresses, fireside chats, and panel discussions. With the overall event theme of “Accelerating Access for All to Create a Digitally Inclusive Society”, each session will tackle a different aspect of the empowerment story, such as ‘Developing Ecosystems for Future Digital Services’, ‘Creating Opportunities for Local Content’ and much more. The full conference agenda is available at www.mobile360series.com/africa/#agenda/.

At Mobile 360 – Africa, CEOs and senior executives from leading mobile companies and from players across the digital ecosystem will address the most pressing trends and issues in mobile. Speakers confirmed to present at Mobile 360 – Africa include:

• Razvan Ungureanu, Chief Technical Officer, Airtel Africa
• Dr. Omobola Johnson, Chairperson, Alliance for Affordable Internet
• Bradley Shaw, Founder, Continuum Consulting
• Shiletsi Makhofane, Head of Government and Industry Relations, Ericsson Sub-Saharan Africa
• Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA
• Qiu Heng, President of Wireless Marketing Operations, Wireless Network Product Line, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
• Alice Munyua, Board of Trustees, Internet Society (ISOC)
• Kwame Baah-Acheamfuor, Chairman, ITU-T Study Group 12
• Ari Zlotoff, Director of Expansion, Off-Grid Electric
• Christopher Richardson, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, ONEm
• Arnauld Blondet, Head of Innovation, Africa and Middle East, Orange Group
• Diego Gutierrez, General Manager, MIC Tanzania (Tigo)
• Ian Ferrao, CEO, Vodacom Tanzania 

In addition to the main conference, Mobile 360 – Africa will highlight the initiatives and activities undertaken by the GSMA Mobile for Development programme. The event will focus on the GSMA’s work to increase access to and use of life-enhancing mobile services; acceleration of socio-economic improvements for the underserved, especially women, rural and youth; and particularly digital and financial inclusion and identity for the unregistered.

GSMA Jumpstart

Back for a second year is the GSMA’s Jumpstart programme, which invites start-ups to showcase their mobile innovations in the region. This start-up pitch platform will feature six to eight exciting, early-stage entrepreneurs, with each giving a five-minute pitch to a panel of operators, investors, and to the audience, followed by questions. The pitch session will be followed by an informal networking reception for participants and the audience.

Mobile 360 – Africa Registration Now OpenRegistration for Mobile 360 – Africa is now open; individuals wishing to attend should visitwww.mobile360series.com/africa/#register.

Get Involved at Mobile 360 – Africa
The 2016 GSMA Mobile 360 Series – Africa is the third in a series of seven industry-focused events held in major cities across the world. For information on Mobile 360 – Africa, including sponsorship opportunities, please visitwww.mobile360series.com/africa. Follow developments and updates on Mobile 360 – Africa (#m360Africa) on Twitter @GSMA, on Facebook www.facebook.com/Mobile360Series and LinkedIn on www.linkedin.com/company/gsma-mobile-360-series.

Source:Tigo

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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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Tigo launches online remittance service in UK, EU and Canada can send money to Tigo Pesa wallets in Tanzania

Millicom has revealed the launch of sendmoney.tigo.com. According to the company, its customers in UK, European Union and Canada can send money to Tigo Pesa wallets in Tanzania in real time using the online portal.

The company revealed in a media release that there are plans to extend the service to include Tigo Cash wallets in other African countries., however, the company did not specify which countries as of yet.

Announcing the launch in London, Greg Reeve, General Manager, Mobile Financial Services said that Tigo’s new service will make transactions convenient, fast and secure for the Tanzania diaspora living in UK, European Union and Canada.

According to the company the online portal provides the same security standards as banks, with payments being processed through Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode, and allows users to receive transfers safely and  quickly straight into their Tigo Pesa wallets. With one of the lowest transaction fees in the market, lower than any bank, sendmoney.tigo.com is one of the most safe and convenient ways to send remittances to Tanzania.

The World Bank has acknowledged Tanzania as a main recipient market for international remittances, with a total of USD64 million of transfers from Tanzanians living abroad in 2014 alone.

Greg Reeve said: “Historically customers had to travel long distances and carry large amounts of cash whenever they received money from abroad, an inconvenient and risky process. With the expansion of mobile remittances and  services like sendmoney.tigo.com, this is no longer the case. Our vision is to expand  services for our customers to fully benefit from their Tigo Pesa wallets.”

Source:itnewsafrica

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We power your mobile messaging and payments,Bridging the gap between mobile operators and enterprises in Tanzania.

RESONATE CONSULTING GROUP LTD

Mobile VAS and Networking Solutions ,Focus-Bridging the gap between mobile operators and enterprises in Tanzania

-Mobile Application development such as SMS,USSD,etc

-Mobile Marketing such as BULK SMS,etc

-Mobile Payment solutions

-Mobile Financial and commerce solutions

-Mobile Technology Consulting

-Mobile Technology Training such as SMS,USSD,etc

We power your mobile messaging and payments for-HEALTHCARE,HOTELS,SUPERMARKETS,RESTAURANTS,PENSION FUND,SPECIAL DESIGNED SOLUTION FOR RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS,BANKS,etc

"Use enterprise SMS to deliver important notifications, improve security, increase the impact of your brand and add new revenue streams"

Contacts: mobilekwetu@gmail.com

Source:mobilekwetu

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Equity Bank has finally launched the thin SIM that provides a mobile payment, mobile banking and telecom services to its customers

Equity Bank Group has finally launched its thin SIM card to offer voice, SMS, data and mobile-to-bank money transfer services

Transfer of money within Equity Bank will be free and will only attract a fee while transferring from Equity Bank account to other banks.

Equity Group CEO James Mwangi says voice communications will Sh4 across all networks and one shilling for SMS, while mobile money transfer services will be free.

“The free money transfer services is like Internet banking services. What we are saying is why should the low income people be paying while the rich don’t pay so that when you transfer money from your account to your mothers account there will be no charge,” Mwangi said during the launch on Monday.

“With Equitel you will be able to send money to any telecom, bank account or mobile phone in the country,” Mwangi added.

Equitel is operating under Equity bank’s subsidiary Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) with infrastructure support provided by Airtel.

A new thin SIM card will go for Sh600 for new customers with no accounts at Equity Bank and who may be required to open accounts with the bank to enjoy the banking services. However the other normal cards will be given for free.

The thin SIM will start with the prefix of 0764 after the bank hit one million users under the 0763 prefix during the pilot project which was on the normal SIM cards.

READ: Government backs thin SIM technology

In partnership with switches in the market which include Kenswitch, Paynet and Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) customers can instantly send up to Sh1 million to all banks for Sh200 all days of the week.

“With the use of the switches that exist in the country, you can now transfer money from one bank to another even on a Sunday. Transfers of money have always been restricted to during the morning hours when clearing house is open. But now we have bypassed clearing because of this interconnection,” Mwangi explained.

The launch of the thin SIM comes after a long struggle which went up to the courts after complaints that use of the cards in the market was not safe.

Safaricom had raise concerns that the use of the thin SIM by placing it on top of customers’ existing SIM cards would interfere with privacy.

However Equity Bank won the battle after being cleared by the High Court in May this year.

Source:capitalfm

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Tanzania Telecoms target universal coverage

MAJOR telecoms have been approved to provide their services to 112 wards being part of a government drive to provide universal telecommunication.

Vodacom, Airtel and Tigo and TTCL will provide telecommunications services to 102 wards which are un-served or underserved for a total subsidy of 7.6 million US dollars (14.2bn/-) and another 10 wards located in border areas and special zones for 1.5 million US dollars (2.7bn/-).

The subsidies have been provided to attract the operators to move to the areas which currently do not attract private investment in telecommunication service.

Representatives of the telecommunication companies signed the agreement with the Chief Executive Officer of the Universal Communications Service Access Fund, Mr Peter Ulanga, in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday.

The agreement signed on Tuesday followed a similar one signed in 2014 where the mobile telephone companies won tender to provide telecommunication services to 86 wards and another one in 2013 where 52 wards were involved.

“This is a good progress towards our goal of universal telecommunication service in the country. We hope next time more wards, perhaps 300 will be covered,” said the Minister for Communication, Science & Technology, Prof. Makame Mbarawa.

The communication operators had been invited to bid for tenders to provide communication services to 158 wards in a project involving 26.28bn/- (14.21 million US dollars).

A total of 158 wards (lots) were floated in a set of currently un-served or under-served wards within the country and 102 lots were bid successfully.

Tigo will cover 42 wards where it will receive 3.145bn/- as subsidies to move to the areas. Vodacom will go to 36 wards and will receive 6.33bn/- as subsidies.

TTCL won 19 wards and will receive 4.15bn/- as subsidies while Airtel has been approved to cover five wards and will get 566m/- as subsidies.

The mobile operators also will provide telecommunication services to 10 wards in border and special zone areas where Vodacom has two wards and will be entitled for 804.7m/- as subsidies, Tigo will go to 5 wards and will receive 985m/- as subsidies and Airtel will provide telecommunication service to three wards and will get 984.9m/- as subsidies.

Meanwhile, the Universal Communications Service Access Fund signed agreement with the Avant Communications to connect 250 public schools with internet and also establishing 25 ICT academic centres in various areas in the country.

source:dailynews

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Telecom firms ‘reprimanded’

THE Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) intends to take measures against telecom firms that reviewed promotion data tariffs without its express permission.

The law, section 5(2) and 12(2) of the 2011 Electronic and Postal Communications (Tariffs Regulations), directs telecoms to file their new tariffs plans prior to being used.

However, Vodacom, Tigo and Airtel, unilaterally changed their daily, weekly and monthly voice, SMS and internet bundles reducing substantially data package amounts and prices.

TCRA Communications Manager Innocent Mungy said in Dar es Salaam that although the tariffs adjusted were of promotional nature the providers were supposed to notify the regulator before putting them into effect.

“TCRA is not regulating promotion tariffs but the law directs them to notify us prior of use,” Mr Mungy pointed out, noting that the telecom firms have for long enticed customers to use internet data thus going into a promotion binge.

“The trend shows that providers have reduced heavily on internet and want subscribers to start buying normal internet bundles,” he said.

According to the TCRA statement, the authority shall impose penalties as shall be (deemed) necessary, directing service providers “to adhere to the law when reviewing their tariffs.” The authority also directed telecom firms to ensure that any changes are “gradual and not abrupt to avoid shocks in the markets”.

The regulator’s intervention into the matter has come following the subscribers’ outcry after the three providers heavily slashed bundle amounts despite the service being optional among users.

Promotional prices show that telecom service providers have increased the number of minutes for voice and SMS amount but reduced internet bundles considerably.

The most affected area was on internet bundles where the lowest daily tariffs went down to between 8.0 and 10 megabytes from between 15 and 250mbs.

Weekly megabytes plummeted to between 60 and 70mb from between 100 and 2000 while monthly to between 250 and 300mb from between 300 and 4000mb while monthly down to between 300 and 4000mb to between 250 and 300mb.

However, TCRA directs service providers to give their customers choice of separate bundle plans.

For the voice, SMS and internet services, a consumer should be given the liberty of how much to spend for a given price and period of time.

Source: DailyNews

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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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We are far away from bankruptcy, says TTCL

TANZANIA Telecommunications Company Limited (TTCL) said on Thursday it is far away from insolvency because its main business is expected to increase by 50 per cent this year.

TTCL’s main business is networking firms via broadband, internet bandwidth and wholesale administration and said it has so far signed projects worth 15bn/- this year. Last year it had projects worth 10bn/-.

The firm’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Kamugisha Kazaura, said the contracts at hand involved only corporate clients, while there was a lot expected this year.

“Though we (TTCL) are facing financial challenges but the business ahead is very promising and we are far from liquidation,” Dr Kazaura told the ‘Daily News’ during the National Insurance Corporation (NIC) fibre cable project handover.

The CEO said the issue of bankruptcy was the result of poor interpretation and analysis of TTCL monetary state of affairs, but the firm’s operations are ‘sound.’

“Currently, we are in discussions with the government to turn what they owe us into capital,” Dr Kazaura said. He did not go into details.

TTCL, which handles the national fibre-optic cable network also termed as the National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB), said currently all Tanzania’s neighbours were at their subscription docket.

TTCL’s Chief of Sales and Marketing, Mr Peter Ngota, said by July the firm will start offering mobile phone services using 3G and 4G’s network.

“Previously we concentrated on corporate customers but come July we want to offer 100 per cent mobile services in the country,’ Mr Ngota said.

He said TTCL will use satellite in the areas where tele-signal are weak as a measure to assure superior quality and efficiency to its customers countrywide.

Last week, TTCL signed a 182-million US dollars deal with Chinese’s Huawei Technologies to upgrade and expand its fixed and wireless networks.

Under the terms of the contract - the first phase of which is expected to conclude in June where Huawei will upgrade the TTCL’s 2G and 3G networks and also deploy 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology.

The agreement will also see Huawei deploy networks in rural areas in line with a Universal Communications Service Access Fund (UCSAF) contract won by TTCL in February 2014.

Through the NICTBB, Tanzania has been connected with East Africa’s submarine cable networks including SEACOM, EASSY and SEAS.

TTCL connects Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia and Malawi through fire optical cable. At the moment, TTCL is supplying 1.0 gigabytes of internet bandwidth to Rwanda, the 10 year deal worth 6.7-million US dollars.

Meanwhile, Dr Kamugisha said they have reconnected the local government optical cable network after an agreement with the government over the mode of payment which he did want to disclose.

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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Africa’s mobile users to hit half a billion

There will be over half a billion mobile phone users in sub-Saharan Africa in the next six years, according to this year’s GSMA Intelligence report.

The region remains the fastest growing in mobile telephony subscription, a trend attributed to its robust economic growth and the increasing affordability of mobile phone services.

By mid this year, there were 329 million unique subscribers representing a penetration rate of 38 per cent. Further, there were over 600 million SIM connections equivalent to a penetration rate of 68 per cent in the region as consumers and businesses increasingly use mobile use beyond communication.

This number is set to rise at a compound annual growth rate of seven per cent to reach just over half a billion in 2020.

Mobile phone firms have also deployed more 3G connections that accounted for only 15 per cent of the total base in 2013 and are expected to rise to over half by 2020, making the region among the largest in terms of 3G connections only behind the highly populated Asia-Pacific region.

The rise in 3G connections largely reflects the accelerating rate of smartphone use. Sub-Saharan Africa is forecast to witness the highest growth of any region in terms of the number of smartphone connections (between 72 and 525 million) over the next six years. This means over half of the total connection then will be on smartphones.

The growing adoption of smartphones along with other data-capable devices such as tablets is in turn driving an explosion in data traffic.

The region’s mobile data traffic is forecast to record a 20-fold increase from 2013 to 2019, about twice the global growth rate.

This upswing is expected to push up revenue for the mobile companies across the region. The firms have already seen strong jump in revenues in the last few years, driven in particular by an increase in the number of connections and subscriber base.

Revenues grew at a compound annual growth rate of 7 per cent yearly between 2008 and 2013. The growth rates are however set to slow slightly going forward, but increasing data traffic will see revenue growth remain at a healthy 5.6 per cent up to 2020.

This calls for more investments in the network capacity to cope with the expected growth in data traffic, as well as increase in 3G coverage.

In 2013, the mobile industry contributed 5.4 per cent to overall gross domestic product in the region, and this is forecast to increase to 6.2 per cent by 2020.

The mobile industry is also a significant source of jobs in sub-Saharan Africa directly employing nearly 2.4 million people. This is also expected to increase to around 3.5 million by 2020.

The industry also makes a very large contribution to the funding of the public sector in the form of general taxation ($13 billion in 2013), and through further payments in the form of licence as well as regulatory fees and spectrum auctions.

Despite the progress to date, there remains a significant proportion of the population in the region who do not have access to the internet.

At the end of 2013, there were almost 150 million individuals using mobile devices to access the internet in sub-Saharan Africa. This is equivalent to an overall mobile internet penetration rate of only 17 per cent of the total population, compared to a global average of just over 30 per cent.

This figure will more than double by 2020, reaching 38 per cent, with an additional 240 million people across the region gaining mobile internet access by that date.

There are a number of barriers to extending mobile internet access in sub-Saharan Africa, with affordability and network coverage in rural areas being key challenges given high levels of poverty.

More than 70 per cent of the population lives in rural areas.

Telcoms, governments, regulators and other entities all have a role to play in addressing these barriers. Allowing commercially-agreed network sharing and ensuring timely release of digital dividend spectrum will be key in enabling growth of network coverage.

Source:Dailynation

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Ghana to abolish taxes on imported smartphones by 2015

The Ghanaian government has announced it would abolish taxes on all imported smartphones by next. This development was announced by the government through the 2015 budget.

The government said it realised that although Ghana has high mobile phone penetration, smartphones only represent 15%.

“Communication is shifting from voice to data and mobile data is projected to grow 6.3 times between 2013 and 2018. It is being proposed that in order to increase smartphone penetration, and in line with Government’s policy of bridging the digital divide within the country, import duties on smartphones will be removed. It is expected that the increase in smartphone penetration will increase revenue from Communication Service Tax, VAT and corporate taxes,” the government stated in the budget.

Sonia Jorge, Executive Director of the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4Ai) while commending the government of Ghana for the decision said removing import taxes is a key first step towards getting every Ghanaian online. The issue of mobile phone tax was among the topics discussed at A4AI’s first in-country engagement held in Ghana.

“Taxes make up more than a third of the cost of a smartphone in Ghana, and as a result only about 15% of the population currently have one. It’s worth noting that when Kenya scrapped VAT on handsets in 2009, devices in circulation quadrupled and overall mobile penetration rose from 50% to more than 70%. We hope to see similar results in Ghana,” Jorge said.

In an exclusive interview with HumanIPO, she said the aim of A4AI is to bring outdated policy and regulatory frameworks into the digital age by working directly with national governments and a wide range of key stakeholders.

Following the introduction of the tax, HumanIPO reported the Concerned Mobile Phone and Accessories Dealers group had closed their shops in protest against the tax which has previously been welcomed by native manufacturers such as Rlg Communications. Ghana’s Association of Independent Mobile Phone and Credit Dealers (ASIMODE) also warned the introduction of the 20% tax on imported devices would have a direct repercussion on the businesses of its members.

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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Smart Telecom enters crowded Tanzanian mobile market

Smart Telecom, which is owned by Industrial Promotion Services (IPS), the Kenyan-based infrastructure and industrial development arm of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), has announced the launch of a mobile network operating subsidiary in Tanzania. 

The launch coincides with the introduction of a sister company, also called Smart Telecom, in neighbouring Uganda, which was revealed last month. AKFED is also launching the new Smart Telecom brand in Burundi, and has earmarked investment of USD300 million across the three East African markets, offering mobile voice and internet services, with the stated aim to bring ‘improved service, value and coverage’ to all three countries. 

TeleGeography notes that AKFED’s telecoms investment partner, the Cypriot-based, Russian-owned Timeturns Holdings, is the backer of existing TanzanianCDMA operator Benson Informatics (BOL), holding a full national mobile licence, while the Ugandan branch of Smart Telecom acquired its licences via start-up Sure Telecom (Uganda), which was previously solely owned by Timeturns. Similarly, the launch of Smart Telecom (Burundi) has been achieved via the AKFED/Timeturns partnership, with a relaunch of Timeturn’s existing mobile subsidiary Lacell (Smart Mobile).

Smart Tanzania has marketed its introductory services with a banner saying ‘pay TZS79 (USD0.0484) for every on-net call’. Its standard call rates are advertised on its website as ‘on-net TZS2.8 per second / off-net TZS4.1 per second’, while it offers choices of daily, weekly and monthly service bundles including voice, SMS and data – including a month’s unlimited mobile internet usage for TZS20,000 (USD12.24). The website also promises mobile money services will be made available on the Smart Tanzania network.

The Tanzanian wireless market is already home to five full fledged cellular mobile operators: Vodacom, Airtel, Tigo, Zantel and Tanzania Telecommunication Company Ltd (TTCL), while TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database notes that Smile Communications operates 4G TD-LTE wireless broadband services in the country, alongside CDMA fixed-wireless voice/data network operators BOL (see above) and Sasatel, and there are four other licensees – MyCell, EGOTEL, 4G Mobile and Telesis – holding technology-neutral network operating concessions via which they intend to provide wireless data-focused services (based on CDMA, W-CDMA, mobile WiMAX and LTE, respectively). Another mobile licensee, Rural Netco, has deployed UMTS-900 infrastructure for wholesale-only services, GlobalComms adds.

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CRDB Bank upgrades SIM banking

IN a bid to provide efficient and secure services, CRDB Bank has further improved its SIM Banking to accommodate new features that give customers the conveniences to perform more transactions at any location in the world.

Mobile phones have clearly shown that they can be an effective channel to provide financial services including remittances, savings or even loans.

So, banks have an opportunity to utilise mobile phones to reach out to their customers. This was unveiled at the weekend by the CRDB Bank Managing Director, Dr Charles Kimei, at a news conference on improvement made on SIM Banking.

"CRDB Bank is always seeking to create easy and less cost accessibility to the banking services to its customers," he said, adding this is why the bank is incorporating its services with the fast changing mobile money technology which is the future of the banking sector.

Dr Kimei urged its customers to register with the SIM Banking established in 2008, which gives them best and different options of performing bank transactions at any location.

Currently, over 300,000 CRDB Bank customers are using SIM Banking in its database with over one million customers.

According to Finscope 2013 report, more than 30 million Tanzanians own or use mobile phone but only 12 million use the cellphones to perform money transactions.

Statistics reveal further that the bankable population is around 17 per cent of the 45 million total population. The data offers the banking sector with the huge opportunity to spread its services to the unbankable population in rural areas, thus complimenting the government initiative of financial inclusion.

The CRDB Manager Electronic Banking, Mr Mangire Kibanda, said the bank has simplified the SIM Banking registration where customers register for themselves without visiting the bank branches.

SIM Banking present customers with an easy, hassle-free and convenient way to pay your bills like electricity, water, and airtime. Some of the companies incorporated into the SIM Banking include Dawasco, Moruwasa and Startimes. Also, money transactions through M-PESA and TIGO-Pesa.

The CRDB Director of Risk and Compliance, Mr James Mabura, cautioned customers to avoid disclosing the bank account particulars to people or hackers, who present themselves as CRDB staff having an ill will to steal their money.

Also, he urged customers to keep secure their pin number which are used in performing ATM and mobile money transactions.

Source:Dailynews

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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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