Mobile money payments enabled between Tigo, Airtel, Zantel

Tigo, Airtel and Zantel are set to enable mobile money payments between their customers in Tanzania by the end of June. The agreement will allow customers of the three operators to send money to each other whether using Tigo Pesa, Airtel Money or EzyPesa on their mobile handsets.

Tigo Tanzania General Manager, Diego Gutierrez.

This is reportedly the first agreement in Africa to adopt such 'interoperability' whereby mobile network operators allows their customer to send and receive money across the network and the e-money goes direct to the respective customer e-wallet account.

In the early years of the mobile industry, such agreements were common for both voice calls and SMS text messaging. With this agreement, customers of the three telecommunications company would be able to send money by mobile to each other directly, according to a statement issued by the companies.

Other benefits

The joint press statement also listed other benefits customers of the three companies would enjoy as including the ability to send money at more affordable rates and in a simplified way which does not require use of PIN codes when making withdrawals as had been the practice before signing of the agreement.

The three companies paid tribute to the Bank of Tanzania (B.O.T) for facilitating interoperability, the Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation and IFC for playing the leading role on this initiative.

Source: APO