Industry News Page | Telecoms Chamber

MTN Introduces Remittances App

Mobile operator MTN has announced the launch of its latest fintech service, a remittances app dubbed MTN Homeland.

MTN Group CEO and president Rob Shuter told delegates at last month’s AfricaCom 2019 conference the company has a strategy to push business across telco-specific and fintech fronts.

In a statement, MTN says the mobile app aims to facilitate money and airtime transfers from Europe to Africa and parts of the Middle East.

Furthermore, the MTN Homeland app allows remittances from Europe to Cameroon, Congo Brazzaville, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Rwanda and Uganda, while airtime can be sent to Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Congo Brazzaville, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia.

Commenting on MTN’s latest offering, Shuter says: “The value of remittances from the diaspora exceeds foreign direct investment in Africa. MTN has the largest fintech and telecommunications footprint in Africa and is, therefore, uniquely positioned to go beyond mobile communication by offering instant, low-cost digital remittances. MTN Homeland is one more example of how MTN uses fintech to expand its reach beyond its existing footprint and core business, while driving meaningful impact to millions.”

In 2018, a study from Juniper Research estimated total international remittances via formal channels would exceed $600 billion in that year. It further found international digital peer-to-peer remittances conducted via mobile and online platforms would exceed $300 billion globally by 2021. Quanto mais combinações você conseguir criar https://delineadogatinho.com maior será o nível dos gatos que você terá. Nessa aventura.

Serigne Dioum, MTN executive for fintech, adds: “We believe this offering will not only make the lives of our mobile money customers on the African continent a whole lot brighter, but those in the diaspora too.”

MTN boasts around 32 million 30-day active mobile money customers.

Dioum also indicated the company is working towards enabling remittances from the US, Australia, United Arab Emirates and other corridors into Africa.

Source: itweb.co.za

MTN, Micfrim Launch Affordable Smartphones

 


Telecommunication giant, MTN Ghana in collaboration with Micfrim phones has launched affordable smartphones onto the Ghanaian market.

The Ipro Amber 5S (3G) and Ipro Amber 5S pro (4G) smart phones are to provide all customers the opportunity to enjoy faster internet coverage.

The phones have been specially designed taking into consideration and improving on the issues that customers raised on the MTN Smart phone introduced by the Telco seven months ago.

At the launch of the phone in Accra, Wednesday, Noel Ganson, Chief Marketing Officer at MTN, indicated that MTN looks forward to pushing the percentages of the smartphone penetration on the network higher by the end of the year.

“Our vision to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world is in many ways made apparent through partnerships that lead to the introduction of devices such as the IPRO Amber 5S/5S Pro. Today's launch marks another step towards the advancement of this vision, one that will make the customer's life a whole lot brighter.

He recalled that in April, MTN launched its first entry level smart feature phone, the MTN KaIOS Smart phone.

“Seven months after the launch, we are happy to say that the uptake has been very good and we have sold close to 15,000 pieces and still counting.” he disclosed

As leaders within the industry, he said MTN understands the importance of providing affordable smartphones to its customers adding that “we have been doing our best to partner Original Equipment Manufacturing companies who buy into our vision.

He was of the view that, in spite of the progress made at improving smartphone penetration, there is still room for improvement and that is why, MTN continue to invest in partnerships aimed at giving desired result of having close to 100% penetration in the near future.

The two phones are 4G and 3G entry level smartphones that run on the Android Go Operating System.

With a 5inch screen, the MTN IPro Amber 5s/ ipro Amber 5s Pro phones come well equipped with pre-installed apps such as WhatsApp, Google Maps, Facebook, YouTube, and many more.

The adaptability of the device makes it easier than ever to connect with others wherever you go.

The phones come at a retail price of GH₵275 and GH₵255 for the 4G and 3G respectively.

Source: myjoyonline.com

MTN GIVES STRONG BOOST TO GHANAIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE

 


Mobile Telecommunication giant, MTN Ghana has expressed its determination to support the promotion of Ghana's cultural heritage.

This is the most sustainable way to preserve the rich Ghanaian culture and traditional institutions, promote national integration, cohesion and development.

"We are determined to sustain the rich Ghanaian culture and prevent it adulteration and extinction to essentially promote national integration and cohesion to create employment opportunities for the people and promote local tourism.

"This forms an integral segment of the organization's unwavering commitment to support economic empowerment initiatives as part of efforts to give back to society through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).”

Mr Kennedy Ofosuhene, Corporate Services Adviser for Southern Ghana, said this at a presentation made towards celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Odeefo Amuakwa Buadu VIII, Omanhene of the Breman Traditional Area in Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa (AOB) District of the Central Region.

The anniversary coincided with the 2019 Breman Odwira festival of the chiefs and people in the area which was held under the theme: “Promoting citizens’ responsibility for Bremanman’s development”.

On behalf of MTN, Mr Ofosuhene donated cash of GH¢3,000.00 and airtime worth GH¢ 3,000.00, souvenir and a hamper.

He called on the public to maximise Ghana's unique cultural heritage and enhance it.

Odeefuo Amuakwa Buadu VIII, hailed MTN for the gesture and its resoluteness in taking a bold lead in providing telecommunication services to its growing customers across the country.

The Omanhene of the Breman Traditional Area who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Baxoil Company Limited, a Ghanaian oil company that produces quality Baxoil-branded lubricant, ascended the throne on May 31, 2009 at age 41 after succeeding his late uncle, Odeefuo Amuakwa Buadu VII.

The celebration would be climaxed with a grand durbar at the Catholic Boys Basic School park at Breman Asikuma on Saturday, November 17, 2019.

The Omanhene expressed his commitment to the development of the social and economic well-being of the area, hence, the formulation and adoption of a five-year medium-term strategic development plan and the formation of the Breman Development Committee with Kyidomhene, Nana Barima Fi III, as the chairman to spearhead its implementation.

The six goals contained in the new plan are youth development, agriculture, education, health, tourism and resource development.

The Omanhene called for the support of citizens of the area, both home and abroad, towards the growth and development of the area.

Odeefuo Buadu commended the chiefs and the people, including all stakeholders for their immeasurable support during the last 10 years of his reign which has witnessed peace, unity and progress.

He also thanked the people for living in harmony since his ascension to the throne, saying “it is only when we live in peace and harmony as a people that our traditional area can achieve the desired growth”.

Source: GNA

Vodafone Moves Big Data To The Cloud

 

Vodafone Group partnered with Google Cloud to develop a real-time data analytics platform, in an aim to drive AI and gain insights in a single “ocean of data”.

The operator said its new Neuron platform, built on Google Cloud Platform, “will act as a brain and driver for AI and business intelligence for Vodafone’s global business”.

In a blog post, John Wibergh, Vodafone CTO, noted that Vodafone’s original big data system was built five years ago and comprised 600 servers, but faced “a lot of limitations.” A year ago the company decided to change things and instead create a cloud-based big data system.

“We can [now] much better plan and optimise our network and build that functionality into the My Vodafone app to provide better offers to our customers and also to guide our own staff on how to act in certain situations.”

Neuron currently covers 11 countries, where it has combined data from the 600 servers in a single “data ocean,” in an effort to get insights in the field of 5G network optimisation and smart retail.

Insights from Neuron are already being used in the company’s Gigabit Networks which were “increasingly optimised by AI to push capacity to where customers need it most”, and real-time analytics enabled the operator to push personalised commercial offers to customers when they are most likely to buy.

Source: MWL