Tanzania a pioneer in mobile money

Three of Tanzania’s telecom giants – Tigo, Zantel and Airtel – have joined forces to provide customers with a pioneering mobile money service. From the end of this month users will be able to send and receive money directly between themselves whether they subscribe to Tigo Pesa, EzyPesa or Airtel Money. This is the world’s first such interoperability endeavour whereby a customer can transfer money directly from his or her e-wallet account to someone else’s as run by a competitor.

The “partnership will bring our customers closer to mobile service and ease their use of mobile money services,” says Airtel’s Managing Director Sunil Colaso.

A move towards financial inclusion

Diego Gutierrez, Tigo’s General Manager for Tanzania, says his company is “delighted to work with Airtel and Zantel to extend the mobile money universe in Tanzania. With even more transactions possible, our customers’ money is made even more safe and secure with this technology.”

He adds, “we [already] co-operate with our competitors on voice calls and text to help our customers, so we hope to be able to do the same with mobile money and help make Tanzania a global pioneer in digital financial inclusion.”

The premise motivating this landmark move is that consumers will enjoy a more affordable service and transactions will therefore increase.

Gutierrez says, “It is my highest expectation that Tanzanians will enjoy this service and use it to their maximum advantage in bringing about socio-economic change in their communities and the country as a whole.”

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