Buying airtime online
MTN has launched MTNWeb2u, a service that enables buying airtime on the Internet.<br>The service is the first of its kind in East Africa. <b>Kelvin Kizito</b> talked to MTN’s chief commercial officer Erik van Veen about the service.
QUESTION: Tell me about the MTNWeb2u concept?
ANSWER: MTN Web2U is essentially an overseas airtime distribution channel. It allows people to buy airtime on Internet which is automatically sent to an MTN customer in Uganda. The airtime is purchased in various denominations for example sh10,000, sh20,000 or sh200,000.
Upon payment, the airtime is sent directly to the customer’s phone.
Who does it target?
The target market is primarily Ugandans working and living abroad.
How does the concept come about?
It was born out of an opportunity to provide our customers with an alternative means to receive airtime. Ugandans living abroad have long been known to send money back to home to be used for various purposes, including buying airtime. By giving those in the diaspora the opportunity to purchase airtime for their friends and families in Uganda is a unique and innovative new channel for the distribution of airtime.
The concept was developed by Simba Telecom. True African, a local software application provider, developed the software that allows an airtime purchase requested on www.simbashop.com to be automatically sent to customer’s mobile pre-paid account.
How does MTNWeb2u work?
The buyer of airtime simply enters the simbashop.com website.
On the home page screen, the buyer chooses which airtime denomination he wishes to purchase, the currency in which they would like to pay and the MTN customer phone number they want to send the airtime.
The customer confirms the transaction upon which they are taken into the Paypal payment screen where the customer fills in their credit card details.
The buyer again confirms the payment on screen and the transaction is verified by Paypal.
If the transaction is successful, simbashop.com initiates an airtime load transfer to the said MTN phone number. This takes place automatically.
The customer receiving the airtime is alerted with an SMS that they have received airtime from www.simbashop.com.
In time, we hope to enhance the service whereby the buyer can enter their name when purchasing the airtime and the SMS will carry the buyer’s name.
How are payments made?
Payments are similar to any payment made via the Internet by means of a credit or debit card. We use Paypal to clear the card payment. Paypal are the largest Internet credit/debit card payment processing company in the world, processing billions of transaction per annum for the largest e-commerce websites in the world like www.Amazon.com and several others. By using a reputable company like Paypal, all payments are safe and secure.
What are the advantages of using MTNWeb2u?
The advantages are customer are able to request for airtime from friends and families living abroad, who are often in a more privileged economic position.
We understand that many of our customers sometimes have difficulty in finding enough money to buy airtime cards during certain periods of the month.
An SMS to a family member abroad can relieve that situation when it is needed most.
For Ugandans abroad, they can send airtime as a gift or contribution to monthly household expenses.
It further provides the buyer with peace of mind that the money used is being utilised for its intended purpose; airtime.
What is the most unique feature about this service?
The service is the first of its kind and has not been replicated anywhere else in Africa.
Secondly, airtime is loaded once directly to the phone. There is no need to enter personal identification numbers.
Thirdly, it is immediate. Once the payment is processed, which takes a few seconds, the customer’s account is loaded with airtime immediately.
Will it be possible for MTN customers to redeem their airtime for cash?
There is no means to redeem airtime for cash. However, using Me2U, a customer can send airtime from one MTN phone to another in return for cash.
How will you evaluate the service’s performance?
We are very keen to monitor how this service is accepted firstly in Uganda and by those living abroad as an innovative solution to send airtime to relatives.
.We will monitor the progress.
Ends
ANSWER: MTN Web2U is essentially an overseas airtime distribution channel. It allows people to buy airtime on Internet which is automatically sent to an MTN customer in Uganda. The airtime is purchased in various denominations for example sh10,000, sh20,000 or sh200,000.
Upon payment, the airtime is sent directly to the customer’s phone.
Who does it target?
The target market is primarily Ugandans working and living abroad.
How does the concept come about?
It was born out of an opportunity to provide our customers with an alternative means to receive airtime. Ugandans living abroad have long been known to send money back to home to be used for various purposes, including buying airtime. By giving those in the diaspora the opportunity to purchase airtime for their friends and families in Uganda is a unique and innovative new channel for the distribution of airtime.
The concept was developed by Simba Telecom. True African, a local software application provider, developed the software that allows an airtime purchase requested on www.simbashop.com to be automatically sent to customer’s mobile pre-paid account.
How does MTNWeb2u work?
The buyer of airtime simply enters the simbashop.com website.
On the home page screen, the buyer chooses which airtime denomination he wishes to purchase, the currency in which they would like to pay and the MTN customer phone number they want to send the airtime.
The customer confirms the transaction upon which they are taken into the Paypal payment screen where the customer fills in their credit card details.
The buyer again confirms the payment on screen and the transaction is verified by Paypal.
If the transaction is successful, simbashop.com initiates an airtime load transfer to the said MTN phone number. This takes place automatically.
The customer receiving the airtime is alerted with an SMS that they have received airtime from www.simbashop.com.
In time, we hope to enhance the service whereby the buyer can enter their name when purchasing the airtime and the SMS will carry the buyer’s name.
How are payments made?
Payments are similar to any payment made via the Internet by means of a credit or debit card. We use Paypal to clear the card payment. Paypal are the largest Internet credit/debit card payment processing company in the world, processing billions of transaction per annum for the largest e-commerce websites in the world like www.Amazon.com and several others. By using a reputable company like Paypal, all payments are safe and secure.
What are the advantages of using MTNWeb2u?
The advantages are customer are able to request for airtime from friends and families living abroad, who are often in a more privileged economic position.
We understand that many of our customers sometimes have difficulty in finding enough money to buy airtime cards during certain periods of the month.
An SMS to a family member abroad can relieve that situation when it is needed most.
For Ugandans abroad, they can send airtime as a gift or contribution to monthly household expenses.
It further provides the buyer with peace of mind that the money used is being utilised for its intended purpose; airtime.
What is the most unique feature about this service?
The service is the first of its kind and has not been replicated anywhere else in Africa.
Secondly, airtime is loaded once directly to the phone. There is no need to enter personal identification numbers.
Thirdly, it is immediate. Once the payment is processed, which takes a few seconds, the customer’s account is loaded with airtime immediately.
Will it be possible for MTN customers to redeem their airtime for cash?
There is no means to redeem airtime for cash. However, using Me2U, a customer can send airtime from one MTN phone to another in return for cash.
How will you evaluate the service’s performance?
We are very keen to monitor how this service is accepted firstly in Uganda and by those living abroad as an innovative solution to send airtime to relatives.
.We will monitor the progress.
Ends