Ericsson powers MTN Rwanda Mobile Money Service
- MTN Rwanda has commercially launched Ericsson Converged Wallet
- Rollout will make easy to use, next-generation financial services widely available and enables MTN Rwanda to respond rapidly to customer preferences
- Seamless integration with prepaid systems supports cross-bundle offers and incentives
Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) today announced that MTN Rwanda has deployed its Converged Wallet m-commerce solution. The launch brings easy-to-use, next-generation mobile financial services to MTN Rwanda's subscribers, including mobile phone users that do not have access to traditional banking services. Ericsson is providing the operator with a flexible, reliable and efficient m-commerce solution that includes Ericsson Converged Wallet, systems integration and operational support.
"Optimizing the mobile money experience directly impacts consumer stickiness and with Ericsson Converged Wallet, we can now respond rapidly to requirements from consumers and merchants and provide reliable services. Paying your bill or sending money to family and friends has never been easier" said Pieter Verkade, MTN Group Chief Commercial Officer.
Ericsson Converged Wallet enables MTN Rwanda to quickly introduce relevant, new and differentiated mobile wallet end-user services to its mobile money customers. With Ericsson Converged Wallet, MTN can seamlessly launch new offers and bundles that integrate telecom prepaid services with mobile money services.
"Ericsson Converged Wallet helps MTN Rwanda offer the convenience of m-wallet financial services across its entire subscriber base," said Bjorn Engstrom, Head of M-commerce, Ericsson. "This breakthrough deployment is yet another example of MTN's ongoing commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction."
Ericsson has a strategic partnership with MTN Rwanda parent company, MTN Group (JSE: MTN), to ultimately introduce Ericsson Converged Wallet across the operator's footprint. MTN Group has more than thirteen million mobile money subscribers throughout 14 countries in Africa.
"With the new Ericsson Converged Wallet platform, we are looking forward to bringing more innovation into the Rwandan market. We want to continue leading the market in terms of breadth and quality of services. We expect to see a positive impact for both our partner agents and our customers," said Ebenezer Asante, CEO of MTN Rwanda.
According to 2012 World Bank estimates, only 1.5 billion people in the world have a bank account, but more than 1.7 billion people who don't have a bank account have access to mobile phones.
Part of the Ericsson M-Commerce portfolio, Ericsson Converged Wallet is an integrated mobile wallet solution that combines the company's wallet and charging platforms. It allows operators to reuse existing assets and bundle telecom offerings with financial services to create a complete end user solution for m-commerce needs. Ericsson's m-commerce solutions help operators succeed in the mobile payments market by accelerating the interconnection between the m-commerce ecosystem and the financial world.
NOTES TO EDITORS
About the MTN Group
Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator, connecting subscribers in 22 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: "MTN."
As of 30 September 2013, MTN recorded 203.8 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. Visit. Visit us at www.mtnbusiness.com , www.mtn.com and www.mtnmmo.com .
To learn more about Ericsson's m-commerce solutions, visit: http://www.ericsson.com/ourportfolio/telecom-operators/m-commerce
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