17th February, 2011
Airtel Africa has won two awards at the premiere annual telecom industry awards, the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Global Mobile Award 2011.
The telecom services provider was awarded the Best Mobile Money Product or solution and Best Customer Care & Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for its recently launched innovative payment product known as Airtel Online Pay and a customer relationship management solution named Airtel Treasure Hunt.
The winning Best Mobile Money Product or Solution, the Airtel Online Pay is touted as the world’s first virtual card that operates off a wallet residing on a mobile phone. This innovative payment offers communities the opportunity for greater participation in the financial system as they realize the substantial benefits of mobile commerce. The single use debit card offering is a partnership between Airtel, MasterCard and Standard Chartered Bank.
The award was jointly received by Airtel’s chief marketing officer, Mr. Andre Beyers and MasterCard International’s Area Head for East and West Africa, Mr. Daniel Momehim during the GSMA congress party and awards ceremony held at the National Palace in Montjuïc, Barcelona, Spain.
Airtel’s second plaudit at the event, Airtel Treasure Hunt was a joint submission between Airtel and Tango Telecoms, a mobile systems solutions provider. The innovation known as Dynamic Pricing Service gives Airtel the ability to price Voice and Data services dynamically based on location, cell load, time of day, subscriber type and/or subscriber activity. The service was launched in Niger, Uganda, Zambia and Congo. Tango Telecoms was represented at the awards by its VP, Global Channel Sales, Mr. Rory Toole.
Commenting on behalf of Airtel, Mr. Beyers said: “We are driven by the vision of providing affordable and innovative mobile services to consumers across the continent. To earn this award from the most authoritative and global constellation of peers in the industry, three months after the launch of our new brand in Africa, is a recognition of our efforts to place innovations in the hands of consumers in Africa and will bolster our commitment to walk the talkâ€
According to the Judges, the Best Mobile Money Product or Solution award aims to recognize and reflect the rapid emergence of the mobile payment, transfer, banking and a host of innovative ‘cashless’ mobile services – in all varied forms. According to the panel, the opportunities for the financial services, ticketing and transport industries, in partnership with the mobile world are limitless, as are the benefits of convenience and value for users.
—Oluokun Ayorinde/Abuja