Botswana’s fastest and widely available mobile network, Botswana Telecommunications Corporation Limited (BTC), has revamped and introduced SMEGA, its mobile money service.
SMEGA now works on Comviva’s mobiquity Money platform, one of the world’s largest white-labelled mobile money platform.
The platform offers consumers a quick, convenient and secure way to perform financial transactions from the comfort of their homes or on the go. It also provides a one-stop-shop for multiple financial transactions such as person to person money transfer, airtime and data purchase, prepaid electricity purchase, water bill payment, BTC postpaid bill payment and salary payment.
SMEGA has been designed as an inclusive service and with it, customers will be able to send money to other SMEGA users as well as to non-registered individuals who will receive a passcode which can be used to cash-out money at BTC outlets.
The mobile money service platform is not only for individuals but for businesses also; businesses can leverage its bulk payment feature to pay salaries and allowances to their staff and reduce the cost and paper work required for cash and cheque payments.
A unique feature offered by SMEGA is Motshelo Club, which is built on group savings culture of Botswana. Motshelo Club allows a number of people to contribute to a group savings wallet and use the money on rotational basis in good and bad times. BTC is the first mobile operator in the country to provide a digital Motshelo Club service.
Chief Commercial Officer of BTC Edward Wicks, said, “We are delighted to offer SMEGA which is delivered through the Comviva mobile money platform. SMEGA is focused on enabling access to financial services to improve people’s lives and positively contribute towards the economy by accelerating financial inclusion and economic development.
“We also trust that our customers across the country will find it easy, fast and a more convenient means of transferring money, making payments and doing other financial transactions.”
Head of Africa Region at Comviva, Anil Krishnan, stated that, “Mobile phones today are not just communication devices; they have become a holistic channel for digital lifestyle.
“Comviva is making this reality through its mobiquity money platform that enables service providers to provide digital financial services to consumers through mobile phones.
“In Botswana, we are carrying forward this revolution with BTC through their SMEGA services that delivers a seamless and secure financial service on mobile to financially underserved consumers.”
BTC was established in 1980 to provide, develop, operate and manage Botswana’s national and international telecommunications services. BTC has a wide network covering over 90 percent of the country.
Over the years, it has launched many innovative services that has evolved the ICT market in Botswana and have transformed people’s lives. SMEGA is one such relevant service that is taking mobile phones to the next level, by using them for performing financial transactions anywhere anytime.
mobiquity Money is the world’s leading mobile money platform that delivers a host of digital financial services that transform the way consumers save, borrow, transfer and spend money. It is designed to seamlessly integrate consumer touch points with a wide ecosystem of banks, billers, merchants and third-party payment systems, creating a convergence powered by interoperability.
Apart from delivering convenience to consumers, the solution enables telecommunications service providers to acquire new customers, create long-term loyalty with existing ones, and seize new revenue opportunities to increase their footprint in the market.
mobiquity Money empowers telecommunications service providers to be agile in their markets, with complete focus on the customers.
The platform has clocked over 60 deployments in more than 45 countries, providing financial services to over 100 million consumers globally and processes more than 6.5 billion transactions amounting to over $130 billion annually.
