A mobile phone trader in Nairobi. file photo | nmg
Mobile money systems in Kenya are now interoperable. That it is
now possible to send and receive money across networks – and according
to communication in the daily newspapers and other platforms, this
service is first being offered between Safaricom and Airtel, with Telkom
expected to join soon. In addition to this, charges for such
cross-network transactions are coming down.
Unlike the
previous scenario, customers need to be informed that with
interoperability they will not be charged a penny more for using the
service, than what they are being charged by their current operator of
choice. The seamless cross-network transfer of mobile money transfer is a
laudable initiative.
It is being spearheaded by the
Central Bank of Kenya with the support of other stakeholders such as the
Ministry of ICT, following a successful pilot. This could be the first
step in our long journey towards becoming a truly cashless economy.
The
mobile money ecosystem keeps growing – the Communications Authority
estimates that between October and December last year, mobile money
transfer transactions valued at Sh1.763
Pundits say that an interoperable ecosystem will accelerate further growth, particularly in the mobile transfer space.
The
only drawback to the on-going interoperability initiative, and which
may just turn out to be its Achilles’ heel, is the half-hearted consumer
awareness efforts accompanying it. When interoperability went live,
there were a few notices in the papers announcing the new development
and its benefits.
Obviously, this was not how the regulator, in this case the Central Bank of Kenya, had intended it to be.
It
is quite disheartening to note that even basic and more targeted
consumer awareness via a platform as simple yet effective as the SMS was
not employed to create further awareness of this service, by the two
operators that have begun offering the interoperable solution.
Why
don’t the operators inform customers of such pertinent information with
as much zeal as they do with their own product, solution and consumer
campaigns?
Communicating the new development is key if
subscribers are to take full advantage of it. As it is, the concept of
interoperability is alien to many of the subscribers, and it is crucial
that it is communicated over and over to generate the necessary
awareness across the country.
Communication theorists argue that it takes time in hammering a message to get it to sink.
Besides,
it is emerging that the customer journey for cross-network mobile money
transactions is different from those conducted within the network. How
would the subscribers know if this is not communicated to them?
Interoperability
is so big a cause to be let to fail. The now infamous study on the
state of competition in the telco industry identified it as one of the
ways of facilitating effective competition. Competition is in the best
of public interest.
It is good for the consumer
ultimately, since in a network neutral environment, operators will have
no choice but to bring on their best game, which will translate into
better experiences.
Ultimately, it will encourage
innovation and growth in the industry, while attracting investment.
Investors are attracted to vibrant and competitive industries, where the
ground is fair to all. The more reason we have to make interoperability
work.
The onus now is on the regulator to step in and
ask that the work to enhance consumers’ awareness on interoperability is
dialled up. This may be an industry-led initiative but its
implementation now calls for regulator support as well.
It
should not be left to the operators to decide – be prescriptive if that
is what it will take to deliver on the objectives. Remember, the road
to hell, as it is often said, is paved with good intentions. Intentions,
on their own, do not count. It is time to act on them.
David Keitany, Nairobi
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