As Kenyan telecommunication service providers are rushing to strike a deal that will see mobile money being transferred from one network to another, many customers in the grass root level are wondering whether it will bring good tidings their way.
Business deals are never made for nothing.
There is always a profit involved, either immediately or in the long term.
So the main question is, where is the catch in this inter-network mobile money transfer?
Kenya’s biggest telecommunication service provider Safaricom has finally stroke a deal with the rival Airtel that will see M-pesa users transfer money to and from Airtel money.
According to a business report published in the East African newspaper on April 17th, Telkom’s mobile money transfer, T-Kash will join the cross-network money transfer deal later.Bitange Ndemo, a lecturer at the University of Nairobi is also quoted in the report saying that the deal will be of benefit to the customer.
“From a customer’s point of view, this is a very good initiative that will ensure inclusivity in the long run, “he said.
Let us view this deal with an eagle’s eye. It is a fact that customers will enjoy the convenience of sending money to and from different networks but is that all?
They say when the deal is too good, think twice.
A frog does not jump during the day when nothing is pursuing it.We need to ask questions.
Will the service providers not increase the rates of sending and withdrawing money from across networks?
Will the rates remain the same? Airtel and Telkom stand to gain from the large numbers of Safaricom customers but what does Safaricom stand to gain in this deal?
Is this deal meant to end Safaricom’s dominance in the region?
What about M-pesa agents? Will this deal increase or reduce their businesses?
Will M-pesa owners cry foul that Airtel Money agents and T-Kash agents are taking over their many customers?
Well, let us wait and see how this interoperability works.
If it will benefit the customers, then it will be a game-changer.
As they say, the devil is in the details. Let us wait for the tariffs and compare notes.