Societe Generale Introduces Mobile Banking In Senegal

Financial service group, Societe Generale, in partnership with Obopay, a leading mobile banking and payment provider, have launched a new mobile banking service in Senegal for anyone with access to a mobile phone.
The service christened “Yoban’tel by Obopay”, is a carrier-agnostic, mobile money transfer and bill payment service that is available to all the people of Senegal with a mobile phone. Using SGBL’s wide spread branch network in the country and other dedicated outlets, users can enrol for a mobile payment service and load or pick up cash throughout Senegal. They can also use the service to send money to anyone throughout the country, or to pay a bill.

“In Senegal, traditional banking services are typically very limited; people can spend an entire day each month standing in line to pay for things like their utility services in cash,” said Richard Hababou, managing director of Societe Generale Innovations Group. “Yoban’tel by Obopay allows us to establish innovative and convenient mobile money transfer and payments for those Senegalese who have previously not had access to such services.”

“Partnering with one of the world’s leading banks, Societe Generale, enables them to put mobile money at the heart of their accounts,” said Obopay CEO Carol Realini. “Their reach will bring new mobile money access to millions. Furthermore, this latest offering extends our experience in meeting the needs of four different sets of regulatory environments and market dynamics – including the US, India, Kenya and now Senegal – and gives us the expertise, robust platform and service offering needed to expand into new markets very quickly.”

Glo Gets Senegal Licence

Nigeria-based Globalcom (Glo Mobile) has reportedly been issued with a mobile operator’s licence in Senegal. If confirmed, the concession, the fourth to be awarded in the West African country, will also allow Globacom to land its Glo 1 trans-Atlantic submarine cable in Senegal, with opportunities to extend the infrastructure to Mali.

Local newspaper This Day quotes the Nigerian firm’s chairman Mike Adenuga Jr as saying that the licence would enable his company to offer ‘world class telecommunications services’ to the government and people of Senegal. ‘In line with our vision, Glo will continue to play a major role in stimulating a new era of prosperity in the sub-continent and build facilities that will offer Africa advanced telecoms services such as teleconferencing, distance learning, disaster recovery, telemedicine, on-line diagnosis and video conferencing during surgery and research,’ Globacom added in a statement.

The Nigerian company also holds operating licences in Nigeria, Ghana, Benin Republic and Cote d'Ivoire, but as reported recently, has threatened to exit the Ghanaian market citing sabotage as the reason.

Orange Money Now in Senegal, Mali and Madacascar

Orange has launched its mobile payment service, Orange Money, in three additional African countries - Senegal, Mali and Madagascar - in recent weeks. These launches mark a turning point in the Group's ambition to launch Orange Money across its footprint in Africa. Orange Money is an innovative, mobile phone-based payment system that allows customers to carry out simple banking operations and transactions in total security. Such services offer a huge potential in Africa where less than 10% of the population have access to a bank account and yet over a third have a mobile phone.

The service allows mobile customers to deposit and withdraw money, to transfer money, to easily buy call credit, to pay for goods at certain retail partners and to pay bills. The service is available for all Orange customers whether or not they have a bank account. The Orange Money account is activated free of charge and without any minimum deposit. Orange Money is built around a system that guarantees transactions against the risk of theft or fraud and that is fully compliant with the regulations.

The launch of Orange Money in Senegal, Mali and Madagascar follows on from the launch of the service in the Cote d'Ivoire in December 2008 after extensive trials. Commenting on this launch, Marc Rennard, Orange’s executive director for the Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific Region, said: ‘Orange Money is a very important part our strategy in Africa and emerging markets. Mobile payment services have the potential to bring cost-effective and secure access to banking services to people with low-incomes, who often live in rural or remote areas. By providing our customers with the means to save money, pay bills and run their businesses, we are not only reinforcing customer fidelity but we are also able to play an active role in the economic development of the country’.

Orange Money will also be launched in Niger and Kenya in the coming months, and will eventually be extended across the Group's entire footprint in Africa and the Middle East.

Orange Money Launched in Senegal, Mali & Madagascar

Orange has launched its mobile payment service, Orange Money, in three additional African countries - Senegal, Mali and Madagascar - in recent weeks. These launches mark a turning point in the Group's ambition to launch Orange Money across its footprint in Africa. Orange Money is an innovative, mobile phone-based payment system that allows customers to carry out simple banking operations and transactions in total security. Such services offer a huge potential in Africa where less than 10% of the population have access to a bank account and yet over a third have a mobile phone.

The service allows mobile customers to deposit and withdraw money, to transfer money, to easily buy call credit, to pay for goods at certain retail partners and to pay bills. The service is available for all Orange customers whether or not they have a bank account. The Orange Money account is activated free of charge and without any minimum deposit. Orange Money is built around a system that guarantees transactions against the risk of theft or fraud and that is fully compliant with the regulations.

The launch of Orange Money in Senegal, Mali and Madagascar follows on from the launch of the service in the Cote d'Ivoire in December 2008 after extensive trials. Commenting on this launch, Marc Rennard, Orange’s executive director for the Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific Region, said: ‘Orange Money is a very important part our strategy in Africa and emerging markets.

Mobile payment services have the potential to bring cost-effective and secure access to banking services to people with low-incomes, who often live in rural or remote areas. By providing our customers with the means to save money, pay bills and run their businesses, we are not only reinforcing customer fidelity but we are also able to play an active role in the economic development of the country’.

Orange Money will also be launched in Niger and Kenya in the coming months, and will eventually be extended across the Group's entire footprint in Africa and the Middle East.

Senegal Arrest Former Head of Regulator Over Corruption

The authorities in Senegal have arrested the former head of the national telecoms watchdog, Daniel Goumala Seck, on suspicion that he stole funds from the award of a telecoms operating licence to Sudan’s Sudatel, Reuters reports Seck’s legal representative as saying.

The one-time boss of the Agence de Regulation des Telecommunications et des Postes(ARTP) is accused of having siphoned off 2% of the USD200 million received in 2007 for himself and other unnamed ARTP officials, rather than use the funding to expand the watchdog’s operations.

Seck has yet to be charged and no word is given on whether or not it will jeopardise Sudatel’s position at all. The newcomer launched Senegal’s third mobile network last year but has so far failed to make any inroads in a market dominated by France Telecom-backed Orange Senegal with 4.61 million users, or 67% of the sector, at end-2009. Tigo Senegal, a unit of Millicom International Cellular, had 2.09 million users at the same date while Sudatel’s Expresso operation had 203,067.

France Telecom Plans To Cut Call Rates With New System

France Telecom (Orange) intends to cut the cost of call services in most of its African markets by implementing a new system it calls ‘Cell Broadcast’, Arnauld Blondet, the director for emerging countries, announced on Tuesday.

‘We launched Cell Broadcast in Botswana under the [local] name Sesolo. With the number of people interested in that offer, we can be optimistic about trying it soon in most of our African subsidiaries,’ Blondet told news agency PANA at the presentation of the technique.

France Telecom operates in 15 African countries including Egypt, Uganda, Mauritius, Madagascar, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Niger, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Senegal, Guinea, Kenya and Equatorial Guinea.

Millicom Reports 5% Rise in Q2 Revenues

Millicom International has reported a five percent rise in Q2 revenues to US$814 million compared to a year ago but a drop of 13% in net profits of $114 million, down from the US$132 million a year ago. In Q2 09, Millicom added 1.7 million net new mobile subscribers, reaching 30.8 million total mobile subscribers, an increase of 25% versus Q2 08 as Millicom continues its focus on attracting the more loyal and higher revenue generating customers.

Mikael Grahne, CEO of Millicom, commented: "Our Q2 09 results continue to show the benefits of the actions taken in the last few quarters to focus on both margins and cash flow generation, whilst maintaining or improving our market position. Our EBITDA margin moved up to 45.6%, which is above our long term target margin for the Group, as we tighten cost controls and adapt our product offering to changing market conditions. Cash flow continues to improve, with operating free cash flow standing at 15% of revenues in Q2 09. We are also pleased to have grown our market share by 0.7 percentage points over the quarter.

In Central America, Honduras grew its subscriber base by 19% year on year, despite the entry of a third operator at the end of Q4 08. Guatemala grew its subscriber base by 18% year-on-year and El Salvador by 17%.

In South America, total subscribers increased by 17% year-on-year with Bolivia showing growth of 51%. In Colombia, the increase in subscribers was 5%, and in Paraguay it was 15%.

In Africa, the best performing markets in terms of net subscriber additions were Chad which grew by 93% year-on-year, adding 110 thousand net new subscribers in Q2 09, and Tanzania, which grew by 81% year- on-year, adding 413 thousand net new subscribers in Q2 09. In Senegal, total subscribers increased by 26% and 144 thousand net new subscribers were added in Q2 09, which is indicative of the continuing trust that subscribers are placing in the Tigo brand.

The topic of the planned sale of the company's Asian assets, Grahne added, "The disposal of our Asian assets is in progress and expressions of interest have been received from a number of parties for the three assets. We expect the disposal to be completed by Q1 2010."

Capex is expected to be approximately $750 million in 2009 (excluding capex relating to Asia of approximately $100m). The EBITDA margin is expected to be maintained at the current level for the full year. Millicom expects operating free cash flow to be in the mid teens as a percentage of revenues for the 2009 year.

Vodacom Introduces M-PESA In Tanzania

­Vodacom Tanzania has officially signed up BOA Bank to provide Vodafone M-PESA services to its clientele. Both prepaid and post-paid Vodacom customers are able to open a Vodafone M-PESA account at no cost at any authorised agents and at BOA Tanzania outlets. Mobile users on any network can receive money sent through the M-PESA service.

"We are delighted to announce the signing up of Bank of Africa (BOA) as the very first Bank in Tanzania to become Vodafone M-PESA agent," said George Rwehumbiza, Vodacom's Head of Sponsorships and Communications.

"Today, BOA adds on to our current 1,000 agents countrywide", he continued to say.

BOA Bank Tanzania is a Private Commercial Bank operating in Tanzania serving corporate and retail customers. BOA's major shareholder, the Bank of Africa Group is already operating in ten other African countries namely: Benin, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Niger, Senegal, Uganda and Burundi with further plans of expanding.

Senegal's Former PM Offers to Buy Stake in Sonatel to Stave off Foreign Interest

Senegal's former Prime Minister, Mustafa Niasse Alliance has indicated his intention to buy into Sonatel, a move he hopes will prevent the government from selling part of its stake to foreigners. 

The Sonatel workers pursue their meetings with leaders of opinion in the country to convince State not to consider selling its shares to France Telecom. This Friday, may 8, they were sacred Cœur at Headquarters the afp where they exchanged on the issue with the Secretary-General of the party said. 

Mustafa Niasse who expressed solidarity with the Sonatél emloyeess has advocated, on occasion, a national preference when it comes to assign to-DOS also strategic as the Sonatel business. Thus, the former Prime Minister expressed ready to become a shareholder in society, just to preserve national interests. 

The State having already decided to no longer sell 9,87 % of its shares to France Telecom, the Sonatel workers continue to interact with the different layers of society just to call the State, the next time to consult with workers to take an also heavy decision therefore that this sale would of France Telecom company shareholder. 

France Telecom Gets Controlling Stake in Sonatel

France Telecom has taken control of Senegal based Sonatel after it brought 9.87% of the company from the Senegalese government, taking its ownership to 52.2%. Once the transaction has been completed, the Senegalese government will remain Sonatel’s second biggest shareholder with 17.28% of the operator's capital.

After various shareholder payments, the net cost to France Telecom will be EUR209 million (US$278.5 million).

France Telecom originally invested in the landline and mobile network operator in 1997. In addition to rebranding as Orange, the Group has expanded in Mali, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. At the end of last year, the Group had 3.8 million customers in Senegal, and a further 3.4 million in surrounding countries.

On signing this agreement, Marc Rennard, France Telecom’s Executive Director of the AMEA region and Chairman of Sonatel, said: "Since 1997, France Telecom has been very happy to support Sonatel's success in Senegal and the surrounding region. The quality of Sonatel's teams combined with France Telecom's experience have made Sonatel one of the most important operators in West Africa, especially in terms of innovation and service quality, which continue to benefit the Group's customers across its footprint. This new stage in our partnership will strengthen the dynamic business performance that characterises the Sonatel Group”.