Tanzania: TTCL to Start Money Transfer Services

By Rosemary Mirondo

Dar es Salaam — The State-run Tanzania Telecommunications Company Limited (TTCL) is now venturing into mobile money transfer services as it seeks to enter the competitive market that already has four players.

It will utilise an unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) technology to rollout its services soon, officials have said.

The company has contracted a payment technology provider, Novatti Group Ltd, to supply technology equipment worth $850,000 (about Sh1.87 billion) to implement the project.

Novatti Group Ltd will supply the state-owned telecommunications firm with technologies that will include a short messenger centre (SMSC) and USSD services.

TTCL public relations manager Nicodemus Mushi told The Citizen yesterday the company had been undergoing a transition period from a 3G code division multiple access (CDMA) network to a 4G LTE polarisation division multiple access (PDMA) that will enable it be among the big players in telecommunications and provide quality and reliable services.

"TTCL has been lagging behind because it lacked requisite features like the value added service that comprises mobile money transfer that the majority of customers are looking for in their phones, but we are in the process of installing it," he said.

TTCL has been providing mobile phone services for years now. Using its CDMA technology, it has been offering mobile voice and data services only and has about 50,000 to 60,000 customers countrywide.

"With this major transformation, TTCL will compete with the rest of other players in the mobile telecommunications industry," he said. Major competitors in money transfer services include Vodacom (M-Pesa), Airtel (Airtel Money), Tigo (Tigo Pesa) and Zantel (EzyPesa). The number of mobile phone subscribers hit 39.8 million in December last year, according to Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) figures. TTCL maintains a one-per cent market share with a total of 304,214 subscribers.

Mr Mushi said for them to be vibrant in the telecommunications market they needed key features that were sought by customers, including mobile money transfers and 4G LTE.

He noted that they would launch new products, including 4G LTE, Roters, Mifi, mobile money transfer services and changing the company logo by June this year.

Expounding on that he said TTCL had started migration from 3G CDMA to 4G LTE in Dar es Salaam December last year in Dar es Salaam city with 25 sites, which was still ongoing and they expected to have full coverage in the city by the end of the year.

SOURCE:THE CITIZEN