Leading mobile money provider Mi-Pay is increasing its strategic
partnerships with operators and MVNOs in key remittance corridors in
order to support an anticipated rise in demand for international
airtime top-ups and transfers in 2010. The company sees easy access to
pre-pay airtime – for family and friends abroad – as crucial in driving
new revenue streams and boosting customer loyalty for operators
targeting multi-cultural traditionally Western ‘sending’ countries or
developing ‘recipient’ countries.

With operator partners already
in place to support its International Airtime Top-up services in
Europe, Africa, India and Latin America, Mi-Pay has secured major new
agreements that will potentially double its reach in a matter of
months. By the end of 2010, it anticipates that its ‘sending and
receiving’ channels will cover 65% of the global population.

Mi-Pay’s
International Airtime Top-up is a white labelled and highly "sticky"
service that will appeal to those operators looking for a
quick-to-market, risk-free way of enabling consumers to top-up their
own phones internationally; or those of family and friends overseas,
remotely.
Providing new marketing and revenue opportunities, it
can help to reduce churn, drive ARPU and boost international brand
recognition in both core and expanding markets. It also provides
operators and MVNO’s with direct access to the rapidly growing and
profitable airtime transfer market that exists within the world’s key
remittance corridors.
Norman Frankel CEO of Mi-Pay comments, "New
figures from World Bank show that, despite global recession, in 2009
the international remittance market to developing countries is set to
come in at around $317 billion dollars. This reflects the huge desire
for individuals to continue to aid family and friends living abroad
even in the face of current financial pressures."

"We believe
that informal remittance channels such as International Airtime Top-up
– where users can buy mobile phone airtime for contacts living in
another country – may well help to boost remittance values to regions
where mobile phone access is vital. By offering the ability to provide
regular low value financial assistance – it creates new opportunities
for those wishing to send support to their loved ones abroad and
innovative new campaign and marketing platforms for the operators
involved."
Mi-Pay handles all aspect of service delivery,
transaction handling and process support. Its International Airtime
Top-up interface can be fully client branded offering a seamless look
and feel to the operators/MVNOs other services. The service can be
accessed via Web, SMS, or via a network of point of sale terminals in a
retail environment. Consumers can choose to either make single top-ups
or create regular top-ups; to keep one or more remote handsets
recharged each week, month or quarter. The system supports payments by
cash, card or bank in the sender’s local currency.

Mobile operators and MVNOs interested in introducing an
International Airtime Top-up sending service or creating a recipient
channel with M-Pay should call +44(0) 207 11 22 121 or email:
[email protected] with their contact details.

Read more: http://mobile-financial.com/node/3541