Financial services platforms affiliated to Telenor Pakistan and Jazz inked a reciprocal agreement covering payment for mobile services, a move hailed as a first step towards wider collaboration.

News agency Dispatch News Desk reported the deal would allow JazzCash users to purchase prepaid mobile services or settle bills for Telenor services. Similarly Jazz services can be paid for through the Easypaisa app, a platform provided by Telenor Microfinance Bank.

Jazz COO Asif Aziz said the collaboration formed part of efforts to remove boundaries for mobile payments and deliver more interoperability.

Telenor Pakistan CMO Umair Mohsin added the move provided financial inclusion benefits and offered customers of both brands greater choice.

The deal brings together platforms controlled by Pakistan’s two largest operators. GSMA Intelligence estimates for Q4 2019 place Veon-owned Jazz as the leader with 60.5 million connections, with Telenor on 45.4 million.