Leveraging on our network to promote development in the

ECOWAS region

By Philip Sowah

Who we are

• 3rd largest telecom provider in the world• 246 Million customers across 21 countries

(South Asia, Africa and the Channel Islands) at the end of February 2012

• Operations in 17 African countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone,

Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda,

Zambia, Madagascar, Seychelles and Rwanda

• Subscriber base of over 2.8 million active customers

• Fastest growing network with 90% nationwide coverage

• Winner of numerous telecom mobile money awards

Outline

• One Network• Airtel Money• Conclusion

AIRTEL ONE NETWORK

Background The reasoning behind the introduction of the Airtel One Network was to deploy a borderless mobile phone network across the Airtel Group, where Airtel customers could move freely between the countries in which Airtel operates and be treated as “virtual” local customers of the visited network in terms of pricing, while retaining their home network service functionality.

In Africa, One Network is available in the all 17 countries Airtel operates in, including Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Niger and Chad in West Africa

Benefits of One Network

Customers roaming on One Network pay

cheaper rates

Customers can recharge airtime using

the visited Airtel network’s local top-up

vouchers.

Customers still stays in touch with business partners, family and friends on the same number no matter

where they are on the continent

It facilitates seamless trade and business

across the West Africa sub region and

beyond

Recommendations

• EU is introducing new legislation on roaming to limit the excessive charges to customers. – We need to do this also.

• Airtel’s One Network gives Ecowas a framework for developing a tarrifing regime which will promote telecommunication services to intra-Ecowas business community

• Give networks more flexibility in determining in-bound termination rates for countries within the sub-region.

AIRTEL MONEY

Introduction• Electronic commerce looms large worldwide, and has transformed

trade and industry in an unprecedented manner. Its potential is huge and its impact is expected to go far beyond commerce to affect the lives of millions of consumers.

Airtel Money is Airtel’s innovative and award winning service that allows customers to use their mobile phone as a mobile wallet.

•

It also offers the most comprehensive package of e- commerce and payment features currently available on the Ghanaian market.

• g The enhanced Airtel Money service will provide millions of people with access to banking services for the first time and has the potential to transform banking in Africa and dramatically increase access to financial services.

About Airtel Money

Areas of Facilitation • Airtel Money as an e-commerce platform can facilitate

Cross-Border trade transaction as:

Money transfer service

Vehicle for direct payment to suppliers

Transmission medium to bridge /facilitate bank

international remittance process

Benefit for Cross Border Transaction

Airtel Money, when used across the sub region can:

Reduce transactions costs

• Ease difficulty of road blocks

• Reduce delivery time

Eliminate the risk involved in carrying cash across borders

Assist in Cash tracking / Anti Money laundering

Aid deposit of remittance into financial institutions

Challenges

Inter-border currency

(transactional volume)

settlement

Inter-border mobile money

policy

ECOWAS policy on cross-border

currency exchange

Way Forward

In order to encourage e-Commerce development as a support to regional integration and development in West Africa, ECOWAS must encourage West African governments to work on a policy that will address all the challenges stated earlier thereby facilitating a financial and banking framework that allows for electronic payments and transfers within the sub-region

Thank you for your time