Mobile Services
Banco Agrario, Telefonica and Comviva collaborate to launch electronic money solution for farmers and rural population
Manoranjan Mohapatra, Chief Executive Officer at Comviva
NEW DELHI: Banco Agrario, a prominent state-run bank focused on rural and agricultural sector, Telefonica Colombia, one of the leading telecom operators in Colombia, and Comviva, the global leader in mobility solution have come together for a mobile wallet pilot project in Colombia.
The project will focus on leveraging the ubiquity of mobile phones in Colombia to extend digital financial services to agricultural producers and the rural population.
In the pilot phase, customers will be able to open a mobile account, deposit money into account, withdraw cash from the account, transfer money to other users, pay utility bills and recharge their prepaid mobile connection, among other transactions.
To increase the service reach to rural and remote areas, Banco Agrario will use its extensive network of bank tellers and branchless banking agents to offer last mile services such as deposit and withdrawal. The electronic money service – AGROMOVIL will be available through mobile app as well as USSD ensuring that all users, whether they have smartphone or feature-phone are able to access the service. The pilot project will run for six months and will be executed in some towns with around 1,000 customers using the service.
The collaboration will see all entities combining their expertise to make this project a success. Banco Agrario would be managing the electronic money service by establishing the distribution network for last mile services, training the tellers and agents, acquiring customers and marketing the service. Telefonica Colombia will be the telecommunications provider and will bring its expertise in the field of telecommunications and in mobile technology and will facilitate access to the service through channels like USSD. Comviva is the technology partner for the project and will deploy its world-class electronic money platform mobiquity® Money to enable instant and secure transactions.
Speaking on the project, Luis Enrique Dussán López, CEO of Banco Agrario said “According to World Bank Findex, 54% adults in Colombia do not have a financial account. This figure rises to 59% in rural areas. This project will help to bank the financially excluded people by providing simple and cost-effective mobile financial services to agricultural producers, rural population and people living in remote areas. Our vision is to meet the financial needs of the underserved segments and create a more financially resilient society.”
Luis Martin, Director de B2B de Telefonica Colombia added “At Telefonica Colombia our aim has always been to use mobile technology to enhance the lives of people. Through this project we are extending the access of people on rural areas to virtual financial services through the mobile telephony. Electronic money solutions will help to accelerate the financial inclusion in the country and deliver greater value to consumers.”
Manoranjan Mohapatra, Chief Executive Officer at Comviva said “We are honored and excited to be part of this project. We will bring best practices from our global experience of over 60 electronic money deployments to this project. We have adopted a broad strategy for fostering financial ecosystem in Colombia. On one hand, we will provide an easy-to-use, convenient and secure mobile wallet for consumers ensuring greater adoption. On the other hand, we will provide an open platform that facilitates rapid and seamless integration with billers, merchants and other financial systems, paving the way for extensive use of mobile payments.”
Banco Agrario de Colombia is a state-run bank which came into existence in 1999. Its main objective is to provide banking services in the rural sector and support finance, agricultural, livestock, forestry and agro-industrial activities. It has an extensive network of 766 branches, 96 extended offices, and 5,648 branchless banking agents, one of the biggest in Colombia.
Comviva is a global leader in providing mobility solutions. It’s flagship electronic money platform mobiquity® Money delivers a host of electronic money services that transforms the way consumers save, borrow, transfer and spend money. Apart from delivering convenience to consumers, the solution enables financial service providers to acquire new customers, create long-term loyalty with existing ones, and seize new revenue opportunities to increase their footprint in the market. mobiquity® Money empowers financial service providers to be agile in their markets, with complete focus on the customers. mobiquity® Money has clocked over 60 deployments in more than 45 countries. It powers three of the top 10 deployments globally and processes more than 4 billion transactions every year amounting to over USD 80 billion annually.
Telefonica Colombia is one of the biggest drivers of the digital economy in the Colombia. The activity of the company, is mainly focused on mobile telephony and connectivity, broadband services, home fiber optic, satellite television, fixed telephony and the offer of digital solutions for small, medium and large companies and corporations. Telefonica Colombia is present in 280 municipalities with fixed broadband, 957 with mobile telephony and in 315 it offers 4G LTE technology. Likewise, it offers fixed telephony in 769 municipalities. Telefonica Colombia ended 2017 with a customer base of 17.9 million: 14.6 million mobile lines, 1.2 million broadband customers, 530 thousand digital satellite TV and 1.6 million fixed lines in service.
NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel, India’s telecommunications services provider, today announced the launch of its ultra-fast 5G services in 125 cities. Airtel 5G Plus service is now available to customers in over 265 cities in the country.
Airtel 5G Plus has three compelling advantages for customers. First, it runs on a technology that has the widest acceptance in the world with the most developed ecosystem. This ensures that all 5G smartphones in India seamlessly work on the Airtel network. Second, the company promises to deliver the best experience – between 20 to 30 times higher speeds than today coupled with brilliant voice experience and super-fast call connect. Finally, Airtel 5G Plus network will also be kinder to the environment with its special power reduction solution. Powered by the reliable Airtel network infrastructure, Airtel 5G Plus will provide superfast access to High-Definition video streaming, gaming, multiple chatting, instant uploading of photos et all.
Commenting on the launch, Randeep Sekhon, CTO, Bharti Airtel said, “5G has revolutionized the world of internet, ushering new era of connectivity and communications that will prove to be a game-changer for the country. At Airtel, we remain committed to delivering the highest quality of network and service to our customers as we roll-out 125 more cities today. Airtel was the first in the country to offer 5G services in October 2022, and today’s mega launch is our promise to connect every Airtel customer in the country with ultra-fast Airtel 5G Plus. Our 5G rollout is on track to cover all towns and key rural areas by March 2024.”
Airtel 5G Plus service availability will continue to rapidly expand – including service in all towns and villages in the country soon – as the company is working towards offering nationwide coverage. Airtel is now offering its 5G services in every major city from the upper northern city of Jammu to the southern tip of Kanyakumari.
In the last one year, Airtel has demonstrated the power of 5G with a host of powerful use cases that will change the way customers lead their lives and do business. From India’s first live 5G network in Hyderabad to India’s first private 5G network at the BOSCH facility in Bengaluru to partnering with Mahindra & Mahindra to make its Chakan manufacturing facility, India’s first 5G enabled auto manufacturing unit, Airtel has been at the forefront of 5G innovation.
NEW DELHI: Apple Inc has rolled out a beta programme to enable 5G on Apple devices as the upgrade lets users try out pre-release software.
This software upgrade enables 5G access on Apple devices, as and when service providers Jio, Airtel and Vodafone enable 5G network access, sources said.
Apple Users have to enrol for the Beta Programme on the website, install a profile and download the software.
Jio users using iPhone 12 and above, in cities where JioTrue5G has been rolled out, will be invited to the Jio Welcome Offer. Jio Welcome Offer provides unlimited 5G data at up to 1 Gbps speed to users at no additional cost. However, there is a condition that prepaid users must be on active Rs 239 and above plan. All Postpaid users are eligible for this trial.
Airtel is not providing any special 5G offer like Jio to their users. In the cities/areas in which the Airtel 5G network has been launched, users can trial 5G services as a part of their existing plan, once they have updated the latest Apple Beta software.
While an email sent to Apple did not solicit an immediate response, the firm had last month stated: “We are working with our carrier partners in India to bring the best 5G experience to iPhone users as soon as network validation and testing for quality and performance is completed. 5G will be enabled via a software update and will start rolling out to iPhone users in December”.
Airtel and Jio customers on iPhone 14, iPhone 13, iPhone 12 and iPhone SE (3rd generation) models can experience 5G as part of Apple’s iOS 16 Beta Software Program. The Apple Beta Software Program is open to anyone with a valid Apple ID who accepts the Apple Beta Software Program Agreement during the sign-up process.
If a user has an iCloud account, that is an Apple ID, it is recommended they use that. If they do not have an iCloud account or any other Apple ID, they can create one.
Customers who want to try the beta software should back up their iPhones before installing the beta software. It is recommended to install the beta software only on non-production devices that are not business-critical. Users can also provide feedback to Apple on quality and usability, which helps Apple identify issues, fix them, and make Apple software even better.
The iOS beta comes with the built-in Feedback Assistant app, which can be opened from the Home screen on the iPhone or iPad or from the Dock on the Mac.
Source: Press Trust of India
5g
Nokia wins multi-year deal with Reliance Jio India to build one of the largest 5G networks in the world
NEW DELHI: Nokia has announced that it has been selected as a major supplier by Reliance Jio to supply 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment from its comprehensive AirScale portfolio countrywide in a multi-year deal. Reliance Jio is India’s number one mobile operator and has one of the largest RAN footprints in the world.
Under the contract, Nokia will supply equipment from its AirScale portfolio, including base stations, high-capacity 5G Massive MIMO antennas, and Remote Radio Heads (RRH) to support different spectrum bands, and self-organizing network software. Reliance Jio plans to deploy a 5G standalone network which will interwork with its 4G network. The network will enable Reliance Jio to deliver advanced 5G services such as massive machine-to-machine communications, network slicing, and ultra-low-latency.
Akash Ambani, Chairman Reliance Jio, commented: “We are pleased to be working with Nokia for our 5G SA deployment in India. Jio is committed to continuously investing in the latest network technologies to enhance the experience of all of its customers. We are confident that our partnership with Nokia will deliver one of the most advanced 5G networks globally.”
Pekka Lundmark, President and CEO at Nokia stated: “This is a significant win for Nokia in an important market and a new customer with one of the largest RAN footprints in the world. This ambitious project will introduce millions of people across India to premium 5G services, enabled by our industry-leading AirScale portfolio. We are proud that Reliance Jio has placed its trust in our technology and we look forward to a long and productive partnership with them.”
Nokia has a long-standing presence in India. This new deal will mean that Nokia is now supplying India’s three largest mobile operators.
