The GSMA created the Instant Payment Notification (IPN) Hub as an industry utility to enable pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar providers, and other pre-paid utility service providers (e.g. energy, water and sanitation), to integrate more easily with mobile money operators across Africa, with the goal of accelerating essential utility services for underserved populations. The significant value of the IPN Hub has been demonstrated with notifications for over 3.5 million unique transactions processed to date, supporting the provision of clean energy for up to 190,000 households. As of September 2019, the IPN Hub connects 12 PAYG service providers to six mobile operators across five markets and there is a high demand for the IPN Hub to expand further into more countries and connect more mobile money operators.

To best support this expansion in a dynamic payment ecosystem, a transition is needed to ensure continued growth and sustainability of the IPN Hub service. Since inception, it has been understood that the GSMA Foundation was well-positioned to accelerate the PAYG industry by addressing a market barrier, and that if successful, this asset would best be sustained by transitioning it to the industry. Future business solutions are emerging to fill this market gap and the GSMA Foundation is a donor-funded, not-for-profit entity that is not suitable to operate in this dynamic market context.

The GSMA has now commenced the process to select a Successor Hub Provider for the IPN Hub and has engaged qualified industry players for proposals. This process is expected to conclude by mid-December 2019, with a handover at the end of March 2020.

If you are interested in finding out more about this process or in submitting a proposal, please get in touch via [email protected].

For more information on the IPN Hub, visit www.gsma.com/ipnhub.