Mobile for Development

Mobile for Development http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment Thu, 04 Feb 2016 10:01:06 +0000 en-US 1.2 http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment 1nrooneym4d@gsma.com 17abirrellabirrell@gsm.org 2jshulistjshulist@gsm.org 33Ashaahicking@gsm.org 32hgomeshgomes@gsma.com 29kreidkreid@gsma.com 151Helene Smertnikhsmertnik@gsma.com 28ldawesldawes@gsma.com 47Guest Bloggergblogger@gsm.org 202Kirstinkrhodes@gsma.com 128Lukalvilaj@gsma.com 152Mireya Almazanmalmazan@gsma.com 25ajadhavajadhav@gsma.com 21mroachmroach@gsma.com 19fmottakinfmottakin@gsma.com 18mniquemnique@gsma.com 22skumarskumar@gsma.com 24npshenichnayanpshenichnaya@gsma.com 23vclausevclause@gsma.com 7fsmithfsmith@gsma.com 68VariousVarious@gsm.org 144tskinnertskinner@gsma.com 30jwallerjwaller@gsm.org 55MMUMMU@gsm.org 126plevinPLevin@gsm.org 134GCamnerGCamner@gsma.com 12pleishmanpleishman@gsm.org 45msolinmsolin@gsm.org 141GSMAmWomenmWomen@gsma.com 10sdesaisdesai@gsma.com 51ndalyndaly@gsm.org 13ndavidsonndavidson@gsm.org 52ctellezctellez@gsm.org 107GSMAinfo@gsm.org 176Willie Ngumiwngumi@gsma.com 42imasimas@gsm.org 50asaxenaasaxena@gsm.org 48mkhanmkhan@gsm.org 190hrobertshroberts@gsma.com 49azerzanazerzan@gsm.org 35Billy_Jack_and_Tavneet_Suribjts@gsm.org 41The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundationbmgf@gsm.org 40dalbergdalberg@gsm.org 39hystrahystra@gsm.org 38nkiitinkiiti@gsm.org 15cpenicaudcpenicaud@gsma.com 14ymccartyymccarty@gsma.com 44jkendalljkendall@gsm.org 43IMTFIIMTFI@gsm.org 73World Economic Forumwef@gsm.org 103Mobile Business Briefingmbb@gsm.org 173Elisa Minischettieminischetti@gsma.com 200Sarah CrampsieSCrampsie@gsma.com 206gpenterianigpenteriani@gsma.com 186rshahrshah@gsma.com 5jdelichtejdelichte@gsm.org 100pflorespflores@gsm.org 27mcargomcargo@gsma.com 20cwardcward@gsm.org 8cfriderichscfriderichs@gsma.com 158Kristen Roggemannkroggemann@gsma.com 148Priya Bhandaripbhandari@gsma.com 26kfohkfoh@gsma.com 116Grameen Foundationgf@gsm.org 125NLalwaniNLalwani@gsm.org 6jwestheadjwesthead@gsm.org 16sdicastrisdicastri@gsma.com 56CGAPCGAP@gsm.org 129LGilmanLGilman@gsma.com 130MAshrafuzzamanMAshrafuzzaman@gsma.com 133LStonesLStones@gsm.org 211Kaileykfuller-jackson@gsma.com 131JBurchellJBurchell@gsm.org 132FArabFArab@gsm.org 157Edele Sheehanesheelan@gsma.com 136Ali Imronaimron@gsma.com 138Fionan McGrathfmcgrath@gsma.com 63Cherie Blair Foundationcbf@gsm.org 140mnkonumnkonu@gsma.com 11tdasguptatdasgupta@gsm.org 161Kim Viljoenkviljoen@gsma.com 162Catherine Highetchighet@gsma.com 205Peter.NdichuPeter.Ndichu@gsma.com 193cwilliamsoncwilliamson@gsma.com 153Olly Parsonsoparsons@gsma.com 143Max Cuvelliermcuvellier@gsma.com 147Ronda Zelezny-Greenrzelezny-green@gsma.com 62USAIDUSAID@gsm.org 150Ilana Cohenicohen@gsma.com 168BMuthiorabmuthiora@gsma.com 156Michael Klein and Colin Mayer The World Bankmkcm@gsm.org 155Daniel Radcliffe and Rodger Voorhies The Bill and Melinda Gard@gsm.org 159Tim Hattthatt@gsma.com 160CGardnermdi@gsma.com 164Victor Ohuruoguvohuruogu@gsma.com 165Shireen Santoshamssantosham@gsma.com 166Paul Merrypmerry@gsma.com 167MNayakmnayak@gsma.com 9akassamakassam@gsma.com 172JFrydrychjfrydrych@gsma.com 169Tegantpalmer@gsma.com 171NShariffnshariff@gsma.com 199ckaschulackaschula@gsma.com 154Arunjayakatakam@gsma.com 179EmmaNielsenEmmaNielsen@gsma.com 177SFazalkarimSFazalkarim@gsma.com 175haschimhaschim@gsma.com 180GeorgiaBarriegbarrie@gsma.com 189philprawcliffe@gsma.com 178SMontesSMontes@gsma.com 191nvonthronnvonthron@gsma.com 182JErasmusJErasmus@gsma.com 192ATyersATyers@gsma.com 196amurphyamurphy@gsma.com 197jsaninjsanin@gsma.com 201Rosierafia@gsma.com 217Michaelmluke@gsma.com 198jgrossmanjgrossman@gsma.com 203nnaghavinnaghavi@gsma.com 204mAgrimagriteam@gsma.com 207ndarabianndarabian@gsma.com 208LGidvanimmu@gsma.com 209Danieldtricarico@gsma.com 210Jennyjcasswell@gsma.com 212rbindorbindo@gsma.com 215Hannahhleach@gsma.com 216FPastifpasti@gsma.com 218shasnainshasnain@gsma.com 219tnovaistnovais@gsma.com 220csheldonCSheldon@gsma.com 221Donatasdadamonis@gsma.com 223GTouchardgtouchard@gsma.com 222mihaimihai@tenacityworks.com http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.11 Mobile money smartphone apps: Trends from Latin America http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/mobile-money-smartphone-apps-trends-from-latin-america Mon, 11 Jan 2016 10:35:47 +0000 http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26017 the next generation of digital financial inclusion. Cheaper devices, innovative pricing models and data-ready mobile networks are contributing to an accelerated pace of smartphone adoption. In fact, in 2014 more than half of mobile money providers offered an app, and we expect an even greater appetite for app development in the coming years. The underlying trend suggests that for users, apps are becoming a basic necessity, not just an additional access option. We believe the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region is a particularly interesting place to watch for mobile money app development because:

By 2020, nearly 70% of LAC users will adopt smartphones, making this the developing region with the highest penetration of next-generation devices
The region is a “mobile first” when it comes to early adopters and app usage–for instance, LAC leads worldwide engagement on social media and the average user has 18 apps on his or her smartphone

Unsurprisingly, mobile money providers in the region are investing in app development and raising the bar when it comes to user experience and functionality. We’ve highlighted some new app features that have the potential to accelerate ecosystem development for mobile financial services:

Barcode generation for merchant payments and P2P transfers

In Mexico, Telcel’s Transfer app allows users to generate a barcode for merchant payments to be scanned using a cashier’s barcode scanner, or through the app itself for P2P transfers: This facilitates easier interactions with third parties and avoids disclosing the user’s mobile phone number in untrusted environments.

Barcode scanning for bill payments

Entering information for bill payments on an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) stream can be time-consuming and error-prone. Brazil uses a unified bill payments banking system, which consists of a standard barcode and 47-number string as a unique identifier.[1] To facilitate adoption of this system through mobile money, Zuum’s app allows customers to use their smartphone cameras as barcode scanners. The process is made much simpler due to embedded barcode decoding software that converts the barcode directly into the unique number string. Other LAC countries, such as Argentina and Uruguay, also offer similar barcode bill payment capabilities and this trend seems set to continue.

Expanding mobile money accounts to all consumers, regardless of their mobile network operator

Mobile money services are often linked to a specific mobile network, either through a SIM card or USSD channel, and this can limit the number of addressable customers within a market. Using proper authentication methods, MNO-agnostic apps can help grow the size of the pie. For example, when a new customer subscribes to Zuum through the app, a logic checks which operator a particular mobile number belongs to.[2] Even if the customer falls outside of Vivo’s domain (Zuum’s MNO partner), the user is still able to use all mobile money features in the app. Notes on app usability and security As CGAP notes in its report, Doing Digital Finance Right, one of the key consumer risks for uptake of mobile money services is complex or confusing user interfaces. When designing apps, mobile money providers should take into account user experience best practices for small, touch-enabled smartphone screens. Other aspects such as optimised data access should also be considered. As a starting point, app developers can refer to the GSMA’s Smarter Apps for Smarter Phones, a reference document aimed to equip developers with guidelines and recommendations for fit-for-purpose apps that are optimised for any potential network constraints or limitations on battery life. Security is another critical aspect to developing a viable app. Applications introduce a security trade-off by moving from a “walled” operator-driven channel, such as USSD, to an internet-enabled channel on specific operating systems (OS). Malware, internet- and OS-based attacks could potentially compromise user data. LAC taking the lead LAC is taking the lead on creating secure and user-friendly mobile money apps. A recent study on mobile money and banking apps acknowledged Zuum’s app for its ability to preserve the integrity of customer transactions, showcasing high security standards. While Zuum heavily invested in the app’s development, they may have also benefited from Brazil’s strong financial and banking systems, which already rely on internet-based channels and as such, have developed a stringent set of security rules, particularly for apps. Mobile money providers around the globe take customer security very seriously, and app development discussions involve compromises between user experience, security and development costs. As Zuum’s app has shown, a balance between these aspects can be found and we expect more mobile money providers to invest in and develop best-in-class apps. See our related publications:

Notes: [1] Fonseca, Carlos Eduardo Correa da. Tecnologia bancária no Brasil : uma história de conquistas, uma visão de futuro / Carlos Eduardo Correa, Fernando Meirelles, Eduardo Diniz ; coordenação editorial Sonia Penteado. – São Paulo : FGVRAE, 2010. [2] Additionally, mobile money providers can identify which operators own or serve any particular mobile number. In Brazil, the number portability authority provides an API for consultation. Globally, the GSMA also provides a worldwide number lookup service through PathFinder.]]> 26017 2016-01-11 10:35:47 2016-01-11 10:35:47 open open mobile-money-smartphone-apps-trends-from-latin-america publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last Author Region __featured_video _thumbnail_id _wpas_done_all Merchant Payments: Choosing the right pricing model http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/merchant-payments-choosing-the-right-pricing-model Thu, 14 Jan 2016 09:08:27 +0000 http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26048 This blog post was co-written by Arunjay Katakam and Ben Lyon, a board member of Kopo Kopo. The opportunity of merchant payments in mobile money makes them impossible to ignore. Enabling consumers to pay for goods and services with mobile money increases the utility of a mobile money service, creates an incentive for consumers to store value on their mobile money account, and reduces a mobile money provider’s cash-out commission costs. But how much should a merchant payment cost, and who should bear that cost? Various pricing models exist, from Safaricom M-PESA’s hybrid model in Kenya to Telesom ZAAD’s free model in Somaliland. With new merchant payment services launching every month, we wanted to start an open conversation around best practices and possible pricing models. So where should we begin? First, we believe that charging customers is a risky and short-cited play. Here’s why:

Although mobile money adds convenience, customers are not the primary beneficiaries of a merchant payment – merchants, mobile money providers, and suppliers are, as outlined below.

Can you remember the last time you paid to make a payment at a merchant? In most markets, any fee over and above the perceived cost of cash (i.e. free) creates a psychological barrier to adoption.

In the long-term, there is more money to be made by making a mobile money service “top of wallet” and keeping e-money within the ecosystem, than by charging a fee every time a consumer pays a merchant.

Great, but how do I choose the right pricing model? No single pricing model is right for every market. In fact, no single pricing model is right within a single market. To choose the best model(s), we recommend running experiments on both sides of the market – with consumers and merchants – and keeping an open mind. In particular, pay attention to short-term and long-term incentives and openly ask: Is there a tension between the two? There may be a short-term incentive to recover deposit commissions (the cost of paying an agent a commission every time a consumer deposits funds into their account), for example, but this may contravene a long-term incentive to expand customer adoption and usage. It is important to identify and confront these tensions upfront. Here are a few alternative pricing models for mobile money providers to consider for recovering those costs: 1. Merchant pays Model & Rationale: Similar to the model employed by the payment card industry, the merchant pays either a percentage, known as merchant discount rate (MDR), a flat fee per transaction, or a monthly subscription in order to accept a mobile money payment from their customer. Given that mobile money providers tend to operate three-party closed-loop ecosystems, the fee should arguably be lower than that charged by the card industry, which uses a four-party model.

2. Supplier pays Model & Rationale: Today, when a customer pays a merchant with cash, neither of them pay a tangible fee. Replacing cash with mobile money and without charging either customer or merchant could help drive adoption as it becomes convenient for both, without a financial burden. Further, suppliers arguably have the biggest cash-pain in the entire value chain, simply because they must collect mountains of cash. For these suppliers, costs associated with handling such large amounts of cash are: insurance in transit, salaries for employees to count cash, and theft.

3. Free for All Model & Rationale: Adoption of merchant payments via mobile money requires a behavior change from everyone in the value chain. Adding a new cost to any actor is likely to have an adverse effect on adoption. When a customer makes a mobile money payment to a merchant, the e-money stays in the system – rather than being cashed-out. The more this occurs, the better it is for mobile money services looking to build an ecosystem, which allows them to stay relevant in the long-term. There are two ways in which mobile money service providers could mitigate their costs: (a) For mobile money services that have integrated with banks, they need to ensure that they have an equal or greater amount of funds coming into their system from bank transfers (as these are deposit commission free funds) than funds paid out to merchants / suppliers in order to mitigate the cost of agent cash-in commissions. (b) Revenue share from adjacencies, such as interest earned on working capital loans to merchants, could be a sustainable and scalable way to grow merchant payments.

Alternately, a mobile money provider could give merchants a certain number of free transactions every month (e.g. 10-50 free transactions) in order to limit their liability. This blog post is part of a series on what it takes to scale mobile money merchant payments. In the next post, I’ll discuss the various approaches to customer and merchant user experiences.]]> 26048 2016-01-14 09:08:27 2016-01-14 09:08:27 open open merchant-payments-choosing-the-right-pricing-model publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last __featured_video Region Author _thumbnail_id _wpas_done_all 260319 akay_in@yahoo.com 10.87.10.143 2016-01-19 05:41:30 2016-01-19 05:41:30 1 0 0 akismet_result akismet_history akismet_as_submitted akismet_history Lessons learned from our grantees: NextDrop http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/lessons-learned-from-our-grantees-nextdrop Thu, 14 Jan 2016 15:48:54 +0000 http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26059 Case Study 2: NextDrop – Providing water timing solutions in Bangalore In 2013, we launched the M4D Utilities Innovation Fund (formerly MECs) to test and scale the use of mobile to improve or increase access to energy and water services. With the support of the UK Government, GBP 2.4 million in Seed and Market Validation grants was awarded to 13 organisations in 11 countries across Africa and Asia. Today we continue our Case Studies series on lessons learned from these 13 projects. A core output of the Innovation Fund is the lessons and evidence base developed throughout the grant timeline that can inform players in the ecosystem, in order to grow and scale the sector. Mobile-enabled products and services for water and energy delivery, and the business models that support them, have developed significantly since we started this journey. It is our intention that by making these lessons public we will continue to accelerate the sector. The second case study in our series focuses on NextDrop, a for-profit enterprise with a social mission based in Bangalore. Due to the scarcity of water, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is forced to ration supply such that some areas receive water only a few hours each week. NextDrop designed a Water Information System to track, monitor and validate the actual water distribution timings, frequency and duration in real time. In January 2014, NextDrop was awarded a GBP 141,250 Seed grant to deploy its innovative service to 40% of Bangalore, a city of 8 million residents in association with the BWSSB. The key objectives were to:

Develop and deploy an information system to provide BWSSB visibility into its own operations.
To create a two-way communication channel between BWSSB and its customers to increase transparency and accountability
To enable BWSSB to make data-driven decision to improve service levels, reduce the proportion of non-revenue water and make water distribution more equitable..

Some of the most valuable findings from the project are outlined below and are explained in more depth in the Case Study. Service improvements NextDrop’s solution not only stabilised supply time in 14% of valve areas but also led to a 90% reduction in complaints at BWSSB’s call centres. Stabilisation occurred in 326 valve areas (out of 2320) from May – December 2014, an example of which can be seen in the infographic below. To reduce customer complaints, simple process improvements were made, such as providing customer call centre operatives with the scheduled supply time, indicating the importance customers attach to water-related information. Time of Day

Adoption of technology Literacy is not a prerequisite for mobile solution adoption, but user trepidation about advanced technologies (like smartphones) can hinder usage. NextDrop valvemen often have a primary education at best, however through a mix of training, incentive programs and active follow-up, valveman participation increased throughout the grant. When asked to use the ValveKey mobile app on a smartphone to improve data accuracy, many valvemen (having never had a smartphone before) feared damaging or losing the smartphone. However, smartphone ownership and usage is an aspirational goal of many and active follow-up was the biggest driver of active reporting along with education and training. [caption id="attachment_26061" align="aligncenter" width="225"]

Example of ValveKey Smartphone App[/caption] Key role of grant giving institutions in the water sector Utilities cannot easily support pilots due to their low risk appetite and certain procedural norms such as public tenders. However, innovation is often spurred in the water sector by cash-strapped solution providers. Grants can bridge this gap and NextDrop is a prime example of a grant leading to a utility partnership. Through the Mobile for Development Utilities Innovation Fund, NextDrop developed a proof of concept and validated its value proposition to BWSSB and in September 2015, NextDrop won a public tender to extend its monitoring service to the remaining 60% of the city. In the coming weeks and months we will publish more Case Studies to share insights from the other Phase 1 grantees. Follow the series by signing up to our blog and please share your views on any of these findings by contacting us at m4dutilities@gsma.com. ]]> 26059 2016-01-14 15:48:54 2016-01-14 15:48:54 open open lessons-learned-from-our-grantees-nextdrop publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last _thumbnail_id __featured_video _wpas_done_all NextDrop: Water Simplified http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/nextdrop-water-simplified Thu, 14 Jan 2016 15:45:55 +0000 http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26096 NextDrop-Water-Simplified]]> 26096 2016-01-14 15:45:55 2016-01-14 15:45:55 open open nextdrop-water-simplified publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last __featured_video _thumbnail_id _wpas_done_all Digital inclusion and mobile sector taxation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26109 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26109 Digital inclusion and mobile sector taxation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo]]> 26109 2016-01-14 19:15:06 0000-00-00 00:00:00 open open draft 0 0 post 0 _edit_last __featured_video _thumbnail_id Lessons learned from our grantees: Mobisol http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/lessons-learned-from-our-grantees-mobisol Tue, 19 Jan 2016 14:45:32 +0000 http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26115 Case Study 3: Mobisol – Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) Solar for Entrepreneurs in Rwanda In 2013, we launched the M4D Utilities Innovation Fund (formerly MECS) to test and scale the use of mobile to improve or increase access to energy and water services. With the support of the UK Government, GBP 2.4 million in Seed and Market Validation grants was awarded to 13 organisations in 11 countries across Africa and Asia. Today we continue our Case Study series on lessons learned from these 13 projects. A core output of the Innovation Fund is the lessons and evidence base developed throughout the grant timeline that can inform ecosystem players, such as commercial benefits to mobile operators, and social and economic impacts for the underserved. By making these lessons public, we intend to accelerate scaling and sector growth. Since the inception of these grants, we have already seen significant expansion and innovation to mobile-enabled products and services for water and energy delivery as well as sanitation, and the business models that support them. The third Case Study in our series focuses on Mobisol, a Berlin based company which launched its solar pay-as-you-go (PAYG) business in Tanzania in 2012. Mobisol offers off-grid customers in emerging markets pre-paid solar home systems paid through a 36-month loan term, including customer support and maintenance. This PAYG model is enabled by mobile payments and GSM based machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity in the solar unit to monitor system usage and performance while providing Mobisol remote control.

In December 2013, GSMA awarded Mobisol a GBP 228,000 Market Validation grant to replicate its innovative mobile-enabled energy business in Rwanda, through a partnership with MTN Rwanda. In response to the country’s widespread need for electrification, accompanied by limited livelihood possibilities, the main objective of the grant was for Mobisol to explore the market demand for entrepreneurial systems that can generate income through business kits for charging phones and lanterns. Other key objectives were to:

Gain insights about replicating the pay-as-you-go solar model in an unproven market.
Understand the opportunities of pay-as-you-go solar for MNOs, in this instance MTN Rwanda.

Some of the most valuable findings from the project are outlined below and are explained in more depth in the Case Study. Increased revenue opportunities for entrepreneurs The value proposition of PAYG solar home systems has been proven, with several profitable start-up companies offering affordable, cleaner and higher quality in-home energy solutions. Mobisol’s grant sought to take the concept a step further, beyond asset financing, by testing the additional value proposition of offering a business kit to customers for income generation. The focus of the grant was therefore on 100W and 200W systems with charging business kits, including a MobiCharger for multiple phone or laptop charging and 20 lanterns for rental. [caption id="attachment_26128" align="aligncenter" width="400"]

Mobisol 100W panel with battery and control box[/caption] Mobisol set out to sell 400 entrepreneurial systems to customers to learn about the demand and value of this offering to both customers and Mobisol’s own business. 22% of all Mobisol customers in 2014 opted to buy the business kit to generate income with their systems, confirming Mobisol’s expectations that 20-30% of customers would invest in a system that could generate revenue through a charging service. One of the most significant livelihood benefits to Mobisol entrepreneurs was the finding that they can earn an estimated RWF 25,000 (USD 35)/month from their phone and lantern charging business, exceeding the monthly cost of Mobisol’s 100W system with the business kit. Furthermore, eighty percent of Mobisol entrepreneurs keep their business open 1.5 hours longer than before Mobisol, resulting in additional revenue. Strategic replication in an untested market A key objective of the Market Validation Grant is to better understand the building blocks to scale mobile-enabled businesses. This project provided particularly important insights into this as Mobisol sought to replicate a “blueprint” from their operations in Tanzania and then build a Rwanda specific operations manual. Mobisol demonstrated that their business model has strong potential for replication, though key aspects require in-depth assessment and hands-on management. In particular, Mobisol made important adaptations to their products and pricing, entrepreneur support, and sales in order to spark early demand where initial willingness to pay was lower than expected. For example, shifting the size of solar home systems to match the location-specific sunlight availability and customer demand; building standardised training models and evaluation for agents and technicians; and addressing barriers and incentives to support solar entrepreneurs. Pay-as-you-go solar drives mobile money usage Another important objective was extracting the learnings on the impact of solar pay-as-you-go on mobile money. Results demonstrated how Mobisol is driving account activity, for example;

Mobisol entrepreneurs make an average of 1.7 payments per month via MTN mobile money, exceeding the industry benchmark of one transaction every 90 days
Mobisol’s systems are enabling new customer acquisition with an estimated 20% of business kit users registering for MTN mobile money for the first time .

Catalysing investment and new partnerships The M4D Utilities Innovation Fund grant had a catalysing effect for Mobisol, with EUR 6 million in funding from the EU awarded in December 2014, matched by private and government investment to total EUR 22 million to support Mobisol, alongside the Rwanda Energy Development Corporation Ltd., to provide 49,000 solar home systems to households and 1,000 to schools in Rwanda by mid-2018. This partnership between a national utility and off-grid solar provider the first of its kind, and highlights the key impact that the M4D Utilities Innovation Fund seeks to achieve. In the coming weeks and months we will publish more Case Studies to share insights from the other Phase 1 grantees. Follow the series by signing up to our blog and please share your views on any of these findings by contacting us at m4dutilities@gsma.com. ]]> 26115 2016-01-19 14:45:32 2016-01-19 14:45:32 open open lessons-learned-from-our-grantees-mobisol publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last __featured_video _thumbnail_id _wpas_done_all Mobisol: Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) Solar for Entrepreneurs in Rwanda http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/mobisol-pay-as-you-go-payg-solar-for-entrepreneurs-in-rwanda Tue, 19 Jan 2016 14:46:31 +0000 http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26123 Mobisol Pay as you go Solar for Entrepreneurs in Rwanda]]> 26123 2016-01-19 14:46:31 2016-01-19 14:46:31 open open mobisol-pay-as-you-go-payg-solar-for-entrepreneurs-in-rwanda publish 0 0 post 0 _thumbnail_id _edit_last __featured_video _wpas_done_all Digital inclusion and mobile sector taxation in India http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/digital-inclusion-and-mobile-sector-taxation-in-india Tue, 19 Jan 2016 16:22:46 +0000 http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26139 Digital inclusion and mobile sector taxation in India Download summary: Digital inclusion in India the impact of taxation on the development of mobile services]]> 26139 2016-01-19 16:22:46 2016-01-19 16:22:46 open open digital-inclusion-and-mobile-sector-taxation-in-india publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last __featured_video _thumbnail_id _wpas_done_all Digital inclusion in India: The impact of taxation on the development of mobile services http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26143 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26143 Digital inclusion in India the impact of taxation on the development of mobile services]]> 26143 2016-01-19 16:32:51 0000-00-00 00:00:00 open open draft 0 0 post 0 _edit_last _thumbnail_id __featured_video Digital inclusion and mobile sector taxation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/digital-inclusion-and-mobile-sector-taxation-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo Tue, 19 Jan 2016 17:06:13 +0000 http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26146 Digital inclusion and mobile sector taxation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Download summary (English): Digital inclusion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Download report (French): Inclusion numérique et fiscalité dans le secteur de la téléphonie mobile en République Démocratiq e du Congo Download summary (French): Inclusion numérique et fiscalité dans le secteur de la téléphonie mobile en République Démocratiq e du Congo]]> 26146 2016-01-19 17:06:13 2016-01-19 17:06:13 open open digital-inclusion-and-mobile-sector-taxation-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last __featured_video _wpas_done_all GSMA: Consultant Fundraising Manager http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/gssma-consultant-fundraising-manager Wed, 20 Jan 2016 17:01:14 +0000 http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26158 GSMA Fundraising Manager Email: rafia@gsma.com for more details. ]]> 26158 2016-01-20 17:01:14 2016-01-20 17:01:14 open open gssma-consultant-fundraising-manager publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last _thumbnail_id __featured_video _wpas_done_all Safeguarding Mobile Money: How providers and regulators can ensure that customer funds are protected http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/safeguarding-mobile-money-how-providers-and-regulators-can-ensure-that-customer-funds-are-protected Thu, 21 Jan 2016 09:24:19 +0000 http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26166 Download here]]> 26166 2016-01-21 09:24:19 2016-01-21 09:24:19 open open safeguarding-mobile-money-how-providers-and-regulators-can-ensure-that-customer-funds-are-protected publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last _thumbnail_id Region Topic Type __featured_video _wpas_done_all Our new publication on how providers and regulators can ensure that customer funds are protected is now available http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/our-new-publication-on-how-providers-and-regulators-can-ensure-that-customer-funds-are-protected-is-now-available Thu, 21 Jan 2016 09:35:55 +0000 http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26172 Safeguarding Mobile Money: How providers and regulators can ensure that customer funds are protected’, addresses three risk areas associated with safeguarding customer funds. Customer funds can be lost due to imprudent investment or due to the insolvency of the mobile money issuer, the trustee or fiduciary managing the customer funds (if applicable), or the bank holding the customer funds. While this paper looks specifically at the risks when a nonbank issues mobile money directly to customers, many of these risks are also relevant when the provider is a bank. This paper helps regulators and mobile money issuers better understand how to effectively safeguard customer funds against risk of loss due to (1) imprudent investment of customer funds, (2) insolvency of the mobile money issuer or trustee/fiduciary, or (3) insolvency of the bank holding the customer funds. It includes a discussion of the pertinent risks and the various operational and regulatory responses to these risks. The paper also includes an analysis of the impact of different legal traditions (common law vs. civil law) on protection of customer funds in the event of insolvency. Where relevant, results from a 2015 survey of safeguarding practices adopted by GSMA members offering mobile money services have been included as well. A sample workflow is provided to help guide regulators and mobile money issuers through all the key risks and potential solutions. The paper concludes by presenting some solutions that regulators and issuers may adopt to address the identified risks and identifying areas for future research. Download the publication]]> 26172 2016-01-21 09:35:55 2016-01-21 09:35:55 open open our-new-publication-on-how-providers-and-regulators-can-ensure-that-customer-funds-are-protected-is-now-available publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last Author Region __featured_video _thumbnail_id _wpas_done_all 260901 ruan@kineto.co http://www.kineto.co 10.234.177.214 2016-01-27 05:22:58 2016-01-27 05:22:58 1 0 0 akismet_history akismet_result akismet_history akismet_as_submitted Emerging Trends in Mobile-Enabled Utility Services http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/emerging-trends-in-mobile-enabled-utility-services Mon, 25 Jan 2016 17:18:08 +0000 http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26178 Introduction At the end of 2014, the GSMA’s Mobile for Development Utilities Innovation Fund invited organisations to apply for funding to trial or scale the use of mobile technology across the water, energy and sanitation sectors. This was the second phase of funding following successful support to 13 grantees in the water and energy sectors during the first phase of the Innovation Fund. Increased interest in leveraging mobile technologies within the developing world led to tremendous growth in our application pool, both in terms of absolute numbers and geographical and sectorial diversity.

More Concept Notes in Phase 2

In Phase 2 we received 218 Concept Notes, reflecting a 30% growth compared with the earlier phase. The majority of organisations (77%) applied for the Seed Grant category to test early stage trials, 14% applied for Utility Partnership grants to foster partnerships between utility companies and innovators, and 9% applied for Market Validation grants to scale or replicate existing business models.

Africa continues to dominate We received applications from 44 unique countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America. Africa continued to dominate as the proposed region of implementation with 58% of organisations proposing to implement in the continent. India, Kenya and Tanzania were the most dominant markets with more than 20 unique concept notes received from each of these countries. The West African region demonstrated substantial growth in the number of organisations applying to the Fund. The total number of organisations applying from Nigeria and Ghana grew from 9 to 22 between Phase 1 and Phase 2 signifying the growing interest in leveraging mobile technology in the utilities space in the West African region. Other key regions emerging beyond East Africa include South Asia and West Africa, a trend which is in line with the size of the addressable market. [1] Mobile channel use is growing Phase 2 applicants showed increased usage of mobile channels compared to Phase 1.[2] In Phases 1 and 2 energy organisations planned to leverage more channels than other sectors on average.[3] Energy service providers intended to leverage machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity for remote monitoring, and mobile money for payments, more frequently than other channels. On the other hand, mobile services such as mobile data and voice were the preferred channels for water and sanitation sectors. This difference in application of mobile channels reflects varying needs across each sector. For instance, applications of mobile in the water and sanitation sectors are more often aimed at improving existing service delivery through communicating information to multiple stakeholders, building capacity of operators and users and operational management of infrastructure, which often require mobile services to relay information efficiently. Further analysis of Phase 2 Concept Notes revealed that use of mobile channels varies by geography. 52% of organisations planning to implement in Asia leveraged M2M compared to 43% in Africa. Availability and widespread adoption of M2M technology could explain differences in demand for M2M services between Africa and Asia: a recent report by GSMA Intelligence shows that about half of MNOs in Asia offer M2M services compared to only a third in Africa. Moreover, Asia accounted for 42% of all M2M connections globally during Q1 of 2014. [4] High latent demand for MNO partnerships For the first stage of the application process 27% of organisations had an MNO partner in Phase 2 compared with 36% in Phase 1. Furthermore, in Phase 2, we found high latent demand for MNO partnerships with 42% of organisations planning to partner with an MNO, but yet to formalise the partnership. [5]

Dynamic business models Analysis of business models revealed that for-profit models dominated in the energy sector, while water and sanitation business models were mostly not-for-profit, as customers may be less accustomed to paying for services. In addition, the water and sanitation sectors have more complex supply chains that often require government involvement for both regulation and provision of core infrastructure, making direct business to customer models more difficult. Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) energy models constituted approximately 53% of the energy applications, with more than half of organisations targeting larger systems such as Solar Home Systems (SHS), microgrids and minigrids, as opposed to smaller lanterns. The cost of solar technologies has been continually dropping while PAYG business models are becoming more widespread. [6] To date, investors have committed over USD 200 million to energy PAYG business models further reducing working capital constraints for service providers. [7] Organisations therefore increasingly see an opportunity to supply larger systems that provide more than just basic lighting, ultimately leading to a movement of households up the energy ladder. Conclusion We continue to see interest in leveraging mobile in the water and energy sectors, as well as in the more nascent sanitation sector. Cost of technology, maturity of mobile-enabled models for each sector, availability of technology, and cultural and geographical differences affect how utility services leverage mobile technology. As more products and services are deployed across the globe and more innovative partnerships are forged between MNOs, utilities and service providers, mobile technology will continue to play a pivotal role in closing access gaps to underserved communities in the energy, water and sanitation sectors. Notes: [1] Mobile for Development Utilities internal data [2] Mobile for Development Utilities 2013 Annual Report, Figure 1 [3] On average energy organisations intended to leverage 2.15 channels compared to 1.77 and 1.75 channels for water and sanitation organisations respectively. [4] GSMA Intelligence [5] The method of data collection employed in Phase 2 was different from that used in Phase 1. In Phase 1 organisations only stated whether or not they had an MNO partnership at the time of submitting the concept note. Some service providers confirmed an MNO partnership before signing a formal contract with the MNO. During Phase 2 we captured more information on partnerships between MNO and service providers at Concept Note stage by tracking finalised partnerships separately from those that were at various stages before final confirmation. [6] Lighting Global Market Research Report, May 2015 [7] Mobile for Development Utilities internal data]]> 26178 2016-01-25 17:18:08 2016-01-25 17:18:08 open open emerging-trends-in-mobile-enabled-utility-services publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last __featured_video _thumbnail_id _wpas_done_all _wp_old_slug Mobile-Enabled Utility Services - Emerging Trends http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/mobile-enabled-utility-services-emerging-trends Tue, 26 Jan 2016 11:37:52 +0000 http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26180 Emerging Trends in Mobile-Enabled Utility Services ]]> 26180 2016-01-26 11:37:52 2016-01-26 11:37:52 open open mobile-enabled-utility-services-emerging-trends publish 0 0 post 0 _thumbnail_id _edit_last __featured_video _wpas_done_all _wp_old_slug Choosing a technical model for A2A interoperability: Lessons from Tanzania and Pakistan http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/choosing-a-technical-model-for-a2a-interoperability-lessons-from-tanzania-and-pakistan Thu, 28 Jan 2016 10:01:46 +0000 http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26229 Download here]]> 26229 2016-01-28 10:01:46 2016-01-28 10:01:46 open open choosing-a-technical-model-for-a2a-interoperability-lessons-from-tanzania-and-pakistan publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last _thumbnail_id Region Topic Type __featured_video _wpas_done_all Choosing a technical model for A2A interoperability: Lessons from Tanzania and Pakistan http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/choosing-a-technical-model-for-a2a-interoperability Thu, 28 Jan 2016 12:41:01 +0000 http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26235 sharing these insights in a new case study to help other providers introduce interoperability in their own markets. It is not just the geographical difference between Tanzania and Pakistan that made our analysis interesting. Both countries have different mobile money regulations, different commercial models and consequently, entirely different service models. However there was commonality - the vast majority of service providers in both markets had an appetite to bring A2A interoperability to their customers. This case study captures how the commercial, regulatory and market contexts influenced the choice of interoperability in each market. It also focuses on the experiences and challenges faced during implementation and post-launch in both countries. Interestingly, although service providers in both markets used the same assessment criteria to select a technical model for interoperability, service providers in Tanzania opted for a bilateral arrangement, while in Pakistan, providers opted to integrate with a local switch. Despite careful evaluation of these choices, providers in both markets faced challenges while implementing their chosen models. This case study captures those challenges and identifies the processes which were implemented to mitigate them. We believe these key learnings will help service providers in other markets during their respective decision-making and implementation processes. Interoperability is a growing priority for mobile money providers, and there is no right or wrong implementation process. Even in Pakistan and Tanzania, where interoperability is live and providers are experiencing a growth in the number of cross-net transactions, providers may decide to modify their arrangements in the future. A key takeaway from this study is that all parties involved in launching interoperability should collaborate for a successful and sustainable approach. We believe that mobile money providers are best positioned to decide when and how interoperability should be launched in a market—this avoids introducing new risks and costs, and increases the appetite and buy-in from providers. In turn, this will result in a willingness to invest and to prioritise interoperability. You can read the full report here.]]> 26235 2016-01-28 12:41:01 2016-01-28 12:41:01 open open choosing-a-technical-model-for-a2a-interoperability publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last Region __featured_video _thumbnail_id Author _wpas_done_all Indonesian Government encourages Operator to share their Networks for faster MBB deployment http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/indonesian-government-encourages-operator-to-share-their-networks-for-faster-mbb-deployment Tue, 02 Feb 2016 15:06:51 +0000 http://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/?p=26243 Notes [1] GSMA Infrastructure Economics Estimate, YE2015 [2] Estimate based on “What is the impact of mobile telephony on economic growth?”, Deloitte-GSMA-Cisco report, 2012 ]]> 26243 2016-02-02 15:06:51 2016-02-02 15:06:51 open open indonesian-government-encourages-operator-to-share-their-networks-for-faster-mbb-deployment publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last __featured_video _thumbnail_id _wpas_done_all