Previously this was only possible directly at the customer bank systems, and will enable users have more freedom of service choice and not be limited to physical agents where there are no bank ATMs. As long as your bank is a partner bank you should look up to better days  of services brought closer to you. According to a source familiar with the project, the system will leverage on the high security payment switch managed by Paynet Kenya, to enable MPESA customers access cash from their bank account safely on a 24 hours ATM service basis and paying only fee for a normal ATM withdrawal.

The system is expected to launch later this month. PesaPoint continues to record increased mobile money transactions via the M-PESA ATM Withdrawal facility mostly because the its ATMs are operational round the clock and also do not have a float limit as is the case with typical M-PESA agents.The service- targeted at MPESA users who also have formal bank accounts- will further increase M-PESA appeal through increased convenience as users are handed a choice of not travelling and queuing in banking halls as they can simply withdraw from their banks on directly to their MPESA account thanks to the PesaPoint network.

When launched, the system will further grow the importance of PesaPoint ATMs to the M-PESA ecosystem as an important convergence point for the mobile money service, the users and the banks.
It will further escalate competition in the Mobile Money market. Only last week, Airtel Money raised the bar in the marker when in partnership with Faulu Kenya launched a service that will enable its users’ access soft loans up to Ksh 10,000 (USD 120), increasing its value proposition for users and further blurring the boundary between mobile money transfer service and banking.

Other players in the Kenya market include Yu Money and Orange Money and the network neutral mobile money providers Tangaza and MobiKash.

Paynet Group which owns PesaPoint Limited has had a special working relationship with Vodafone UK (shareholders in Safaricom) which has seen MPESA, in the past, become the first mobile money service to benefit from the groundbreaking ATM withdrawal service developed by PesaPoint. Since then, the ATM Withdrawal service has been extended to Airtel Money with MobiKash also applying for it. It is not clear if this service called PesaPoint M-PESA CASH-IN will also be extended to other mobile money service operators.

IMG Credit: Kiplagat’s Photostream

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Products going to be available for sale will be laptops, mobile phones, tablets etc. Users will be able to checkout and pay for the products via Mpesa, this will then have an option for delivery(shipping) in some areas for free and others at a small fee. Duration of delivery is something we will have to figure out once its announced. Shoppers will also have a choice of picking the devices at the Safaricom shop of their choice if they feel like there is an inconvenience in delivery.

I dont know if this will signify the beginning of availability of products for pre-order like with other carriers, but its something worth considering. So Safaricom, when you launch this, please make Samsung Galaxy S III one of the devices available for sale. Something else am looking forward to seeing is affiliate selling. Would come in handy for those of us who review gadgets.

As usual I appreciate your comments. Will this help shape the e-commerce industry in Kenya getting more people buying online?

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Well, just yesterday, they released the video advert to the webs. Its a nice video, with the cheetah speeding across screens to signify good speeds of data. (And I saw some familiar faces-this should be accompanied by a disclaimer, lol). So this video has the trademark Camp Mulla instrumental for their first song, Party Dont Stop as the sound track. Possibly signifying that the data party dont stop. Are we about to get another awesome offer?

See video below and we continue after the break.

Now beyond Safaricom offering high speed data(42Mbps) which is in pilot in specific areas having fiber back-haul capabilities, there is a product they promised very soon to fill in the void left by unlimited data. Well this could be announced sooner than you expect. Safaricom is working on Safaricom Landline Unified Communication. This could be the answer to high speed data and affordable solutions for Small and Medium Enterprises and also home broadband. Safaricom will cater for the last mile via wimax, fiber or 3G redundancy and the solution will offer a whole package encompassing data, Private Branch Exchange(PBX), mobile and fax.

Users will be able to manage calls, route them within an organization, including re-routing them to mobile from the Safaricom landline.  So in essence Safaricom will be introducing the landline and fixed broadband, possibly as a way to better manage data consumption among users, while adding value to previously existing systems, like the Telkom landline. Safaricom landline will also have Corporate Skiza tunes, Promotions and bonga points redeeming and this will be on a single bill, set on monthly bundles. Lets wait for more details when the announcement is done.

What do you think of Safaricom landline and unified communication? Is it a viable solution for today’s business and home internet/voice?

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Companies

 Development & Implementation of a local internet payment gateway                Paysure Limited

Individuals

Matching Grant

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#tandaa  There is a total of 30 Tandaa Grants to be awarded today

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This decision came after a consumer trends analysis where Safaricom cited overuse of the service by a few users who would stretch the service to the limit, leaving the rest of the users to share a limited service, the remainders. Safaricom, faced with this situation felt it better to get off the unlimited service altogether than give one that is substandard. It makes perfect business sense where profits are limited. Some two weeks ago, Bob Collymore had announced that they had resorted to throttling the unlimited internet package, with a thought on completely killing the service, well the day has finally arrived.

“As a business, we have found it necessary to focus our energies on providing quality data access to the majority of our internet users. This means that we have to sacrifice the provision of our unlimited bandwidth to a minority whose usage has had a negative impact on the overall data experience.” Mr. Collymore also noted that, “It has always been our position that unlimited internet offerings are better suited for a fixed broadband services such as fibre or Wimax. Since mobile broadband on 3G is designed as a shared resource, the greater the number of internet users at any point in time, the higher the levels of degradation in the quality of service.”

Meanwhile, am writing my opinion on this news in a post coming next.

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This Innovation center will be a hub for teachers and education leaders to access technology solutions information and trends proven to to deliver innovative teaching and a dynamic learning environment for the 21st century industry skills. Visitors will also be able to view research on innovative educational technology solutions, witness technology demos, participate in trainings, and learn from best-practice models and outcomes. To demonstrate the benefits of technology in the classroom, the centre will feature 25 Intel classmate PCs and the latest software offerings from Microsoft. Under the ACE project, the aim was to create “one-to-one e-learning” – a model in which every student has access to a computer to help foster an environment where young people can develop skills such as problem solving and critical thinking.

The centre is part of the Accelerating 21st Century Education (ACE) project launched two years ago in collaboration with the Ministry of Education which aims to improve the quality of primary and secondary education through the effective use of technology. The ACE project has deployed Intel classmate PCs, teacher laptops, wireless infrastructure, educational content and teacher training to 23 schools in Kenya in the last month.

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AccessKenya aims at better engaging clients and prospective customers alike to assist them better understand AccessKenya products. The new site also provides better customer service with integrated live chat and links to the social media platforms. AccessKenya has also established itself in major social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Youtube and LinkedIN and is actively engaging customer queries on these platforms.

“We have increased our interaction online and consequently noticed that most of our audiences and clients alike prefer reaching to us via available online platforms, I bet, owing to the ease of use and speed,” said AccessKenya Managing Director Mr. Kris Senanu.

Ease of use and speed has made more customers prefer to be reached online as opposed to the traditional method of calling customer service. Social media also gives an easy way to market the company and if they have happy clients its visible by many using these services.
The new AccessKenya website, developed by a Kenyan web development firm Digital Brush Limited gives ease to navigate and the user interface makes users happier using it. Mr Senanu notes that Kenya’s IT sector is experiencing exponential growth and IT needs for most of the company’s clients are changing fast. “We have a team of savvy communication and technical support engineers who monitor queries and requests submitted online and accord immediate support and response. We believe we are leading the way in the doption of technologies that are meant to simplify lives,” he said.

AccessKenya is currently working on Android and IOs apps for the traffic app, which is already available on the Nokia Store.

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PesaPoint Managing Director Richard Coate- (right) and MobiKash CEO Duncan OduorOtieno (left) sign the agreement documents at Paynet Group Offices in Nairobi.

Systems interoperability is one of the ways the end-user gains from adopting new technology, if its present the user can have freedom of choice and make informed decisions as to the best service that suits them. Previously we have had announcements of M-pesa and Airtel Money service accessible via the Pesapoint ATMS.

Mobikash is the newest entrant in this fray, and users are now able to withdraw from any Pesapoint ATM countrywide. This is an awesome move and it will ensure that one is not limited to locations where there are Mobikash agents to utilise the service that is mobile phone based. As you would notice, this has made the very necessary move of Mobikash into a 24 hour service. PesaPoint has over 100 ATMs in the country, hence widening the reach of the Mobikash service.

Question I beg to discuss, Are we headed to a cashless, cardless society run by mobile money?

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After you’ve had a chance to tweak your apps for BlackBerry 10, you’ll pitch your app to a panel of RIM and AppCircus judges where the top three applications from each category – BlackBerry WebWorks, Adobe AIR and Native Gaming – will move on to the finals. AppCircus and RIM experts will be on hand to help these finalists perfect their presentation and apps in preparation for the finals. Finalists have a three-minute pitch and two-minute question and answer on stage, and winners are chosen by a jury. One winner in each of the three categories will receive the grand prize. Each grand prize is worth up to $25,000 USD for you and your friends to see your favorite bands throughout the year!

The prize package includes:

• $10,000 USD cash award to purchase concert tickets and to be used as spending money for you and your friends
• $15,000 USD Travel Voucher (booked through RIM’s agent) to purchase airline tickets, hotel reservations and ground transportation for you and your friends to attend the concerts in cities where you’ve purchased concert tickets

To find out more details on the AppCircus at BlackBerry 10 Jam contest and to view full terms and conditions please visit http://blackberry10jam.appcircus.com.

We’re looking forward to seeing you and your apps at BlackBerry 10 Jam – good luck!

Follow @appcircus and @blackberrydev or hashtags #appcircus and #bb10jam on Twitter for latest updates and information.

Crossposted from the Appcircus Blog.

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Via

Midnight Sale, Online Only, Starts Tonight (4/17) at Midnight Through Wednesday (4/18) at 8am EST.

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