Showing posts with label Zain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zain. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Oberthur Technologies Helps Zain Break New Ground in the Field of Mobile Commerce

17 Nov 2009 08:00 Africa/Lagos

Oberthur Technologies Helps Zain Break New Ground in the Field of Mobile Commerce

PARIS, November 17/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Oberthur Technologies, the world's second largest supplier of smart card solutions, successfully completed the deployment of its M-Commerce security solution for Zain's 15 sub Saharan African operations. Zain's Mobile Commerce solution, Zap, is a state-of-the-art SIM security application and security gateway which enables Zain customers to use their mobile phone to securely pay bills and to pay for goods and services.


The service currently allows Zain customers in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda through their mobile phones to receive and send money to friends and family as well as to receive money from any bank account around the world and send money to other bank accounts. They can also top up their own, or someone else's, airtime account and manage their bank accounts. Over 100 million people in East Africa can now benefit from Zap. The service which will be rolled out soon in all Zain's operation across the Middle East and Africa, has a potential customer base of 600 million people, many of whom have never had access to formal financial services.


"For any market in the world, the combination of services we are providing through Zap mobile commerce would be exciting," declared Dr Saad Al Barrak CEO of Zain, "but when set in an African context, the implications are especially profound given the critical economic needs of many Africans living the countries in which Zain operates. In this sense, what we deliver contributes to more than just a healthy bottom line; it genuinely helps improve lives."


"We selected Oberthur Technologies as our security solutions partner because of the company's' proven leadership in the field of mobile smart card and security solutions, their global support for our offer, and the desire of the team to take the initial first steps to innovate technologically advanced and customized solutions to meet Zain's ground-breaking service offering," stated George Held, Marketing Director, Products and Innovation Zain Group.


Thierry Siminger, Managing Director RMEA for the Card Systems Division of Oberthur Technologies commented, "This partnership has enabled the two innovative leaders, Oberthur and Zain, to raise the bar for future m-commerce solutions. Our successful partnership goes back many years and continues to grow from strength to strength."


About Zain


Zain is a leading telecommunications operator across the Middle East and Africa providing mobile voice and data services to 69.5 million active customers as at 30 June 2009. In terms of country footprint, Zain is the 3rd largest mobile operator in the world with a commercial presence in 24 countries.


Zain operates in the following countries: Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Palestine (currently known as Paltel Group), Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. In Lebanon, the company manages 'mtc-touch' on behalf of the government. In Morocco, Zain owns 31% of Wana Telecom through a joint venture.


Zain offers innovative services in its markets such as 'One Network', the world's first borderless mobile telecommunications network enabling customers when abroad to receive calls and sms without charge and to make voice and data calls at local rates throughout 20 countries in Africa and the Middle East. This service allows a customer to top up airtime in one's home country or from more than 1,000,000 outlets within Zain's One Network footprint.


The Zain brand is wholly owned by Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC, which is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (Stock ticker: ZAIN). Zain is listed in the Financial Times' Global 500 Index which ranks the world's largest companies based on market capitalization ( http://www.ft.com/reports/ft5002008). Zain aims to become one of the top ten mobile operators in the world by end of the year 2011. For more, please visit http://www.zain.com or email info@zain.com


About Oberthur Technologies


With sales of 882 million Euros in 2008, Oberthur Technologies is a world leader in the field of secure technologies. Innovation and high quality services ensure Oberthur Technologies' strong positioning in its main target markets:



- Card Systems: The world's second largest provider of security
and identification based on smart card technology and associated
services for mobile, payment, transport, digital TV and convergence
markets.
- Identity: Leading international supplier for the manufacture and
personalization of secure identity documents such as passport, identity
card, driving license or health care card - traditional and electronic
- and associated services for both governmental and corporate markets.
- Security printing: World's third largest private security printer
specialized in high security for the production of banknotes, checks
and other fiduciary documents in more than fifty countries.
- Cash protection: World leader in the emerging market of
intelligent systems to secure cash-in-transit and ATM.




Close to its customers, Oberthur Technologies benefits from an industrial and commercial presence across all five continents.


Oberthur Technologies S.A. is a limited liability company (societe anonyme) registered in France with its registered office at 50 quai Michelet 92 532 Levallois Perret, France. Oberthur Technologies S.A.'s corporate registration number is 340 709 534 R.C.S. Paris.


Website: http://www.oberthur.com

Source: Oberthur Technologies

Matthew Stroud, Press Contact - Oberthur Technologies, Telephone: +33-1-47-85-58-06, Email: m.stroud@oberthur.com


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Wednesday, October 21, 2009

NBK Partners with Visa and Zain to Launch the First EMV-Chip Compliant NFC Mobile Payment Trial in the Middle East

20 Oct 2009 23:08 Africa/Lagos


NBK Partners with Visa and Zain to Launch the First EMV-Chip Compliant NFC Mobile Payment Trial in the Middle East

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), the largest bank in Kuwait and Visa Inc, the world's leading payment solution provider have partnered with Zain the leading telecommunications operator across the Middle East and Africa to launch the first Near Field Communication (NFC) mobile payment trial in the GCC, using NFC enabled Nokia 6212 devices.


The six month pilot will take place from October 2009 to April 2010 using NFC software technology provided by ViVOtech. Registration will be open from October 2009 for interested NBK customers to participate in the trial. To register for the trial, customers will visit NBK website and follow the registration instructions.


The trial will allow 500 selected NBK cardholders to download their Zain Visa credit card account details directly to their Nokia 6212 classic handset over the Zain network. Once the account has been personalized on the phone, customers can then begin to make purchases at any one of the 100 merchant partner outlets at Kuwait's largest mall, The Avenues by simply passing a Nokia mobile phone over the Visa payWave reader at the point of sale. The trial uses the same EMV technology which protects all NBK credit and debit cards.


There are three milestone innovations occurring within this trial. The concept of 'smart posters' will be introduced to consumers, allowing them to collect retail offers that can be immediately redeemed for purchases at partner outlets simply by tapping their mobile phone against the poster. Secondly, customers and trial participants will be able to download a free Visa prepaid card by tapping the phone on a smart poster. Thirdly, participants with a credit card and a pre paid card, will also have the option to choose to pay from either cards from their phone at the point of sale, allowing greater on the go flexibility and convenience.


Purchases will be charged directly to the customer's NBK Zain Visa credit card or Visa prepaid card account just as they would be with a traditional card payment. Payments initiated with a mobile phone benefit from the same security as all NBK Visa card transactions, making mobile payWave a fast, reliable and secure method of purchasing goods. ViVOtech, the market leader in contactless/NFC payment software, is providing the underlying technology, including the NFC wallet, over-the-air (OTA) card provisioning software, smart posters and the mobile coupon application.


Shaikha Khalid Al Bahar, NBK Deputy Chief Executive Officer said, "NBK is proud to launch the first EMV Chip compliant NFC Visa payWave mobile payment trial in the Middle East. We strive to offer the best and most comprehensive financial services to all our customers, as well as being at the forefront adopting cutting edge technology to enhance services and develop innovative products. Partnering with Visa and Zain has given us a strong platform from which to launch this innovative mobile payWave payment trial for our customers. We are pleased that our customers can benefit from the ease and convenience of paying for their everyday items with their everyday device and also enjoy dynamic retail offers through smart posters while still enjoying the same level of security that a NBK Visa card transaction provides".


Kamran Siddiqi General Manager for GCC, Levant, Iraq and Pakistan from Visa said, "As the shift from cash to electronic payment methods continues, Visa is extending its products and services through the mobile channel to deliver fast, efficient and safe mobile payments and related services. We are very excited to have partnered with NBK and Zain to introduce this first trial in the GCC market and are looking forward to deploying it to NBK customers in Kuwait. Recent Visa market research reveals that nearly 80% of Kuwaitis polled were very interested in the idea of having mobile payWave on their phones. We therefore believe that the NBK Visa mobile payWave will appeal to Kuwaiti consumers who are eager to adopt new innovations and technology which brings greater convenience and choice to their lives.


Khalid AlHajery, CEO of Zain Kuwait, said: "This exclusive agreement is in line with Zain's ongoing effort to offer the best and the latest technology to its growing customer base. Mobile phones are no longer merely devices for making and receiving calls, instead continuous investment in innovation has meant that mobile phones are increasingly becoming a platform for new technology such as proximity payments".


Through this pilot, NBK, Visa and Zain will gather user insight across a wide range of parameters that include customer acceptance of making contactless transactions through mobile NFC, customer card preference between credit and Visa prepaid while making a payment and tracking of response to NFC-enabled smart posters and coupon redemptions.


About National Bank of Kuwait (NBK):


NBK was founded in 1952 as the first indigenous bank and the first joint stock company in Kuwait and the Gulf Region. NBK reported profits of USD 925 million (KD 255 million) for 2008, among the highest in the Arab world. NBK's total assets were USD 43.4 billion (KD 12 billion) at the end of 2008, while shareholder equity stood at USD 5.2 billion (KD 1.4 billion).


NBK is by far the largest financial institution in Kuwait with effective market dominance in the commercial banking market and has been consistently awarded the highest credit rating of all banks in the region from Moody's, Standard & Poor's, and Fitch Ratings. NBK also stands out in terms of its local and international network, which includes branches, subsidiaries and representative offices in China, Geneva, London, Paris, New York, Singapore, and Vietnam alongside its regional presence in Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE.


About Visa:


Visa operates the world's largest retail electronic payments network providing processing services and payment product platforms. This includes consumer credit, debit, prepaid and commercial payments, which are offered under the Visa, Visa Electron, Interlink and PLUS brands. Visa enjoys unsurpassed acceptance around the world and Visa/PLUS is one of the world's largest global ATM networks, offering cash access in local currency in more than 170 countries. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.


About Zain


Zain is a leading telecommunications operator across the Middle East and Africa providing mobile voice and data services to 69.5 million active customers as at 30 June 2009. In terms of country footprint, Zain is the 3rd largest mobile operator in the world with a commercial presence in 24 countries.


Zain operates in the following countries: Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Palestine (currently known as Paltel Group), Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. In Lebanon, the company manages 'mtc-touch' on behalf of the government. In Morocco, Zain owns 31% of Wana Telecom through a joint venture.


Zain offers innovative services in its markets such as 'One Network', the world's first borderless mobile telecommunications network enabling customers when abroad to receive calls and sms without charge and to make voice and data calls at local rates throughout 20 countries in Africa and the Middle East. This service allows a customer to top up airtime in one's home country or from more than 1,000,000 outlets within Zain's One Network footprint.


The Zain brand is wholly owned by Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC, which is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (Stock ticker: ZAIN). Zain is listed in the Financial Times' Global 500 Index which ranks the world's largest companies based on market capitalization (http://www.ft.com/reports/ft5002008). Zain aims to become one of the top ten mobile operators in the world by end of the year 2011. For more, please visit www.zain.com or email info@zain.com


Source: ViVOtech

CONTACT: Kristin Miller of SSPR, +1-719-634-8292, kmiller@sspr.com, for
ViVOtech


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Monday, March 2, 2009

Ericsson Proves Mobile Communications Can Transform Africa



Ericsson proves mobile communications can transform Africa

Stockholm, Sweden · March 2, 2009 /PRNewswire/ — (NASDAQ:ERIC) Ericsson, the world's leading provider of telecommunications equipment and services, and pan-African operator Zain have built a wind- and solar-powered site in remote northeast Kenya. Now with access to reliable and affordable mobile communication, villagers in Dertu can make calls, access health services and education and improve their economic future.

Elaine Weidman, Vice President, Sustainability at Ericsson, says: "Sites like this one have great potential for solving the African power-grid challenge of bringing mobile communication to those at the bottom of the economic pyramid so they can break the poverty cycle."

With mobile voice and data communication, Dertu's nomadic pastoral community of more than 5000 people can now build on the economic and social gains it has made since a mobile network was installed in the village. Rather than making the 100km journey by dirt road to the larger city of Garissa, many people from nearby communities go to Dertu to make calls, access improved health services and take advantage of new businesses – making the village an economic hub for the region.

More than 3000 phone minutes are logged daily, with new markets springing up for SIM cards, second-hand phones, charging and accessories. Transport costs have also gone down thanks to mobile ordering and invoicing.

Residents use mobiles to find out about good pastures, which are often hard to come by in this arid region. Socially, families can be closer to distant relatives, and health care and remote education are now within reach. In case of an emergency water shortage, a mobile phone call brings help more quickly.

Weidman says: "The Dertu experience demonstrates that even people in the most remote parts of the world can be connected with a positive business case. The key to ongoing success will be combining innovative solutions, public-private partnerships and new business models."

Villages like Dertu, as part of the UN's Millennium Villages project, are exporting their successful interventions to neighboring villages, and the results are transforming Africa.

Ericsson is the world's leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. The market leader in 2G and 3G mobile technologies, Ericsson supplies communications services and manages networks that serve more than 250 million subscribers. The company's portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, and broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and developers. The Sony Ericsson joint venture provides consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Ericsson Corporate Public & Media Relations
Phone: +46 10 719 69 92
press.relations@ericsson.com


www.ericsson.com

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