Mobile commerce from the company is targeting under-banked and unbanked markets.
Etisalat Group has just announced the inaugural launch of their mcommerce features that are now available to consumers in Nigeria.
This will allow individuals to benefit through the use of their smartphones.
For the first time, it will be possible for customers to access multiple programs and banks by way of an intuitive mcommerce user interface that is worked into the SIM cards of the smartphones of the consumers.
This mcommerce feature is available in a number of different languages and for several smartphones.
It can be accessed in Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, and English languages, and even the most basic types of cell phones can be used to ga
in access to the programs. The Etisalat telecommunications company is also using security features that are ISO-1 compliant, to ensure that there is safety against manipulation by thieves or interception by hackers.
The mcommerce service from Etisalat Mobile has been developed in order to provide under-banked and unbanked consumers with regulated financial services that have never before been made available to them. This will allow millions of people in Nigeria to be able to use banking services for the first time.
Those who choose to take advantage of the application will be able to use their mobile phones to pay for products and services as well as to make bill payments. They can also use their cell phones to send and receive money transfers with friends and family, to withdraw cash, and to add to their accounts, as well as to manage their bank accounts.
CEO of Etisalat Group, Ahmad Julfar, stated that “This represents the latest chapter in our work to develop innovative mobile solutions for our global customer base. For any market in the world, the combination of services we are providing would be exciting, and when set in an African context, the implications are especially profound.”
Nigeria’s potential consumer base is more than 180 million people, said Julfar. This presents mcommerce opportunities from organizations, such as Etisalat, that are large enough that they cannot be ignored. Offering this type of service can also mean that the banking future in Africa, as well as around the world, could change significantly over the years.
n use of NFC technology lies in the realm of mobile commerce, where the technology is often used to facilitate transactions. NFC has seen some use in marketing, but Qualcomm is eager to see the boundaries of the technology pushed beyond its conventional uses.