Airtel Africa has scooped two awards at the premiere annual telecom industry awards, the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Global Mobile Award 2011, a statement by the company to the Ghana News Agency has said.
It said Airtel was awarded the Best Mobile Money Product or solution and Best Customer Care and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for its recently launched innovative payment product known as “airtel OnLine Pay” and a customer relationship management solution named “airtel Treasure Hunt”.
The winning Best Mobile Money Product or Solution, the airtel OnLine Pay, is touted as the world’s first virtual card that operates off a wallet residing on a mobile phone. This innovative payment offers communities the opportunity for greater participation in the financial system as they realize the substantial benefits of mobile commerce. The single use debit card offering is a partnership between airtel, MasterCard and Standard Chartered Bank.
Airtel is the new brand name for the 16 Zain operations across Africa which were acquired by airtel International in June 2010.
Airtel Africa’s Chief Marketing Officer, Mr Andre Beyers and MasterCard International’s Area Head for East and West Africa, Mr Daniel Momehim, jointly received the award during the GSMA congress party and awards ceremony held at the National Palace in Montjuïc, Barcelona, Spain.
Airtel’s second plaudit at the event, airtel Treasure Hunt, was a joint submission between Airtel and Tango Telecoms, a mobile systems solutions provider. The innovation known as Dynamic Pricing Service gives Airtel the ability to price Voice and Data services dynamically based on location, cell load, time of day, subscriber type and/or subscriber activity. The service was launched in Niger, Uganda, Zambia and Congo. Tango Telecoms was represented at the awards by its VP, Global Channel Sales, Mr. Rory Toole.
Commenting on behalf of Airtel, Mr Beyers said: “We are driven by the vision of providing affordable and innovative mobile services to consumers across the continent. To earn this award from the most authoritative and global constellation of peers in the industry, three months after the launch of our new brand in Africa, is a recognition of our efforts to place innovations in the hands of consumers in Africa and will bolster our commitment to walk the talk”.
According to the Judges, the Best Mobile Money Product or Solution award aims to recognize and reflect the rapid emergence of the mobile payment, transfer, banking and a host of innovative ‘cashless’ mobile services – in all varied forms. According to the panel, the opportunities for the financial services, ticketing and transport industries, in partnership with the mobile world are limitless, as are the benefits of convenience and value for users.
The Customer Care or Customer Relationship Management award citation states: The Award recognizes the innovative programmes developed by operators and the products or services developed by CRM solution providers that will increase profitability, reduce costs and maintain a high standard of customer loyalty in this increasingly competitive environment.
The two awards mark a key milestone in Airtel’s quest for relevant and innovative mobile solutions that are transformation to millions of users across the continent.
The Global mobile awards are the most coveted awards in the global mobile industry and encompass leading players across all the subsectors spanning 219 countries, nearly 800 of the world's mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organizations.
This is the 16th edition of the annual award and according to the judging panel, one of the most daunting with 10 categories and more than 470 entries.