Airtel Reverse Billing

[Christian Ternus]

Hello all,

We learned today that Airtel apparently does not support global
reverse billing for shortcodes the way TNM does. Instead, they've
requested a list of all the (Airtel) phone numbers in our system,
which they will individually enable for reverse billing. We've
provided them with this list, but since we're registering new users
all the time, it's quite cumbersome.

Questions for all of you:

- How many of you need reverse billing in your SMS applications?
- Are you or will you be using shortcodes?
- How many of you work with Airtel?
- Have you heard something similar?

If there are enough of us that need this feature, perhaps we can
convince them to invest the technical effort. At any rate, it's
likely worth including in the concept note.

Cheers,
-Christian

[kieran sharpey - schafer]

Hi Christian,

Thanks for sending this out - very relevant challenge to us all.

As I'm sure you arlready think, that seems a bit of a crazy solution - effectively putting all your users on post paid and sending their bills to you. I do know that when it was Celtel (early 2009, before Zain, before Airtel), they were able to figure out reverse billing, as you said this shows that its certainly possible, and yes we'd like to join you in convincing them to sort it out.

To answer your questions:

 - How many of you need reverse billing in your SMS applications?

Definitely. At the moment we're sending 2000-3000 msgs a month to around 150 users, though this could easily triple during the year. I'm not sure thats enough volume to make the MNO care, but hopefully if we're together and with gov it can give them an incentive to just sort it out.

 - Are you or will you be using shortcodes?

We have a short code from TNM and would like one from Zain

 - How many of you work with Airtel?

We currently have a sim card in a modem that receives msgs that they bill us for, however this is fragile and tenuous at best, and we haven't gotten anywhere trying to upgrade it to a shortcode.

Do let us know if that helps, and Isaac & I will work on getting that concept note out to you all next week.

Thanks,

Kieran

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Kieran Sharpey-Schafer
mobile: +27 72 371 6469 (SA)  |  skypeid: kieran.sharpey.schafer

[isaac@gmail]

Hi Christian,

Thanks for posting this to the list, kicking off with our first concrete and useful question!

- How many of you need reverse billing in your SMS applications?

Everyone wants it, no one needs it (there are many ways to distribute airtime), most would use it if it were cheaper and faster to setup.

- Are you or will you be using shortcodes?

No, but I know a few projects that would like one if it were cheaper. Getting a shortcode seems to go hand in hand with reverse billing, the reverse billing is so much more useful than having them type fewer numbers (for most projects we know who are users are ahead of time, so they enter our contact in their phonebook).

- How many of you work with Airtel?

Most projects I'm aware of work with Airtel or both networks. Specifically, Medic Mobile in partnership with St Gabriel's Hospital, CHAI, MSH, Save the Children, KCH-Lighthouse (pending), and I think Malawi Bridge Project. 

- Have you heard something similar?

Discussed this with Limbanazo who initiated reverse billing with Airtel for Management Sciences for Health. He had the same situation where they requested  the phone numbers of the senders as well as those that would receive and reverse bill the SMS. Emailing Airtel's rep to add new numbers. It's somewhat cumbersome but you have to hand it to Airtel for effort on this one. It has to be more of a hassle for them than it is for you to do it this way, relative to a more sophisticated reverse billing system. 

These issues will definitely be addressed in the concept note we (the mHealth consortium that met earlier this week) bring to network operators.


Also, you shared a really interesting description of your project via email the other day. Could you share it, or even parts of it, with this list? Would be helpful for you to list the specific districts you're working in as well.

cheers
Isaac


Isaac Holeman, Chief Strategist
Medic Mobile  \+/ http://medicmobile.org
(weblog) www.isaacholeman.org
twitter @isaacholeman
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