Utility bill payment facility

[Afzal Anwar]

Both Zong and Telenor launched Utility bill payment facility from today. Its interesting how far telecom companies are striving to get attention and introduce value added services which are not related to telecom alone.

Telenor is doing it using easypaisa with some service charges.

Interestingly, Zong is allowing any one to go to their Customer service center (let it be a zong customer or not) and pay their utility bills absolutely free of cost just like a bank. That seems to be a very different tactic for a value added service in which the network is not used in any way and the telecom company is not earning any profit. OR may be trying to do other business under the same umbrella :)

--
Afzal Anwar

[H.M]

Mobilink already doing this via Genie

[H.M]

btw they have installed gigantic billboards as well across the city
particularly Shahra-e-Faisal & Rashid Minhas .

[Usman]

Dear Afzal: every bill paid already have 10-25 Rs commission which is charged by the bank, hence Zong get the same.

All: 

Telenor charging extra, to make more money obviously .. 

From ADs, Iit seems, one must go to some easypaisa counter, and it cant be done from mobile or web. 

If its true... then i must appriciate UBL, MCB and some other banks, who offers you same service from WEB, WAP & SMS withour any extra charges. I am using this for more than a year now.. its excellent. give it a try !

Usman

[Afzal Anwar]

Mobilink Genie is a very different service. You actually need to have a mobilink connection and you can pay the bills using your balance.

"Mobilink Genie securely ties your Credit Card and Bank Account to your Mobilink connection,"

Telenor Easymoney and bill payment service from Zong is a whole new story where anyone can enter into their outlets and pay the utility bills. The user doesn't need to have the respective mobile connection or any connection at all to use the service.

Its another business under the same umbrella.

--
Afzal Anwar

--
Afzal Anwar

[Fawad Niazi]

Its the start of "Branchless Banking Services" and all operators are gearing towards the final destination. Mobile Banking is one of the tool and being mobile operators they are in a better position to leverage upon their infrastructure and customer base. Telenor acquisition of major shares in Tameer is further strengthening their position.

 

I still believe that PTCL can also play a vital role alongwith Ufone (Mobile/fixed line based Branchless Banking services) but, it seems that neither Ufone nor PTCL is ready to trust on their "Franchise Network" for financial services.

 

Starting with bill payemnt is a test case (in my opinion) to tune the "agent/sub-agent network" before launching proper micro-finance/branchless banking services.

 

Its my personal opinion; few operators might just want to take it as value added services but some would be having biggest branchless banking network in Pakistan.

[Muhammed Nasrullah]

Firstly, this service will fail if you keep calling it a "Value-Added Service". This service is not designed to generate Traffic, it is a core service on its own with little to do with the Telecom Network. It is however a Distribution/Collection Network which many businesses have.

Secondly, if they limit this to Utility bills then they are not adding any significant value. Sure, you can pay your bill 24/7 but other than that, there is no obvious benefit. For this to have value, they must open their network for third parties.

My $.02

WS
-Nash

[Mohsin Naeem]

I think it's not smart move, they need to make services in which they
link mobile user with there bank account and from there they can pay a
bill. Right now it's a same traditional bill payment service and I
think it can't make impact on market.

On Oct 17, 12:16 am, Muhammed Nasrullah <nasrul...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Firstly, this service will fail if you keep calling it a "Value-Added
> Service". This service is not designed to generate Traffic, it is a core
> service on its own with little to do with the Telecom Network. It is however
> a Distribution/Collection Network which many businesses have.
>
> Secondly, if they limit this to Utility bills then they are not adding any
> significant value. Sure, you can pay your bill 24/7 but other than that,
> there is no obvious benefit. For this to have value, they must open their
> network for third parties.
>
> My $.02
>
> WS
> -Nash
>

> On Fri, Oct 16, 2009 at 10:07 AM, Fawad Niazi <niazi.fa...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Its the start of "Branchless Banking Services" and all operators are
> > gearing towards the final destination. Mobile Banking is one of the tool and
> > being mobile operators they are in a better position to leverage upon their
> > infrastructure and customer base. Telenor acquisition of major shares in
> > Tameer is further strengthening their position.
>
> > I still believe that PTCL can also play a vital role alongwith Ufone
> > (Mobile/fixed line based Branchless Banking services) but, it seems that
> > neither Ufone nor PTCL is ready to trust on their "Franchise Network" for
> > financial services.
>
> > Starting with bill payemnt is a test case (in my opinion) to tune the
> > "agent/sub-agent network" before launching proper micro-finance/branchless
> > banking services.
>
> > Its my personal opinion; few operators might just want to take it as value
> > added services but some would be having biggest branchless banking network
> > in Pakistan.
>

> > On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 11:09 AM, Afzal Anwar <afzalan...@gmail.com>wrote:
>
> >> Mobilink Genie is a very different service. You actually need to have a
> >> mobilink connection and you can pay the bills using your balance.
>

> >> "Mobilink Genie securely ties your Credit Card and Bank Account to your *Mobilink
> >> connection*,"

>
> >> Telenor Easymoney and bill payment service from Zong is a whole new story
> >> where anyone can enter into their outlets and pay the utility bills. The
> >> user doesn't need to have the respective mobile connection or any connection
> >> at all to use the service.
>
> >> Its another business under the same umbrella.
>
> >> --

> >> *Afzal Anwar*

[Farhan Jaffer]

Well, if we consider the advertising campaign, they are targeting 'easypaisa', and then explain the purpose of this product. They are creating a brand image, with only a single product of utility bills payment, right now. I hope Telenor will move to the other exciting services in near future. Let's see.

 

Secondly, see the target market. A whole population having utility bills to pay, either mobile user or non-mobile user.

 

-FJ

[Sheikh Usman N.]

Indeed they will move to new services otherwise acquisition of a bank for only utility bills payment purpose is of no point ...

--
Sheikh Usman N.

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight with you, then you win"
-Gandhi

http://sms-wisdom.blogspot.com/