MTN Ghana introduce international airtime transfer service

The MTN Group has announced that it had added Ghana, Uganda and Yemen to the implementation of its International Airtime Transfer (IAT) partnership in conjunction with TransferTo.

The MTN-TransferTo collaboration, announced in July this year, enables MTN customers with access to prepaid services to receive airtime transfers from the TransferTo IAT network around the world.

TransferTo said on its website MTN Ghana, Uganda and Yemen had fully been integrated with TransferTo, further extending TransferTo's existing IAT reach within the MTN Group.

“The project implementation to bring other MTN operations into the network would continue, with additional areas expected soon,” it said.

The cross-border airtime transfer services were available to all TransferTo sending partners and the general public abroad for the sending of airtime top-up to MTN customers in Ghana, Uganda and Yemen.

Mobile customers on partner "sender" networks were able to send airtime to friends and family who subscribe to MTN prepaid services through the convenience of their mobile handset.

Those who are not subscribed to TransferTo sender partner mobile operators can still send airtime to contacts on the MTN networks online.

Eric Barbier, CEO and MD of TransferTo, was quoted as saying at the AfricaCom 2011 conference in Cape Town, SA, that "we are pleased to announce that the recent signing of the global group agreement with MTN is showing results in both Africa and the Middle East. With the addition of Ghana, Uganda and Yemen, TransferTo now delivers services to nearly half of the MTN operations, while work continues to add the rest."

MTN Group Chief Commercial officer, Christian de Faria was also quoted as saying the deployment of the TransferTo IAT services in three key MTN markets was an exciting development for the group.

"MTN is continually pursuing value-adding partnerships to give customers a better experience of our brand,” he said.

Mr. De Faria noted that MTN was particularly excited about the relationship with TransferTo because it provided MTN customers in all its three regions in Africa and the Middle East, with yet another option to stay connected with their loved ones.

He said the partnership would soon be extended to other MTN operations.

Meanwhile Senior Manager of Corporate Communications at MTN Ghana, Gina Asare-Fiagbenu has confirmed the service has started in Ghana and some MTN customers have had their families outside Ghana sending them airtime through the TransferTo website.

The Vodafone Group also joined the TransferTo IAT earlier this year, but the service has not reach Vodafone Ghana customers yet.

Story by Samuel Nii Narku Dowuona/Adom News/Ghana