HiPipo Money

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At the “Together We Can” Women’s Day Concert last Saturday (8^th March, 2014) evening at Garden City Rooftop, Airtel awarded Uganda’s top six women of substance. These are the women who have showed and had an impact on our society. The awards were based on an online voting process where people had to vote for the woman they think deserved to win the award.

The concert being headlined by Jamaican songstress Nyanda of the Brick & Lace group and top Uganda female musicianssaw a massive turnout of people.

Although, the Airtel Women of Substance Awards was previously being held by Warid Telecom which merged with Airtel last year, the Third Annual Women of Substance awards did not disappoint at all.

The Winners

The Nabagereka (queen) of Buganda Sylvia Nagginda was awarded the Mentor of the year award.

Kampala City Council Authority’s Jennifer Musisi was awarded the Public Service award for her efforts in revamping the city.

Juliana Kanyomozi won the Music award.

Uganda’s chess sessionPhionaMutesireceived the Sports woman of the year award.

The ever funny Anne Kansiime won the Arts and Culture award.

In the field of media, SiimaSabitti came on top of her compatriots.

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…Buying a movie ticket has become as easy as loading airtime…

Airtel Uganda todayannounced a new & richer platform for mobile money customers to enjoy.  The company made added a new feature to theirrevamped mobile money platform which includes being able to buy movie tickets by use of Airtel Money thus building on Airtel’s priorities to continually improve the consumer experience and to be Uganda’s most loved brand.

In attendance at the launch were representatives from The Hub, Cineplex and Airtel Directors. This comes from a just concluded partnership with DSTV, GoTV, UMEME andNational Water and Sewerage Corporation where Airtel offers to pay a customer’s utility bills for a full year. Representing the managing Director, Mr. Prasoon Lal, the Airtel marketing director said: “Airtel Uganda is excited to bring on board yet another partnership which will not only ease payment for cinema tickets but will also create a platform for mass youth engagement and empowerment in Uganda. With such kind of features, the customer can not only use Airtel Money for Home or business purposes but they can now also be able to pay for movie tickets.”

With the new upgrades to the Airtel Money platforms customers now get wider access through nationwide agents and transact with one single code *185# to send and receive money across networks at the lowest rates and enjoy more services on Airtel Money.

Representing the Hub Entertainment Mrs. Marion Busingye, Director Film Exhibition and Distribution, expressed gratitude for Airtel Uganda for providing a channel through which Cinema payments could be eased and promoting the youth voice in Uganda.

The extensive proficiency of Airtel’s partners in their respective fields has allowed the company to collaborate with some of the best and most respected businesses to bring consumers in the mobile services space a secure environment. Airtel Money customers can experience more new and innovative services and ways to send money to their loved ones.

The platform provides instant services when using your Airtel Money to transfer money at your convenience. The services include;

1.        Send money across networks at the most affordable rates as low as 450/=

2.       Top up airtime, for both self and other Airtel customer and get Bonuses

3.       Pay bills (UMEME, NWSC, Multiplex, URA & all pay TVs – DStv/GoTv, TVNext, StarTimes, ZukuTv, MoTv) instantly and more conveniently.

4.      Withdraw money the easiest & most convenient way, either at an agent point or ATM (Equity Bank, GTB, Interswitch). The agent spread is now wider for your reach.

5.       Mobile Banking – access your bank account now with Equity Bank.

6.      Pay for movie tickets at Cineplex and The Hub (Get one free for every movie ticket bought using Airtel Money)

All this comes with a new friend, guide and confidant that will help you with all your money transfer solutions and that is MR. MONEY. This offer of buying a movie ticket using Airtel Money is valid for Tuesdays at Cineplex and The Hub. 

HUB PARTNERSHIP WITH AIRTEL

CINEPLEX CINEMAS is proud to announce the new partnership with AIRTEL.  The partnership provides the opportunity for both parties to synergise our services and leverage on the commercial application of Airtel Money and other exciting products.  Mobile phone application usage is the fastest growing tool in the service sector worldwide, Uganda inclusive, hence our need to innovate into that area.

The new service which is now active provides Cineplex and Airtel customers with a way to:

1.      Pay for tickets any day of the week using the Airtel Money platform from wherever they are, so from the comfort of your office desk, home, favourite hangout you can now pay for tickets and simply collect on your way in.  No need to rush

2.      Take advantage of the 2 for 1 ticket offers every Wednesday at either Cineplex locations.  The customer pays for 1 ticket and gets the second one free

This is the first of many initiatives we are launching which will benefit both the Cineplex and the Airtel customer.  This year will see us completing our digital upgrade, expanding our programming to include more diverse product, and broaden our service offering, so we are looking at screening key live sports such as the World Cup.

CINEPLEX CINEMAS is the leading cinema exhibitor in Uganda.  We offer the widest variety of movies in Kampala on our 7 screens which are spread across 2 sites Oasis Mall and Garden City.   We screen block buster and independent movies from around the world bringing the best in movie entertainment from Hollywood to Bollywood.  Last year we launched our 3D service at Oasis Mall which means that now customers can have a choice to watch in either 3D or 2D where available.

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• Mr. Bhullar tasked to support further developments in  Airtel Africa’s newest operation
• Former Rwanda MD, Mr. Paluku, now appointed cluster Head of Airtel Money at HQ    

BhartiAirtel (“Airtel”), a leading telecommunications services provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, has announced the appointment of Mr. Teddy R.V.S. Bhullar as Managing Director (MD) of Airtel’s operation in Rwanda. 

Before his appointment, Mr. Bhullar has been the Managing Director for Airtel Sierra Leone since the launch of the Airtel Brand in the country in November 2010 and in Airtel Seychelles prior to that. He is expected to support further developments in the telecoms operator’s newest operation.

The mobile industry has already had a transformative effect on the social and economic development of Sub- Saharan Africa. Despite the astonishing progress of the mobile industry in recent years, the biggest impact of mobile in Africa is yet to come. Mobile solutions are beginning to address a range of social and economic challenges in the region, some examples being healthcare, education and agriculture.

Making the announcement, Airtel Africa CEO, Christian de Faria said:  “With his diverse experience in blue chip organizations and skills, Teddy is a great fit for Rwanda. His drive for results and passion for improving the lives of the people around him makes us all extremely confident that he is best placed to coach the new team at Airtel in Rwanda into the next frontier.”

The new MD brings 32 years of wide-ranging experiences working at Tata Tea Ltd, Pepsi-Cola, Coca-Cola and Airtel. Mr. Bhullar holds an MBA Degree and has also attended various Leadership programs at CCL in Singapore.

He will succeed Mr. MarcellinPaluku who will now head Airtel Money at a pan-African level for a cluster of Operating Countries. He has successfully led Airtel Rwanda since its inception in 2011, which he managed to launch three months ahead of schedule. Over his tenure in Rwanda, Airtel not only has the best Internet service in the country, but more than 1 million Rwandans have adopted Airtel as their network.

“Airtel Money has had significant growth momentum in the last couple of years. Mr. Paluku is an important addition to the team at the Airtel Africa Headquarters with his practical expertise in developing one of the fastest growing services in Africa and will work with an excellent team.” commented Mr. de Faria.

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MTN Uganda has registered positive performance for the year ending 31 December 2013, increasing its subscriber base by 14.4% to 8.8 million, driven by strong acquisition promotions, segmented offerings and the continued success of MTN Zone according to the MTN Group Results released on 5th, March 2014 in Johannesburg South Africa. MTN continued to show good results in a changing environment.

MTN Group subscribers increased by 9.8% to 207.8 million, notwithstanding on-going subscriber registration programmes in a number of markets. Overall subscriber growth was supported by competitive segmented offerings and improved network quality and capacity in many markets.Revenue for the year increased by 12.0%.

Announcing the results and achievements,the MTN Group President and CEO, Sifiso Dabengwa, attributed this success to increased penetration into rural areas and improved network quality. “MTN Group delivered satisfactory growth in headline earnings, supported by favourable currency movements. The Group faced a number of challenges, including aggressive price competition and increased regulatory pressures in many of our key markets,” he said.

According to the results, total revenue for MTN Uganda increased by 17.9%, supported by a 51.7% increase in data revenue and a 10.9% increase in outgoing voice revenue. SMS revenue declined by 3.5% as customers opted for newer data-driven social media platforms for communication. Data trends were supported by an expanded 3G network, value-added services and enhanced Marketing.

The report indicates that MTN Mobile Money continued to perform well in Uganda and recorded a 47.0% increase in registered subscribers to 5.2 million with more than 25 million transactions per month. Usage was stimulated by a wider mobile payment product range. MTN Uganda’s EBITDA margin declined by 0.5 percentage points to 35.9%, excluding the profit from the sales of towers, mainly because of an increase in network-related and commission costs.

Mr Dabengwa expressed happiness with MTN Group growth in headline earnings, which he said was supported by favourable currency movements despite a number of challenges, including aggressive price competition and increased regulatory pressures in many of MTN’s key markets.

Commenting on the results, MTN Uganda CEO Mazen Mroué said, “I am happy to note that the results continue to show a steady performance for the MTN Group and particularly for MTN Uganda currently with a subscriber base of nearly 9 million customers. MTN Uganda’s focus over last year was to enhance our infrastructure investment towards improved Network Quality, the rollout of innovative Products and Services and improvement of Customer Experience”.

He added that through the consistent positive performance of the company, a focus on investment in Quality of Service, Innovation and Communication, MTN Uganda seeks to provide its customers with the best experience on the market.

Regarding the continued growth of MTN Mobile Money, Mroué said, “MTN Mobile Money remains the fastest growing product in Uganda with 5.2 million registered users each transacting on average six times a month. The popularity and growth of MTN Mobile Money has created more than 100,000 jobs for Ugandans and increased financial inclusion of the unbanked. MTN customers have continued using the Bill payment channels to pay their Electricity and Water bills through MTN Mobile Money. Overall figures indicate that more than 85% of the mobile bill payment collections in Uganda are made through the MTN Mobile Money platform”.

In 2013, MTN Uganda was the first in the market to introduce WiFi Hotspots, 42Mbps and 4G LTE. MTN customers are also able to enjoy 15MB worth of Free Internet every month

MTN’s vision is to lead the delivery of a bold, new Digital World to its customers. As MTN continues to fulfill this promiseit remains committed to continue to improve the lives of Ugandans by consistently fulfilling our promise to provide consistent service and the best customer experience.

“I would like to congratulate the MTN Uganda staff for their contribution and support in achieving these positive results. At MTN we recognize our staff as a key asset in enabling this success. As we move into 2014, our focus will be primarily on Customer Experience as well as ensuring consistent investment in key infrastructure to support the anticipated continued growth,” Mroué concluded.

About MTN Uganda

Launched in 1998, MTN Uganda is the leading communications operator in Uganda, offering Mobile and Fixed telecommunications, Mobile Money Services and Internet Service Provisioning. As of 31 December 2013, MTN Uganda recorded 8.8 million subscribers across Uganda. Visit us at www.mtn.co.ug and for our football fans www.mtnfootball.com. Customers can also follow us on www.youtube.com/mtnug and www.twitter.com/mtnugandacare for assistance.

About the MTN Group

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator, connecting subscribers in 22 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: “MTN.” As of 31st December 2013, MTN recorded 207.8 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan,South Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. More info on www.mtn.com