TTCL is now venturing into mobile money transfer services

It will utilise an unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) technology to rollout its services soon, officials have saidDar es Salaam. The State­run Tanzania Telecommunications CompanyLimited (TTCL) is nowventuring into mobile money transfer services as it seeks to enter the competitive market that alreadyhas four players.It will utilise an unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) technology to rollout its servicessoon, officials have said.
The company has contracted a payment technology provider, Novatti Group Ltd, to supply technology equipment worth $850,000 (about Sh1.87 billion) to implement the project.
Novatti Group Ltd will supply the state­owned telecommunications firm with technologies that will
include a short messenger centre (SMSC) and USSD services.
TTCL public relations manager Nicodemus Mushi told The Citizen yesterday the company had been
undergoing a transition period from a 3G code division multiple access (CDMA) network to a 4G
LTE polarisation division multiple access (PDMA) that will enable it be among the big players in
telecommunications and provide quality and reliable services.
“TTCL has been lagging behind because it lacked requisite features like the value added service that
comprises mobile money transfer that the majority of customers are looking for in their phones, but
we are in the process of installing it,” he said.
TTCL has been providing mobile phone services for years now. Using its CDMA technology, it has
been offering mobile voice and data services only and has about 50,000 to 60,000 customers
countrywide.
“With this major transformation, TTCL will compete with the rest of other players in the mobile
telecommunications industry,” he said. Major competitors in money transfer services include
Vodacom (M­Pesa), Airtel (Airtel Money), Tigo (Tigo Pesa) and Zantel (EzyPesa). The number of
mobile phone subscribers hit 39.8 million in December last year, according to Tanzania
Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) figures. TTCL maintains a one­per cent market share
with a total of 304,214 subscribers.
Mr Mushi said for them to be vibrant in the telecommunications market they needed key features
that were sought by customers, including mobile money transfers and 4G LTE.
He noted that they would launch new products, including 4G LTE, Roters, Mifi, mobile money
transfer services and changing the company logo by June this year.
Expounding on that he said TTCL had started migration from 3G CDMA to 4G LTE in Dar es
Salaam December last year in Dar es Salaam city with 25 sites, which was still ongoing and they
expected to have full coverage in the city by the end of the year.