Safaricom Ethiopia, the newest mobile network operator in Ethiopia, and Prepay Nation, a B2B marketplace of cross-border transfers, has announced a partnership that will enable Ethiopians living abroad to send mobile airtime to their loved ones back home via Safaricom Ethiopia's network.
The companies explain that over 2.5 million Ethiopians live outside of their country, particularly in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Netherlands, and the need for a reliable and convenient way to send airtime to family and friends in Ethiopia is critical.
Prepay Nation, a global B2B prepaid products marketplace has an operational presence in more than 150 countries and has over 600 mobile operator partnerships. The partnership between Prepay Nation and Safaricom Ethiopia will, the two companies say, offer the Ethiopian diaspora a fast and secure way to send airtime to loved ones in Ethiopia, irrespective of the value. The service will be available through Prepay Nation's partner network of more than 350,000 retail locations and digital channels.
Anwar Soussa, CEO of Safaricom Ethiopia says, "Our partnership’s primary objective is to broaden our services and provide the Ethiopian diaspora with access to stay connected with their loved ones back home."
As new offerings like this one indicate, there’s certainly every reason to believe that competition between Safaricom Ethiopia and incumbent Ethio Telecom will continue to hot up in the continent’s second-most populous country, especially with a third operator now a serious possibility.
