Mobile Money interoperability has been around for awhile as users could conveniently send money from one network to the other without special codes involved. While it is possible to send money from one network to the other, it does not apply on all. Come interoperability
What is interoperability?
Interoperability simply put is the ability for systems to work in conjunction with others.In this context, it is the ability of sending and receiving money between the sender and recipient as if they’re all on the same network even if they’re not.
Therefore ss of this writing, MTN Uganda is now the first telco to allow users to do Mobile Money transfers across all networks. Previously this has been possible but on only Airtel plus Africell and now with the latest entrant being Uganda Telecom. MTN rolled out this in a phased approach with phase one seeing Airtel come on board, we even have a guideline on how to do this. Phase two had Africell and now phase 3 sees UTL join the other two.
This comes after the Bank of Uganda issued a directive to have interoperable money transfers between all local telecommunication companies. MTN now stands as the first of the 3 major networks to have achieved this milestone.
All users have to do, is to visit their mobile money menu using the *165# USSD code and send money to any network as if they’re sending to any normal MTN number/customer but for this case, they will also be able to send to other networks as named above.
On the same note, MTN Uganda has also enabled international Mobile Money transfers specifically to MTN Rwanda, Safaricom in Kenya with Tanzania joining this list in early 2019. For this case, Mobile Money users will have to select *165*1# and select international transfers.
