In a world where digital transformation is key to staying competitive, MTN Uganda took a significant leap forward with the launch of its new service, MTN ‘API as a Service’. This innovative solution provides third parties access to MTN’s proprietary software platform, enabling businesses to create groundbreaking services that will drive digital transformation and foster innovation.
To shed light on this exciting development, we had the privilege of sitting down with Justina Icabala Ziraba, the Enterprise Segment Manager at MTN Business.
Justina highlights the transformative power of MTN’s API as a Service and emphasizes how the service positions MTN Uganda as a dedicated enabler and partner for businesses, both within local markets and on an international scale, aligning with MTN’s Ambition 2025.
Get the full details in the Q&A below.
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What is MTN’s API as a Service?
An API is Application Programming Interface in full. An API is simply Software that facilitates/enables communication between platforms. Its best illustrated as “Applications Holding Hands.”
API as a Service is a testament to MTN’s Ambition 2025, which is ‘Building leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress.
How can Ugandan businesses benefit from MTN’s API as a Service?
Benefits are numerous and vary across business and across industry verticals, and as part of our solutioning, we sit with the business to understand their need and propose uses.
However, the major ones include:
- Businesses are enabled to Innovate faster. Innovation is the life blood of businesses. You don’t innovate you become obsolete and run out of business. APIs facilitate innovation in terms of enabling the creation of new products, new services, new digital journeys.
- Businesses can Improve customer experience; digital customers journeys and user processes; better digital experiences with minimal customer interruptions.
- APIs optimize cost of doing business. APIs save you costs associated with traditional IT KYCs API another verification API save you costs due to false identity. Onboarding a customer who is not who they say they are very costly for business.
- Access to automated data for better decision making, which is very costly for businesses.
- Control fraud: especially with our verification APIs. Customer safety is a big deal. Is a very key component of customer retention. The MTN SIM Swap API enables this.
- Reward customers with MTN Airtime and bundles. Maybe as a business you want to promote a certain product. As part of your reward campaign, when you buy this product get 5gb data. This is also now possible with Subscription API
How is MTN enforcing data privacy considerations during the provision of the service?
MTN has put in place several measures to enforce data privacy. These include:
- Due diligence is done at the point of onboarding. Various considerations to ensure the partner we are onboarding is credible, we know them, we know how he is going to apply the API.
- We ensure that we are in full compliance with Data Protection and Privacy regulations in our country’s data privacy policies as a company. For example, for APIs that require customer particulars, customer consent is mandatory, this is incorporated in the design of the API. So, data will not be exchanged until the customer has consented.
- Data Privacy considerations right from the building of the API. If an API requires customer consent, this will be incorporated in the build.
- Secure transportation of data is mandatory. As its transported, data must be encrypted, and secure protocols must be used.
- From an operational standpoint, we have a dedicated active Risk management team, that oversees the API risk & mitigations framework. They ensure every party knows what their role is in relation to API risk and puts in place the mitigations. MTN, Chenosis, 3rd party.
What is the process for businesses to onboard MTN’s API as a Service platform?
We engage customers to understand customer’s needs.
Due diligence is done to ensure compliance. After due diligence is passed, we go into contracting, and then Integration, testing and go live.
What additional APIs can businesses expect from MTN in the future?
Without going into too much detail. MTN has exciting APIs coming up. APIs like facial recognition, Silent Mobile Number verification and Radify APIs are some of them.
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