MTN Congo Partners with Sicap to Launch Pay4Me

MTN Congo and Sicap have today released details of the recent launch of a popular new service, marketed under the Sicap product name of Pay4Me.

The Sicap solution allows MTN subscribers to bear the cost of a call from loved ones who are momentarily out of credit. Essentially a collect call service, Pay4Me opens up the opportunity for all MTN subscribers to call other MTN numbers, even when out of credit. The subscriber simply dials a short code before their correspondent’s number in order to send a collect call request. The correspondent receives notification and presses 1 to accept the charges.

The Sicap Pay4Me solution works on all phone models and for all subscribers. It is simple to connect to the billing system for the operator and economical on network resources due to the usage of the USSD channel. An additional feature of the solution is the ability for the subscriber to create a white list, where up to five selected MTN friends and family collect calls are automatically put through.

Benefits of the Sicap solution in Congo are threefold. Firstly, by choosing to roll out Pay4Me, MTN gains in brand image. The service, supported by an advertising campaign showing a young girl calling her father, fosters sharing among loved-ones. Secondly, the popularity of the MTN community service fosters stickiness among MTN users and hence loyalty to the operator. Thirdly, Pay4Me offers Congolese people an innovative solution to everyday prepaid recharge problems, generating revenue from calls which otherwise would not have been made.

MTN Congo Sales & Marketing Director, Gandé Dagba, said that the Sicap service marked MTN’s intentions to consolidate its position as leader in innovations in Congo.

Managing Director of Sicap Africa, Mr. Yann Pognant said that “Pay4Me has been embraced by operators in Central and West Africa because it is a simple service that mobile users in the region really want. Sicap believes in building solid and long-term partnerships with selected operators. We are proud to deploy our regional knowledge and presence to accompany MTN Congo in their commercial strategy”.

About Sicap

The Sicap portfolio focuses on customer satisfaction and service continuity for mobile end-users. Server-side software enables operators to ensure that the latest multimedia and customer care services are seamlessly delivered to any device or SIM. The offer extends to include platforms which facilitate business between network operators and their partners. Hosted implementations or carrier-grade OSS platform installations provide operators a choice of service levels and investment.

For further information about Sicap, www.sicap.com

About MTN Congo

MTN Congo is a mobile telephone company createdas a result of the takeover on 9 December 2005 of LIBERTIS Telecom, which had already been operating in the Congo for six years. Its share capital has increased from 10 million to 5 billion FCFA in the space of seven years. The company’s shares are now held entirely by the MTN International Group. MTN’s investments in the Congo have grown from 26 billion FCFA in 2005 to more than 50 billion FCFA in 2008. The investments are mostly focused on boosting quality and acquiring new sites in the Republic of Congo. MTN Congo is present in more than 300 towns and villages in Congo Brazzaville. The current rate of coverage is more than 80% of the Congolese population. MTN Congo has over one million subscribers and has created almost 300 direct jobs and more than 10,000 indirect jobs. For further information, please visit: www.mtncongo.net or contact our client service on 666 01 23, or on 123 when calling from your MTN mobile.

Contacts

Sicap
Press contact:
Kate Stoney, +33 (0)4 37376974
kate.stoney {at} sicap(.)com