Listers

Interesting development. The Telco sector with policy push from MOICT is finally testing interoperability of Mobile Money across Networks. This is a step in the right direction. This list has long advocated for this. It is gratifying to see that this is happening now. Kudos to MOICT and CS Mucheru for pushing this through. Kudos to the telcos for making it happen.

I'm however curious as to the headline of the story:-

Interoperability may very well cement and increase M-Pesa's dominance in the space. This battle is not going to be won on the promise of withdrawing and sending money. Increasingly people want convenience beyond cash-outs and peer to peer transfers. The players who will win are those who understand and execute the following:-

1. Super Focus on the customer

2. A one stop shop Virtual Bank - Payments, deposits, savings etc. 

3. Brand Equity built on the principle that the customer ALWAYS comes first. 

My sense is that the interoperability 'promise' for laggard brands will go the way of the Number Porting Promise. There is no short cut to succeeding in business and serving your customer with excellence. For those expecting the government to help them vanquish their business rivals they have a long way to wait..

The winner here is the customer. The price for the telcos and other mobile money service provider is that you now have a level playing field.. Sort of.. :-)