Instant fame

We came to know of it during the PR drive for the World Summit on the Information Society (15 to 19 November in Tunis), after being mentioned in a presentation by InfoDev (a division of the World Bank) and Alcatel on the installation of its mobile payment solutions.

It`s practically impossible to do justice to this relative newcomer in one article, so we`ll touch on its activities in the hope that it gives readers enough of a sense of MoPay`s movements, should anyone wish to get in on the ground floor. Actually, it`s probably too late for that already.

CONNECTED, CATALYSED

MoPay`s genial CEO, (Dr) Cobus Potgieter, says his company was approached by the World Bank it in its search for mobile payment platforms for its NextBillion project (www.nextbillion.net), eventually selecting MoPay for a case study, from among 68 platforms. Along with Alcatel, WB appointed personnel to oversee the selection, which took months and included local visits. The MoPay platform was given the thumbs-up as a fully functional, mature solution.

The objective of the case study was to find technologies most relevant and suited to certain target economies, to assist suppliers to access funding and avoid undue regulatory obstacles, and to make the technology available to as many target economies as possible. In MoPay`s case, the study stated that "it would help MoPay to maintain `first mover` status, raise funding and influence development processes in this space".

"It`s been very meaningful," says Potgieter. "We have had incredible exposure internationally since then, even before the release of the report." Forums on which Potgieter and co have presented include the recent international Novatech Conference in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), coinciding with that country`s launch of its national Cyber Park, some installations and joint ventures in that region, and a meeting in New York of the UNICTF (UN Information and Communications Task Force). In between all that, Potgieter has presented in Florida, Malaysia and more.

More recently, a post-grad group of Wits Business School, in conjunction with Blue-IQ`s Blue Catalyst, did a business case on MoPay. The significance lies in being selected from a group of high-merit innovators/entrepreneurs/enterprises, and the independence of the analysis, resulting in a positive projected growth/profitability scenario for MoPay. "We hope this will lead to cooperation with other entrepreneurs and suppliers, Potgieter states.

He intends to extend the MoPay footprint worldwide, over and above the 38 countries in which it is active, spanning Third World countries through to high-end markets such as Sweden, where global projects are under way for companies including Ikea and Kinnevik.

BRANCHED OUT

Other than mobile payment, MoPay has engaged local municipalities with debt collection and account management solutions, including bill payment, prepaid top-up, system events management and so forth. "In Sweden, these products are being integrated with toll systems and GPS, as well as safety and security initiatives," says Potgieter. One of the other applications is the opportunity, until now unexploited, of providing an online payment solution that integrates the components involved in TV shopping, coupons and vouchers, and traditional shops accepting proof of mobile payments through the SMSBarcode product.

Projects that have just or are about to launch are internationally accredited ICT courses at no or low cost, under the auspices of the International Commission for Workforce Development, a cellphone exchange, and bank cards (www.quickcashworld.com) - which enable cross-border cash transfers at low cost to the families of migrant workers.

Potgieter doesn`t want to keep it all to himself either. "If there is one thing I want to get across, it`s that there are countless opportunities for other SA companies in these markets. We want to find out who they are and how we can ride this wave together."