SMS costs on electricity purchase to drop by 72 percent

SMS Media, which provides Short Message Services (SMS) on the MTN-Rwandacell network and Electrogaz, the national water and electricity provider, is set to cut message costs on electricity purchasing, from the current Rwf65 per message to Rwf18. this will represent a 72 percent decrease in the cost.

Thursday, May 07, 2009
Buying electricity will soon become fun as SMS rates drop.

SMS Media, which provides Short Message Services (SMS) on the MTN-Rwandacell network and Electrogaz, the national water and electricity provider, is set to cut message costs on electricity purchasing, from the current Rwf65 per message to Rwf18. this will represent a 72 percent decrease in the cost.

The new tariff will be effective starting from May 15, 2009, as the two organisations seek to increase their points of sale.

SMS Media which has been in the partnership with elctrogaz in the sale of cash power through SMS for a year is targeting 70 percent of electrogaz clients.

As of to date, 40 percent of about 110,000 electrogaz clients use SMS Media to pay for their electricity bills.

Jeff Gasana, the SMS Media General Manager said that they intend to tap more clients by increasing the point of sales from to the current 200 locations to 500 by 2010.

"We will soon open up SMS banking system, which we are testing with three banks.”

Gasana made the revelations during the celebration of one year partnership with Electrogaz at Karisimbi Hotel recently.

Currently SMS Media is working with different companies in Rwanda which include; Sonarwa, Ecobank, Cogeabanque, all radio stations, ORINFOR, Rwanda Development Board and Serena Hotels.

The company also has partnerships with other regional companies like Zain, MTN Uganda and Celtel in Democratic Republic of Congo.

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