DOHA: Qtel yesterday launched Qtel Mobile Money, an innovative money transfer service available locally and overseas which customers can easily and conveniently use with a "Mobile Wallet".
The whole concept of the new service lies mainly in the use of mobile phone as a convenient tool to load a certain amount of fund to the Qtel Shops and Self-Service Machines (SSM) if they want to send money anytime of the day domestically and abroad initially serving the Philippines and Pakistan.
With the use of Mobile Wallet, customers can also buy Hala top ups aside from remitting money to anybody or their loved ones back home at a service charge of QR12 per QR2,000 transaction.
The service will also enable customers to pay Qtel bills, make merchant payments and buy a wide range of services when the next phase goes live.
Qtel Mobile Money is being launched in collaboration with Qatar National Bank (QNB).
The service will be particularly helpful for a significant number of so-called "underbanked" or "unbanked" customers who do not have access to traditional banking facilities.
Waleed Al Sayed, Qtel's Chief Operating Officer, said the launch of Mobile Money would provide an important new service to hundreds of thousands of people in Qatar, and deliver security, speed and peace of mind.
"Qtel believes there is a significant market of people who currently rely on cash-based financial services, including money transfer services, to support their families. The launch of this new service will provide them with an important and safe alternative," Al Sayed said.
Ali Al Kuwari, Executive General Manager, Chief Business Officer at QNB, said Mobile Money is a revolutionary project for Qatar and the region and it is a testament to the consistent innovation that is being witnessed in the Qatari market.
"QNB has always strived, directly or with valued partners such as Qtel, to deliver innovative, quality products and services that foremost aim to simplify and ease the lives of all people from every financial background," he said.
Customers will be able register to load money (Cash In) initially through select Qtel Shops in City Centre, Al Sadd, Souk Al Najada, Lulu Ghraffa and Lulu Airport and eventually through the company's national network of more than 200 SSMs.
Customers with Mobile Wallets can also buy Hala Top-Ups for their own or for any other Hala numbers. They will even be able to withdraw cash from ATMs, pay Shahry bills and buy goods over the counter in the next phase of the launch.
© The Peninsula 2011
