Tech Shout!

Today Bharti Airtel announced its association with Western Union to jointly develop and pilot a Mobile Money Transfer service in India. The agreement will usher in the possibility of sending money to India via the mobile phone.

There are lots of immigrants from India, who need to use cash remittance services regularly. According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), inward annual remittance into India stood at over $26 billion for the financial year 2006 – 2007.

Gopal Vittal, Director Marketing and Communications, Bharti Airtel Limited said, “We are delighted to work with Western Union in this path-breaking initiative and be at the forefront of enabling international remittance over the mobile for our 50 million mobile phone customers in India. This will help us move remittances via the mobile in a fast and convenient way, supporting low value transactions.”

“Our association with Bharti Airtel for the Mobile Money Transfer service is an important step in expanding the range of Western Union® global services to a new category of consumers across the country,” said On the other hand Anil Kapur, Managing Director, Western Union.

“This is a very exciting development, especially given the expanse and reach of mobile services in the Indian subcontinent,” he added.

Western Union operates through 45,000 agent locations, including 8,500 post offices and more than 14,000 bank branches across 5000 towns and cities in India.

Western Union has already joined hands with GSM Association (GSMA), a global trade association representing over 700 GSM mobile phone operators, which led to this successful partnership between Airtel and leading cash remittance services in India.