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natecow

I'm currently developing a mobile phone programming curriculum at the University of Nairobi, while simultaneously pursuing my ever growing list of research areas as a Research Scientist at MIT.

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SMS Media “POWER CARD” - prepaid electricity Scratch-cards in Rwanda

natecow | 26 January, 2009 05:10

    
power card
After Jeff Gasana graduated from the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), he help form SMS Media RwandaEPROM’s latest industry partner. Some of Jeff’s most commercially successful SMS applications have been unique to the Rwandan market, ranging from auto insurance to local market price information to matchmaking. In 2007, Jeff developed an application that enabled graduate high school students to access their national exam results without having the travel to the capital, and 30,000 students now use the service annually. 
 
In the beginning of 2008 SMS Media partnered with Electrogaz, the national electricity company, to sell prepaid electricity scratch-cards. Using the proven airtime scratch-card model, entrepreneurs purchase the prepaid electricity cards in bulk and then sell them throughout Rwanda. Not only has this created thousands of jobs, it saves Rwandans from having to travel into Kigali and wait in line to purchase electricity at the main Electrogaz office. While the system has only been operational since the beginning of 2008, already 30% of the country’s electricity consumers are now purchasing their electricity through their mobile phones using the SMS Media “Power Card”.
    
Beyond selling prepaid electricity, SMS Media is also partnering with KIST to enable EPROM students in Rwanda to deploy and sell their own SMS applications using existing short-codes with a 50/50 revenue-sharing agreement. 

RSSComments

Re: SMS Media “POWER CARD” - prepaid electricity Scratch-cards in Rwanda

JOM | 26/01/2009, 13:49

Amazing,

Not only the solutions, but also the problems! In Finland payment for electricity works in different way and so we simply don't have such a problem - and finding that kind of a solution would have been totally impossible! Still the solution is more amazing than the problem and I can't help, but think if there is anything where something similar could be used. Have found some, but the amount of potential users would be counted in hundreds :)

Your storied are inspiring, please keep them coming!

--jouni in snowstorm thinking about hot Africa

Re: SMS Media “POWER CARD” - prepaid electricity Scratch-cards in Rwanda

wizard_hu_ | 26/01/2009, 23:48

Jouni, if you look around carefully, you will probably notice other differences between Finland and Rwanda ;-) Prepaid electricity solutions exist in Europe too, though not necessarily in Finland.
And if you check the company's site, http://www.electrogaz.co.rw/BILLING.html suggests that there may be other methods too.

Re: SMS Media “POWER CARD” - prepaid electricity Scratch-cards in Rwanda

jackiboa | 26/09/2009, 13:53

the amount of potential users would be counted in hundreds :)
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Re: SMS Media “POWER CARD” - prepaid electricity Scratch-cards in Rwanda

jackiboa | 26/09/2009, 13:54

Great post. i really appreciate it.
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amazing result

shobazee | 18/08/2010, 03:50

I wonder at the amazing result.... The solution is amazing..

Re: SMS Media “POWER CARD” - prepaid electricity Scratch-cards in Rwanda

christineb1979 | 14/12/2010, 05:18

WOw this is a great post. keep it up.

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more uses somewhere...???

BOB Jogger | 17/03/2011, 18:17

I have a feeling that there will come a time when this idea blossoms into well more than "users in the 100's"... but that's just me.
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Re: SMS Media “POWER CARD” - prepaid electricity Scratch-cards in Rwanda

jennifer.park82 | 17/04/2012, 17:46

awesome work.

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Re: SMS Media “POWER CARD” - prepaid electricity Scratch-cards in Rwanda

jennifer.park82 | 17/04/2012, 18:13

Thank you for sharing this information. The information was very helpful and saved a lot of my time.
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