This serves as a validation of Safaricom’s dedication to safeguarding customer data across its GSM and M-PESA services. It confirms that the company adheres to globally accepted regulatory and technical standards in the implementation of privacy management systems.

This milestone complements Safaricom’s existing certifications in Information Security Management Systems (ISO 27001 – ISMS) and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS version 4.0)

The assessment conducted by BSI took into account various critical elements related to Safaricom’s operations, including effective system controls for the protection of personal information, implementation of relevant policies including the Data Protection Policy.

Other areas covered included crucial systems such as the Customer Relationship Management, IP Contact Centre, Tibco, Converged Billing System, Voucher Management System, M-PESA G2, M-PESA Statement Portal, M-PESA Super App, MySafaricom App, and the M-PESA business App.

“I would like to applaud the dedicated cross-functional teams whose tireless efforts have made this achievement possible. The attainment of the PIMS certification reaffirms our ongoing commitment to continuously improve our privacy and security measures, ensuring we provide exceptional experiences for our customers while safeguarding their private information,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom in a press statement.

The post Safaricom Awarded ISO 27701 Privacy Certification by British Standards Institute appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

With 1,114 5G sites covering 102 towns across Kenya, individuals and businesses can now experience the benefits of high-speed internet. In addition to the growing network, Safaricom has over 11,000 enterprise customers on its 5G and has seen growth of active 5G smartphones to over 780,000, demonstrating the increasing adoption of this transformative technology.

In October 2022, Safaricom became the first service provider in Kenya to launch 5G. Since then, the telco has continued expanding its 5G network across the country driving digitization of enterprise solutions across the Internet of Things (IoT), Cybersecurity, Cloud, and Payments leading to optimized business operations, efficiency, and enabling innovation and scalability.

See also: We’re demonstrating to Ugandans that 5G is no longer just an idea, it is here — Sylvia Mulinge

In a press statement, Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom PLC said, “Safaricom remains committed to leading Kenya’s digital transformation through the provision of a worry-free, always-on ubiquitous network enabling access to information, critical services, and communication therefore bridging the digital divide.” “We believe that the benefits of 5G will be a key catalyst in leapfrogging other innovations, industries as well as Kenya’s digital economy.”

As Safaricom looks to become Africa’s leading purpose-led technology company by 2030, it’s exciting to see the opportunities that next-generation technologies like 5G will unlock for the continent. From immersive experiences, gaming, smart warehousing, telemedicine, and smart irrigation the possibilities are endless as we build our silicon savanna.

See also: 5G is key to Africa’s business success, experts urge

The post Safaricom Hits 1,000+ 5G Sites, Expands Coverage Across All Kenyan Counties appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

The M-PESA license will open the country to the world’s largest mobile payment system and Africa’s largest Fintech, and the world’s first mobile money transfer system. The service will start rolling out over the next few months.

Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom PLC CEO in a press statement said, “We are excited that this is a great milestone following our entry into Ethiopia. This positions us to provide essential financial services to the Ethiopian population.”

Ndegwa further said, “Since the commercial launch in October, the brand is visible, deeply rooted in Ethiopia, and quickly becoming in every sense fabric of the society. The potential for Ethiopia is immense and we look forward to the future with optimism and excitement.”

In the period under review, Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia added close to 3 million customers and built a distributor network of over 114 outlets, delivered an award-winning premium quality network in 22 cities and regions; with close to 1,300 network sites, and over 900 staff, 81% of whom are Ethiopians.

M-PESA empowers over 30 million customers to transact, save or borrow money through their mobile phones. M-PESA catalyzed financial inclusion in Kenya to 84% from a low of 26.7% in 2006 according to the 2021 FinAccess Survey and generated over KES 117.2 billion in revenue in FY23.

Ndegwa spoke during the announcement of the Full Year 2022/2023 results, which saw net income increase by 3.0% to KES 74.5 billion for Safaricom Kenya.

Safaricom increased its Group Service Revenue by 5.2% to KES 295.7 billion while the Group net income excluding minority interest declined by 10.6% attributable to expected start-up costs and investment in rolling out operations in Ethiopia within the year.

Voice service revenue declined by 2.6% to KES 81.1 billion; mobile data revenue grew by 11.4% to KES 54.0 billion, while M-PESA revenue grew by 8.8% to KES 117.2 billion.

“We have delivered a solid set of results despite the tough operating environment occasioned by a slowdown in business activity in an election year in Kenya, tough macro environment as well as change in mobile termination rates which impacted our voice revenues significantly,” said Ndegwa.

He continues, “The business is stable and regained a strong positive momentum in the second half of the year. Looking into the future, we passionately believe that our business is well-positioned to support our customers and provide technology solutions as we transition into a purpose-led technology organization in line with our 5 YR strategy.”

The post Safaricom Granted License to Operate M-PESA in Ethiopia appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

This is part of a Safaricom-led technology initiative to enable all 47counties to digitize their services and operations through a single, citizen access channel. The platform will ease public access to county services such as payment of parking, and single business permits, among others.

“We are proud to be among the first counties to sign up to this platform that will increase our visibility to revenue collection and performance while enabling every resident of Elgeyo Marakwet to access county services from anywhere in the world,” Wisley Rotich, Governor Elgeyo Marakwet County, said in a press statement.

Last week, Safaricom in partnership with the County Government of Makueni launched the myCounty App in Makueni. In March, the telco signed an MoU with the County Government of Nairobi to develop and support the “My Nairobi App” as part of the “My Nairobi” hub that will provide digital services and citizen engagement.

“We have witnessed the convenience which digital services have brought to the people. With the world being a global village, it is important that governments adapt and evolve in the way they operate and offer services. myCounty App will not only ease access to county services but also boost revenue collection,” said Cynthia Karuri-Kropac, Chief Enterprise Business Officer at Safaricom. Adding “We are hoping that we can soon have the myCounty app integrated into all the 47 counties.”

Besides county services, myCounty App will also provide a feature that will empower residents to engage their governor or report issues. It will further provide key County and emergency services including requests for fire, ambulance, police, and more at the tap of a button.

In addition, counties will also benefit from additional capabilities including revenue management, cash and bank reconciliation, credit control and debt management, and business intelligence systems.

Safaricom will also host the service as part of the Safaricom Cloud, provide Big Data and Analytics Solutions, and for app users, digital receipts, and electronic notifications.

The post Safaricom, Elgeyo Marakwet County Sign Deal to Digitize County Services appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

“It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing away of Robert William Collymore, CEO of Safaricom Plc, which occurred at his home in the morning of 1st July 2019,” the firm said in a statement.

Collymore was to step down as the telco‘s CEO in August, but the appointment of his successor was delayed as the Kenyan government, which owns 35% of the company, insisted that a ‘local’ is picked to succeed him, complicating the hiring process.

The board is however reported to be discussing Collymore succession,

“The board was aware that sooner or later we needed to organize succession for Bob,” Safaricom Board Chairman Nicholas Nganga said during a press conference.”

“We will be giving a way forward hopefully later today or in the next 24 hours.”

Standard Media, reports that Nganga held back tears as he spoke about Collymore — describing him as selfless and dedicated even while he battled leukaemia.

Kenya’s President, H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, said in a statement posted on the Kenyan State House Twitter account, “It is with deep sadness that I have this morning received news of the death of Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore after years of battling cancer. As a country, we’ve lost a distinguished corporate leader whose contribution to our national wellbeing will be missed.”

The Former Prime Minister of Kenya; H.E Raila Odinga also took to his Twitter account to share his condolences, said; “My condolences go out to the friends and family of Mr. Bob Collymore as well as the entire Safaricom fraternity. Bob served our country with dedication and sustained us as a communication hub in Africa. May his soul rest in eternal peace.”

Mourning his death, the telco has changed its logo to a shade of grey from its normal green, white and red colors — on its social media accounts; Twitter and Facebook.

Collymore has been at the company for nine years, overseeing an increase of nearly 500% in its share value thanks to M-Pesa; popular mobile money transfer service in the country, and a growing customer base.

According to Reuters, Safaricom shares fell 2.7% at the start of trading on Monday before paring the losses to trade 1.4% down in mid-morning.

Analysts claim, Collymore’s successor will face the threat of regulatory intervention to seek to increase competition in the sector.

“At least in the interim they need someone who will be able to continue the conversation with the government around regulation issues because that is the key risk,” said Mbithe Muema, a financial analyst at Infallible Group in Nairobi.

The post Safaricom Changes Logo to Grey Shade, After Passing of its CEO Robert Collymore appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

In its report, Ookla says Safaricom achieved a speed score of 19.80 providing faster average speeds to their users.

This was faster than the other major providers in Kenya who scored average download speeds of 21.25 Mbps and average upload speeds of 9.67 Mbps on LTE-capable devices.

Orange came in second with a speed score of 15.12 followed by Airtel with a speed score of 8.62.

“The speed test awards for top internet connectivity providers are determined using a speed score that incorporates a measure of each provider’s download and upload speed to rank network speed performance,” it reads.[related-posts]

source: Ookla and inputs from Capital FM Kenya

The post Ookla Names Safaricom as the Fastest Mobile Network in Kenya appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

According to the company, Masoko is primarily aimed at small businesses.

The platform will offer products ranging from electronics to beverages and cosmetics, and provide a tool for people currently buying and selling goods on social media platforms such as Facebook

“The difference between us and some other players in the market is that we also want to work with tried and tested brands and merchants. Even if they are small merchants, we want to work with them to ensure they have quality products,” Safaricom’s CEO Robert Collymore said in a press statement.

According to the company, Masoko will work with manufacturers and farmers looking for direct market access and reduce supply-chain inefficiencies including transportation costs and poor infrastructure.

M-Pesa will be among a number of payment methods including other online wallet services and cards by Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc, said the company.

Safaricom plans to roll out Masoko in Kenya, and later expand the platform beyond Kenya, the company did not specify what other markets the company is considering.[related-posts]

credit: IT News Africa

The post Safaricom Set to Launch an eCommerce Platform in October appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

On Wednesday, according to reports by Capital FM in Kenya, Communications Authority (CA) Director General Francis Wangusi is said to have given Safaricom seven (7) days to give a comprehensive report on what exactly caused the outage that saw its services down for almost 10 hours.

Wangusi says MPESA handles over 700 million transactions per hour and this downtime caused a huge loss to the economy, Capital FM reports.

“The regulator and the government at large oversaw this as a security risk, we are working on a competition study, and in that competition study we are looking at regulatory interventions that we need to make in order to spread some of these risks,” Wangusi said.

Capital FM Kenya continued to report that Wangusi warned the teleco if found culpable for the outage will be fined from 500, 000 Kenyan Shillings (roughly 17.6 million UGX) to 0.20% of annual turnover. He added that the penalty will depend on the impact of the downtime on the economy as well as the measures Safaricom took to correct the situation.

Safaricom CEO; Bob Collymore came out to say that they outage was caused by two traffic outlets which failed rapidly one after the other.

While in other news, Safaricom is said to have given M-Pesa users 24 hours of free mobile money transfers as a balm for the inconvenience and losses suffered over the two days

The post Communications Authority Kenya Gives Safaricom 7 Days To Explain Their Network Outage appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

The technical problem affected subscribers countrywide with the company saying it is working to resolve the issue.

“Sorry we are having a slight technical fault with the network services countywide but the issue is being resolved,” the company posted on its Twitter account.

By mid-day, Safaricom in another tweet says, “We wish to notify the public that starting from 9:30 am, we experienced a system outage affecting a number of core services in our network.”

pic.twitter.com/4ZTL8BhmG7

— Safaricom Limited (@SafaricomLtd) April 24, 2017

However, some sources reported to TechMoran stating that the breakdowns began on a Saturday evening with failing M-Pesa notifications and delayed texts – suspecting that the firm might have suffered a major hack.

Many Kenyans have taken the outrage to social media about the issue, while the teleco seems to come them down.

On this exact date and month two years ago, Safaricom @SafaricomLtd experienced the same technical hitch! Is it preplanned! @Safaricom_Care pic.twitter.com/ip4DqkYAeh

— Eric Manyikah (@EManyikah) April 24, 2017

According to data extracted from Communications Authority of Kenya – Safaricom is the biggest telecom provider in East and Central Africa serving over 26.6 million subscribers and providing over 200,000 touch points for its customers and offering over 100 different products under its portfolio.

Editor’s Note: Safaricom is reportedly said to give an official communication.

source: Daily Nation and TechMoran

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