MASERU — First National Bank (FNB) has introduced the cross-border prepaid airtime top-up service in Lesotho.
A media release from FNB said the service allows registered South African FNB bankers to purchase prepaid airtime for recipients in other countries.
The service is said to be free of bank charges.
“The system allows real-time cross border prepaid airtime top-ups using cellphone banking from FNB and is available all the time,” the media release said.
FNB is also planning to maximise its services to about 150 million mobile phone subscribers in sub-Saharan Africa.
“Given the current growth predictions for the mobile phone industry, FNB plans to maximise on the opportunities to expand its footprints within the continent,” the media release said.
The new cross-border prepaid airtime function allows any Vodacom Lesotho customers to receive airtime from relatives and friends in South Africa who are registered with FBN cellphone banking.
According to the media release, the executive of commercial at Vodacom Lesotho, Tsabiso Letsoela, said the service will have a ppositive impact in the market.
Letsoela said the product will assist in trade and facilitate communication.
“This will help ease communication tremendously for many Basotho that have relatives residing or working in South Africa,” Letsoela said.
A 2003 survey conducted in Lesotho found that 37 percent of the people interviewed showed that they had a family member working in South Africa and 26 percent reported a family member permanently settled there.
According to Yolande Van Wyk, head of expansion for FNB mobile and transact solutions, cross border prepaid airtime top-ups are cost effective, efficient and the most convenient way of ensuring that people get connected.
Cross-border international prepaid airtime purchases are available only in South Africa and customers can top up numbers in Namibia (MCT) and Lesotho (Vodacom).
Registered FNB cellphone banking customers can call *120*321# to use the service.