Residents of Punjab can Now Pay their Electricity bill ‘On the Go’ with Vodafone M-Pesa

• Partners with Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd.

• M-Pesa Digital Wallet to facilitate instant electricity bill payments;

• With this tie up, over millions of electrified households will benefit through this facility

Vodafone M-Pesa, a unique and innovative Digital Wallet service from Vodafone that offers Money Transfer, Bill & Utility Pay, Merchant Payments and Business Solutions, has partnered with Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), offering millions of people in Punjab a simple, easy-to-use option to pay their electricity bills instantly. Vodafone M-Pesa offers customers a cashless, secure platform for electricity bill payments with the largest network of agents (or CashIn Points) to enable digitization of money for Cash holding population.

Vodafone has more than 3000+ outlets (or CashIn Points) including Vodafone Company owned stores, franchisees, and multi brand outlets in Punjab. These CashIn Points provide convenience and ease to Customers to convert cash into digital money facilitating digital payment of Bills and e-commerce /m-Commerce. The bill payment touch points are easily available at every nook and corner, including all 31 Vodafone brand stores in Punjab.

Inviting the residents of Punjab to reap the benefit of instant electricity bill payment on the go through Vodafone M-Pesa, Arvind Vohra, Operations Director - Vodafone India said “It has been our constant endeavor to deliver and bring innovative and simplified service offerings relevant to the needs of our customers. Vodafone M-Pesa partnership with the PSPCL is one such initiative that bridges the need for a simple, timely and cashless electricity bill payment solution through the mobile phone.”

Customers across various segments can access M-Pesa on either a smart phone by downloading (Google Play store > M-Pesa customer app > Download > Register with basic credentials > Confirmation SMS > Login and change the PIN) the M-Pesa App or by dialing a USSD short-code (*400#) from any phone including any feature phone. This facility is aimed at driving financial inclusion further along with providing the State Electricity Board subscribers in Punjab the benefit and comfort of making payments instantly. As an added benefit, new users of M-Pesa can earn 5% cashback on the payment made through the App (cashback of maximum Rs.50 each month for a period of 3 months).

Elaborating further on the service, Suresh Sethi, Business Head, M-Pesa, Vodafone India said “We are delighted to facilitate payments via M-Pesa (mobile wallet), safe, fast and convenient way of bringing bank to the mobile. With this facility, customers now have an access to multiple touch points for electricity bill payments in a simple and hassle free manner. From process automation to instant and secure transaction, we are confident M-Pesa will bring transformational benefits to the people in Punjab and further drive financial inclusion in the state.”

Serving the needs of the unbanked and under-banked customers, Vodafone M-Pesa is a safe, fast and convenient way of bringing bank to the mobile. Also, with a pan India distribution network of over 120,000 CashIn Points and with more than 5.4 million customers, Vodafone M-Pesa is the largest banking business correspondent in the country. M-Pesa today plays a vital role in enabling financial inclusion and m-commerce. 'M-Pesa’ effectively leverages the combined strengths of Vodafone’s global expertise in the domain of mobile payments and significant distribution reach in India plus the security of financial transactions provided by ICICI Bank.

About Vodafone India

Vodafone India is a 100% fully owned subsidiary of the Vodafone Group Plc. with operations across the country serving ~199.4 million customers. Commencing operations in India in 2007, Vodafone India is today a robust, award winning business and committed for the long term. Vodafone Business Services serves the needs of enterprises and government by providing total telecommunications (Voice and Data) solutions across mobility and wireline platforms. Our mobile wallet, Vodafone M-Pesa is a unique and innovative money transfer service that fosters financial inclusion.

“Committed to optimizing the near ubiquitous reach of mobile telephony to address national developmental priorities, Vodafone is actively engaged in community development via its CSR and Sustainability initiatives especially in the domains of m-Women, m-Agriculture, m-Education and Disaster Relief.” Building on its global experience and expertise, an outreach across India and offering a comprehensive portfolio of technologies- 2G, 3G & 4G, Vodafone is uniquely positioned to actualize the vision of Digital India.

Globally, Vodafone is one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies and provides a range of services including voice, messaging, data and fixed communications. Vodafone has mobile operations in 26 countries, partners with mobile networks in 56 more, and has fixed broadband operations in 17 markets. As of June 30, 2016, Vodafone had 465 million mobile customers and 13.7 million fixed broadband customers.

For more information, please visit: www.vodafone.com.

Follow us on twitter @Vodafone IN_News and visit www.vodafone.in