GSMA releases report on value of pay-as-you-go solar
GSMA released a new report that explores the question ‘What is the value of pay-as-you-go solar for mobile operators?’ using a multi-country analysis to quantify the value of that synergy for the mobile industry. The research tackles the African continent where most of the mobile money enabled pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar units have been deployed with special focus on five mobile operators from Uganda, Rwanda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Zambia. While mobile money was found to be a crucial engine of growth for both economic development and mobile industry, the PAYG solar model has spread rapidly across developing countries as a means of delivering energy services and driving livelihood development. Some of the key findings of the report include:
- PAYG solar customers have significantly increased mobile money usage, beyond just solar payments, for example in Uganda cash-in, person to person, and merchant payments increasing 97%, 64%, and 57% respectively.
- PAYG solar drives adoption of mobile money with 76% rise in Uganda.
- PAYG solar customers yield increased overall revenue for mobile operators by 9% in Benin.
- PAYG solar demonstrates the case for strengthening and broadening collaboration.