Roshan and TransferTo Partner to Introduce Airtime Transfer Service

January 12, 2012

(Kabul and Singapore) – Roshan, Afghanistan’s leading telecommunications provider, and TransferTo, an Ingenico Company and the Global Airtime Remittance Hub, today announced a new strategic partnership to offer an international airtime transfer service. The service enables Afghans living overseas to transfer airtime to any of Roshan’s more than 5.5 million customers across Afghanistan.

Customers abroad can transfer credit directly by Short Message Service (SMS) or visit select retail locations in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States of America, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, or Australia, to transfer funds. For a population of approximately 30 million, and an additional 2.5 million Afghans living abroad, the service is a cost-effective way to send airtime credit across borders.

Eric Barbier, Chief Executive Officer at TransferTo, said, “The service launched in partnership with Roshan will offer additional airtime transfer channels for Afghans overseas” and added that “the partnership with Roshan is also a key milestone for TransferTo’s service deployment in Afghanistan”.

“We are pleased to partner with TransferTo to introduce an airtime transfer service, which will help us expand distribution internationally to reach the Afghan diaspora. As the market leader, we remain committed to bringing innovative products and services that benefit our customers both within and outside Afghanistan, helping Afghans stay connected to each other and the world,” said Altaf Ladak, chief operating officer, Roshan.

About Roshan

Roshan (Telecom Development Company Afghanistan Ltd) is Afghanistan’s leading telecommunications provider, with coverage in over 230 cities and towns and over 5.5 million active subscribers. Roshan directly employs more than 1,200 people and provides indirect employment to more than 30,000 people. Since its inception eight years ago, Roshan has invested approximately $500 million in Afghanistan and is the country’s single largest investor and taxpayer. Roshan is deeply committed to Afghanistan’s reconstruction and socio-economic development. The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a major shareholder of Roshan and promotes private initiatives and building economically sound enterprises in the developing world. Also owned in part by Monaco Telecom International (MTI) and TeliaSonera, Roshan brings international expertise to Afghanistan and is committed to the highest standards of network quality and coverage for the people of Afghanistan.

About TransferTo

TransferTo is a Global Airtime Remittance Hub that interconnects mobile operators’ prepaid systems to deliver end to end cross border top-up services. TransferTo is the only fast, convenient and reliable solution enabling the transfer of small amounts of value in the form of prepaid mobile credits, the ideal low cost, high value complement to cash remittances. TransferTo has been designed for migrants and travellers, who can now remotely recharge the prepaid phones of their loved ones back home from their mobile phones, the Internet or at a retail location. TransferTo is a must have Value Added Service for Mobile Network Operators, Retailers, Money Transfer Operators and Financial Institutions targeting the ethnic market segment. With a global reach over five continents,TransferTo is the leader in international prepaid airtime remittances, and enables real time prepaid top-up transfers to over 230+ partner Mobile Network Operators in 80+ countries, reaching 3.6 billion prepaid users.

TransferTo is part of Ingenico (Euronext: FR0000125346 - ING) the world’s leading provider of payment solutions, with over 15 million terminals deployed in more than 125 countries. Its 3,000 employees worldwide support retailers, banks and service providers to optimize and secure their electronic payments solutions, develop their offer of services and increase their point of sales revenue.

For more information, please visit the following websites:
http://www.transfer-to.com / www.ingenico.com

Media Contact:

Erik  Van Thielen
VP Marketing & Business Development
+6563457022
E-Mail: erik.van-thielen@transfer-to.com

Farah Kurji
Manager, Public Relations
Mobile: +93 799 996 813
E-mail: farah.kurji@roshan.af
Web: http://www.roshan.af