Tunisiana, Tunisia's largest mobile network operator today announced that it has chosen TransferTo, the Global Airtime Remittance Hub, to expand its international mobile top-up service offering Tunisians living overseas more channels enabling them to make the gift of airtime to their relatives in Tunisia.
For the estimated 10% Tunisians living abroad, this service will further add to the remittance of $2 billion* USD transferred to Tunisia by Tunisian emigrants in 2010. Providing the ideal solution for small value transfers, gifting airtime across borders has, over time, become a new and cost-effective way to complement Tunisian emigrant's regular cash remittances,. International mobile top-ups have seen similar successes as they become integral in keeping in touch and reaching out to loved ones on special occasions such as birthdays or religious holidays.
Instant and secure, sending a top-up to a Tunisiana customer will now be possible through multiple channels in a number of countries hosting large communities of Tunisian emigrants: available online at www.transferto.fr the service will also be available from the convenience of a mobile phone (SMS) or at retail locations in France, Canada, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Germany, Spain, USA, Netherlands and many others.
Eric Barbier, CEO at TransferTo, said he is "convinced that Tunisians living abroad will find great value in easily transferring small amounts of value in the form of Tunisiana prepaid top-ups to their loved ones" and added that "the partnership with Tunisiana is not only a major addition to the TransferTo Global Airtime Remittance Hub, it is also a key milestone for TransferTo's service deployment in the Northern Africa region".
"With International Airtime Transfer, Tunisiana further demonstrates its commitment to delivering innovative services matching the needs of its customers while leveraging on the Tunisians living and working abroad and helping them keeping close ties to their friends and relatives in Tunisia" said Mourad Zamiti Head of Marketing VAS at Tunisiana, who added that "partnering with TransferTo was a key contributor to addressing this strategic but difficult to reach customer segment, thanks to their experience in deploying International Top-Up services globally and of course having the right coverage of sending partners in countries hosting large Tunisian expatriates.
*source worldbank -- 1.960 Bn USD in 2010 rounded to 2 Bn
About Tunisiana
Tunisiana is a private telecommunications company in Tunisia. Set up with capital of 330 million Tunisian dinars, it was established on 11 May 2002.
Tunisiana started its commercial operations on December 27 and, 6 months later, its mobile phone network covered 60% of the Tunisian population.
Tunisiana, as of June 30, 2006, had more than 2.5 million subscribers and has now more than 5 million subscribers. As of 2005, the network covered 99% of the population. In early-2006, Tunisiana launched GPRS and EDGE on the Tunisian market.
At the end of 2010 TUNISIANA had 5.7 million active subscribers and has reached more than 52.5% market share despite the emergence of a new private operator.
