This opportunity is for people who would like to make money by selling airtime load and other similar services.
This is also for people who consume a lot of load and would like to economize through discounts.

There’s a business opportunity called Load Mo Sarili Mo or “LMSM”. From the information I gather from different interviews and flyers I’ve seen, LMSM is basically a different way of distributing airtime load across the Philippines.

LMSM - Load Mo Sarili Mo

LMSM uses a “member-gets-member” concept. The member becomes a load fund reseller and enjoys 3-5% discount.

After the jump, take a look at the LMSM slide presentation, earning opportunities, advantages, membership types and more. Also see details of the Grand Launch of LMSM.

Advantages

• Simple and straightforward ( single product, which is “eload”, single network, which is “Smart”)
• Fast, efficient and convenient self-loading, anytime/anywhere
• Product is highly consumable and is actually considered basic commodity.
• Open to international membership since Filipinos abroad also use SMART airtime through roaming Pinoy SIMs and Plug N Talk
• You get the full commission which you don’t have to share with a downline because your downline has its own allocation of commission.
• Provides web access for online registration, load fund checking, genealogy checking/tracking

Membership types range from Regular, Bronze, Silver, Gold and OFW members. Depending on the type of membership, they get a combination of one or more of the following items upon registration: Activation ID, load fund, handouts, SIMs, handouts, Smart Bro kits, Plug n’ Talk kit.

Earning Opportunities include commissions, one-time referral fees and earnings from the stockist program.

Payout Methods include: Load Fund, Cheque, Smart Money or Bank Account

Load Mo Sarili Mo (LMSM) Presentation:

This business is currently in its soft-launch. Come join the LMSM Grand Launch

• When: February 20, 2010, 1-4pm
• Where: SM Megamall Cinema4
• Raffle Prizes: Laptops, cellphones, SmartBro Kits, Plug N Talk, Smart Buddy Cards, Load Mo Sarili Mo Loadfund
• Give-aways: Smart Money Freebies, Smart T-shirts

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loaded

In 2005, I conducted a study on m-commerce for microfinance as part of my action consultancy at the Asian Institute of Management.

In my meetings with microfinance members, I brought along a … 1.5Megapixel Kodak camera to take snapshots of our activities.

I’m glad to hear from my friend John that there is a Microfinance Photography Contest by CGAP.

2008 CGAP Microfinance Photo Contest: Innovators and entrepreneurs

2008 CGAP Microfinance Photo Contest: Innovators and entrepreneurs

CGAP invites photographers of all levels of expertise to enter the CGAP Microfinance Photo Contest.

Microfinance around the world is a varied and rapidly developing field, and this year’s theme, innovators and entrepreneurs, speaks to the creativity of our industry. By sharing your striking images of financial services reaching poor people today with us, you’ll reach countless others with the message of microfinance. We know from past results that you’ll be inventive in capturing the diversity, dynamism, and impact of our work.

This year, we’ve added some special categories to reflect our overall theme of innovation. We’d like to see images of entrepreneurial activities at work. How are people using finance in nontraditional ways? What innovations are financial service providers using to serve people who would not otherwise be reached, including those living in rural and remote areas? We hope you’ll use your imagination in thinking about the clients of microfinance and those who deliver the innovations to help meet their financial needs.

There are some very beautiful photos in the past years’ contest.

• 2006 Microfinance Photo Contest Slideshow
• 2007 Microfinance Photo Contest Slideshow

This year, there’s a special category for photos that depict the use of technology. We have a lot of these examples in the use of G-Cash for microfinance. I want to capture photos of those transactions.

New this year: At the judges’ discretion, a special award for $250 in photography equipment will be awarded for up to two photographs that depict issues around the use of technology (cards, information systems, mobile phones) and policy and regulatory issues relating to microfinance (e.g., issues around interest rates, transparency, AML/CFT regulations).

WHEN: All entries, whether submitted electronically or mailed or shipped, must be received by CGAP before noon EST September 15, 2008.

I will join the contest. Anybody want to join me when I go on my photography gig?

Visit the CGAP website to get the Photography Contest Entry Form.

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snapshooting

Globe G-Cash

Globe is raising the incentive to use G-Cash. They’ve made it more attractive for subscribers to use G-Cash to buy load.

I have friends who are earning quite a good profit by loading airtime through G-Cash. They get themselves some G-Cash and use it to buy load for their friends/family/customers.

When they send P100 worth of load, their G-Cash is deducted only P90. They get P10 rebate. That’s hefty.

But there’s a new promo now…

GCASH: Ang 10% rebate sa GCASH, ngayon 15% na! Until Sept 23, buy load w/ GCASH and get 15% back! To buy load, txt LOAD <AMOUNT> <PIN> and send to 2882+10-digit# of recipient. P1/txt. DTI1190. Call 2882 for info.

This means that for every P100 worth of load, their G-Cash is deducted only P85. That gives them a P15 rebate!

I wonder how AutoloadMax dealers feel about this promo. I had a comment early this year from an Autoloadmax dealer voicing his concern about this promo. I say the dealers better get in on G-Cash so they can benefit from this promo too.

For more details, visit the G-Cash website and read about their promo.

Search on Technobiography: G-Cash, Globe, Autoloadmax, airtime, Smart Money, Smart Padala

Technobiography archives (whew, how years pass!):

• m-Commerce
• m-Commerce in the Philippines: The way to go
• M-Commerce in the Philippines: The world is watching us
• M-Commerce ideas become reality
• The way to go: Why they haven’t gone that way
• G-Cash is offering free cash-in
• infoDev Report on m-Commerce

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g2g2zzz — got 2 go 2 sleep

I was very excited to read the full page advertisements of Globe and Western Union’s remittance partnership. They finally piloted the service in Hawaii.

To recall, a few months ago, Smart, Globe and Western Union that they would pilot the GSM initiative for mobile money transfer. Now Globe pulled it off. Yey!

I better find a relative over at Hawaii, somebody to send me some money to test out the service .
Good excuse to ask for money, don’t you think? Urmmmmm … angkel, adda kwarta yo’d ta?

Excerpts from Inquirer.net:

Globe Telecom opens remittance service in Hawaii

By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 16:46:00 07/29/2008

MANILA, Philippines — Globe Telecom announced a partnership with Western Union that allows Filipinos in Hawaii to send remittances to the Philippines via the former’s GCASH service.

Under the partnership, Filipinos can send remittances from Western Union sites found in Foodland stores in the islands of Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Big Island. A fee of $4.50 is charged per $100 remittances or less.

Receiving parties in the Philippines will be notified via SMS and can then encash remittances through Globe centers and other authorized GCASH outlets.

According to the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle, a weekly newspaper for Filipino residents and businesses in Hawaii, there are more than 168,000 Filipinos at present living in Hawaii, comprising more than 15 percent of the total population.

Globe and Western Union announced a partnership in January aimed at providing remittance services via GCASH for Filipinos abroad.

The partnership targets low-principal but high-volume transactions typical in countries that have high concentration of overseas Filipino workers.

See full article on Inquirer…

New clipping from GMANews.TV:

MANILA, Philippines – Citibank, the largest credit card issuer in the country, plans to boost market share by pushing prospective cardholders to make purchases using mobile phones.

Citibank on Friday launched CitiMobile, which allows cardholders to order food, reload prepaid phones, buy Internet time, or pay bills without having to swipe their plastic cards. Cardholders enrolled with CitiMobile just have to send their authorization through text to charge the transaction on their credit cards.

Very good development there! Looks like the Philippines has more big players to boost the m-commerce industry.

This used to be a barrier as telcos could not “advance” credit to subscribers (e.g., “utang muna”). With the coming in of citibank, they’ve created “credit” via m-commerce. nice!

It’s all good! Thanks erwin for forwarding!

Read full article here: Citibank allows credit card purchases through text

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lockwood …. weeeee!

I was at an MRT station Yesterday and was wondering what passengers were watching while waiting for the train.

They were watching the MRT TV’s, those sleek, black flat-screen TV’s at MRT stations. The TV was flashing some movie trailers and other clips from Omniprime Marketing Inc. (OMI). Thus the name of the TV’s: OMI IP TV. Not sure what IP stands for, is it Internet Protocol?

What caught my attention is the animated video about mobile ticketing via over the air purchase of 2D barcode. Here’s a video of the video , and some details on MRT Mobile Ticketing service …

Video URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsVb21X5rMI

From the Omniprime Website

I’m glad to see Omniprime continuing to innovate and bring together technologies to serve Filipinos. OMI’s strategy brings together in audio-visual media (TV), cellphone technology, 2D barcodes, 2D scanners and I’m sure a lot of sweat and tears .

MRT TxtRide

This is what caught my attention.

MRT Ticket nasa cellphone na!
Just text 2260 and get an MRT 2d barcode ticket on your cellphone. Convenient na, Mabilis pa!

The beauty behind a company like Omniprime deploying a service like this is that they were able to bring three telcos together for a common service that caters to all subscribers.

Visit www.Omniprime.net website for more details.

More reflections later …

Bin items: reflections on this service, links to previous Technobiography articles, more details from the service, links to other blogs.

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mobile phase

I got this lead from dlethe01:

November 15, 2007 – OMI Mobile Solutions conducted its internal live test at MRT North Ave. Station to Taft Ave. Station. Succesfully activated OMI E-Wallet and purchase single journey MRT mobile tickets for SMART Communications and SUN Cellular.
http://www.omniprime.net/

Some notes:

• Not much detail in the omniprime website. Omniprime was the group behind the mobile cinema tickets.
• Good to see the system integration between MRT, Smart and most especially SUN!. This is the kind of collaboration we’re looking for to make more robust and more inclusive mobile services (instead of the giant telcos developing services that don’t work with the rival telco — we want services that are interoperable)
• It turns out Omniprime is the system integrator for the MRT mobile tickets which I discussed back in August 2007.

Omniprime, how did the testing go? Goodluck! Let us know when it’s publicly available.

Thanks dlethe01!

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sa florida, hindi ako blanco

Colleague John Owens from RBAP MABS keeps me attuned with developments in their mobile phone banking solutions for Rural Banks.

John’s group has a website ( Mobile Phone Banking for clients of Rural Banks – http://mobilephonebanking.rbap.org/ ) that brings together information about Mobile Phone banking solutions for Rural Banks.

They have information about the different services they offer, list of merchants accepting mobile payments, and a directory of points-of-presence of users all around the Philippines.

For a quick and easy overview of what RBAP MABS does, checkout their videos on mobile phone banking.

Always good to know we have partners who are pushing similar initiatives in m-commerce for the Philippines.

Keep it up, RBAP MABS!

Look what we’ve got.

Smart is coming out with a technology-enabled / mobile-commerce-enabled transportation pass at the MRT.

Evidence is a spiffy silver booth at the North Ave Station of the MRT labelled “Metropass” and sporting a Smart Money poster. I didn’t find any details about the Metropass service, though. I had a chat with a cashier in a nearby G-Pass booth and they are aware that Smart will soon launch Metropass.

What will Metropass be like? Your guess is as good as mine. But I would pattern it with Singapore’s EZCard for their MRT:

• prevalent
• easy loading and re-loading
• reliable (none of that “out-of-service” inconvenience)
• Can be used in multiple MRTs (along edsa, along taft and along Aurora)
• Can be used with the SAME scanner as G-Pass
• Same price or CHEAPER than the regular MRT ticket

It would be silly (but conceivable, based on how the telcos compete) if Smart added another kind of scanner on the MRT turnstiles. That would make THREE ways to get through the turnstiles and it would be an awful waste of capital considering that it isn’t cheap putting together the technology. That capital expenditure is the reason Globe has been trying to peg a premium price on their G-Pass.

It’s also important that they refrain from pegging a premium price for the Metropass. They have to price the Metropass at SAME or CHEAPER than the regular MRT fare. Otherwise, uptake by the general public will be slow, just like the G-Pass.

My bottom-line message to Smart: Make the technology easy to use, reliable and cheap. That will increase the uptake of the Metropass. Then there will be a true impact on shortening the queues at MRT stations.

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ka-mute-er

An e-mail question from a Pinay (married to a Japanese ata):
GUD PM PO.PWEDE PO BANG MAKAPAGPADALA SA JAPAN NG PERA GAMIT ANG G-CASH?PANO PO?

My reply:
Wala pa hong International G-Cash Outlet sa Japan. (See List of International G-Cash partners)

International G-Cash Outlets
Provinces and Countries are listed alphabetically
“List as of 02/20/2006″

* Australia-United Kingdom
* USA

Feb 2006 is either outdated or miserably unfortunately up-to-date.
Where in the world is Globe bringing G-Cash?

Update, May 29, 2008:

• List of Partners
• International Advise & Pay Partners
• GCASH outlets in the Philippines
  

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ang inyong kuya cesar