Though a number ofguys have tried to disrupt my scrath card earlier allowing guys to buy or send others mobile phone airtime such as TelephoneKenya, Air Pesa, TopUp.com, most of them are diaspora-centric.
SlashAir.com doesn’t look so attractive, as a web app, by any standards but wants to help just anyone buy anytime anywhere with just a click on their mobile phones or computers. We did buy some airtime using it already and its simple.
Developed by Francis Mwangi and his team, who say they don’t want any publicity yet, SlashAir is an online service that allows registered users to buy airtime top ups to prepaid mobile phone subscribers across all networks in Kenya on their desktop computers or mobile phones.
He says SlashAir was inpired by the fact that telco’s waste alot of money printing scratch cards and spending more on their distribution. His new service aims to help telco’s, airtime distributors and individuals to distribute, sell and load their mobile phones at the touch of a button.
He tells me Slash Air also makes it easier for people to send airtime as a gift to their family and friends or recharge their own mobile phones from the convenience of their homes or offices. The service also has a loyality program for repeat users and also allows customers to buy in groups or top up several company phone numbers.
Mwangi’s aim is to kill the scrath card which he says almost everyone buys and dumps anyhowly without thinking of recycling it or properly disposing it. He also says his invention will simplify distribution of airtime and cut the cost of distribution and even lower calling and SMS rates.
Users can also schedule topups for periodic top ups to any number, this can be on a daily, weekly, monthly basis or a pre defined date in time.