Edited: September 15 2018

Six years later, PayWay, has made strides with their service incorporating more services that include National Social Security Fund, Utilities, School fees, taxes and oh yes, you can also pay for some of your concert tickets using the service. As you have noticed, the above pic has some companies that have either closed shop or changed name like Orange Internet which is now Africell and of course, Warid that was absorbed by Airtel.

New Internet service providers have since joined on board like Tangerine, Smile, Roke Telecom and Smile Uganda. Airtime cards having been phased out in most city centres, PayWay has come in very handy in addressing that gap.

To become an agent, you must have a registered company, national ID and at least $550 that includes the cost of the Point of Sale (POS) machine and a bluetooth printer, you must also have an Android phone4.0 plus to be able to operate without any hitches.

You also need a minimum of at least 500k that will be required as your float. PayWay Uganda is located in Kibuli, plot No. 2019 Mbogo road next to Total Kibuli.

These are PayWay contacts here in Uganda;

• Tel: 0800 203020.
• E-mail info@payway.ug
• WhatsApp: +256792240818.

===Earlier Version===

Payway is a vending machine that can be found at supermarkets and are an ideal way of loading internet airtime for Orange network and airtime for all carriers let alone paying for DSTV, Startimes and Gotv.

It saves a lot of time for orange internet bearing in mind that if you had to buy scratch cards and you are lucky to get large denominations, you would have to enter one by one depending on what plan your on.

The payway vending machine, which does not give change or accept coins will load your airtime on the orange modem instantly in a few easy steps which takes the same time you would use on a scratch card but remember if you had Shs85,000 to load, then that will be at least a 50,000 card and a 20k, 10k card plus 5k to load.

The machine sends you an instant message on your phone to let you know that your transaction was successful on top of an instant receipt. There is a toll free number just in case you are stuck.

So if you are the type who was looking for an alternative around using many cards, then you could try the payway vending machine. You can also pay for water bills, buy an airticket with Air Uganda.

Advisory: - MTN Uganda is giving out bonus airtime when you load any amount up to 10,000. The offer is valid for the first seven times when you load from 9 to 15 Jan 2011. The message is brought to you two days after the promo has kicked off but with the remaining 5 days, you can get yourself some free airtime.

This is typical of technology taking centre stage very similar to the days when money used to be counted by mere hands but now that  is a thing of the past because money counting machines took over that role. Automation is the way forward because it is a time saving tool.

 ATMs, Credit Cards plus other where life has been simplified is what we are talking about. This is exactly what NWSC did. It started off by closing most of the offices because there services were not required as a result of this innovation.

UMEME should be in advanced stages of rolling out a similar plan if they have not yet done so. This service is in addition to the paying in the bank for those who still want to do things in a traditional way.

You pay through the bank and you have a copy on you as proof that you have paid, however, when paying with mobile money, your confirmation receipt is on your phone, but the beauty with this is that you have just communicated with NWSC and they are aware you have paid, so if your balance does not warrant being disconnected, they will not disconnect you.

To begin with you must be registered with MTN Mobile Money for MTN or M-Sente for UTL Subscribers. Registration is free so I see no point why you should not be registered by now. With Mobile Money, you can pay a number of things ranging from DSTV, NWSC Bills, buying airtime and School Fees and the list is growing as more service providers appreciate the beauty of the service.

You must also have money on your phone, which can be used to pay for the service you are vying for. You deposit money on your phone through an authorized Mobile Money Agent just like you go to a bank to deposit your money.  If it is for your water bill, then you take the following steps:

·         MTN Mobile Money on your phone

·         Pay Bill

·         Select Location

·         Customer Number

·         Amount

·         And then Pay.

On entering the customer number, your details come up as into your account name at NWSC plus the balance you are required to pay. This gives you the confidence that you are dealing with the right account and therefore no need of worrying that you are paying money on a different account other than yours.

In the same vein, NWSC introduced On Spot Billing. This is the very service that they use to detect whoever paid at what time. The service is a time saving project, and a convenient way to the customers who had to line up in long queues. That time can now be used to do other things.

On the issue of jobs that have been lost as a result of the innovation, they can now be absorbed in other sectors that may require their services.

Fast, Secure & Affordable are understatements when it comes to what is now called Mobile Commerce. Launched early 2009, MTN Mobile money has yet again added another service that can be used with its Mobile Money facility on top of sending and receiving money, buying airtime or sending airtime to another number on the same network, now you can also pay for your DSTV bill.

Some have even gone along way in using it as a safe custody for monies or a savings account as monies kept on the mobile phone will remain intact once not touched.  To pay your DSTV bill using MTN Mobile money follow the following steps:

• MTN Menu
• Select Pay Bill
• Select DSTV
• Enter the 11 digits of your Smart Card
• Enter the bouquet package amount
• Enter Pin and Confirm

Digital Satellite Television is provided by Multi Choice with its headquarters at Buganda road in which a dish is connected to your TV set where as MTN Mobile money is open to those on the MTN network though you need to register for the service. Registration is free which normally requires taking down your details on to a form followed by a replacement of your current  sim card to one that is Mobile Money enabled.

The new sim card does not result in loss of data because all the information on the old sim card is transferred to the new sim card. The major benefit in signing up is the reduced charges you pay while receiving money. The charge by non registered customers is a lot higher compared to those who are registered.

So now that registering is free what do you loose and yet the benefits are enormous ranging from sending, receiving, electronic wallet, paying bills. We are crossing to an era of electronic bills a move that environmentalists advocate for day in day out.
Related:  Mobile Money Transfer now in Uganda
Pay for your DSTV with ZAP

New Business Opportunities are coming up as a result of economic and technological advancement. This has resulted in new jobs and boosted people's incomes as seen below:

Easy Load
Easy load indeed. In the past one had to buy airtime from a vendor and oh yes up to now only that it is more convenient than it was before. Through Mobile Money, one can buy airtime and also send money to their loved ones.

Assuming you are in a precarious situation and you need airtime there and then but with no airtime vendors around you can use mobile money on condition that you have any balance above Shs100. Talk of new trends, some have even started vending airtime depending on the situation.

Supermarket Shopping
The City is flooded with supermarkets and all of them issue computer generated receipts unless otherwise. This has given rise to a new opportunity. Some companies have come up offering shopping opportunities for a commission to those who are busy and are not in position to do shopping in time. One Supermarket is doing 247 shopping but at times you find it closed so those offering that service are coming up steadily.

Weddings
This is a massive industry that has boosted so many line businesses in the process. Short Message Services (SMS) are growing by sending alerts for wedding meetings, Some venues that were redundant have now found better use for their redundant space by hiring out space for wedding meetings to take place.

Photography - Some Hotels have even gone an extra mile to develop photographing sites that the newly weds have taken advantage of during the photo shot sessions. Soon they will be charging for this service.

Catering - Others that have benefited from the wedding explosion are those offering catering services bearing in mind that a few years back weddings were a question of having a soda and a few snacks, today it is a buffet arrangement.

Bridal Cars - The most interesting here is the slow displacement of the Mercedes Benz which has for so long been used as a machine for Bridal Cars and now being replaced by Hummers, Jaguars, Limousines and so on.

Mobile Money
Two years back there was no such a thing called Mobile Money, now it is a question of either you not wanting to use it or not understanding it at all or not seeing any need for it. Zain, Mpesa, M-Sente, MTN Mobile Money are all here and agents have added it top their existing services and are making an extra buck out of it.

Comedy
This is no way connected to technological advancement but clearly becoming a money making machine. It was a matter of entertaining a handful of guests who had gathered after paying Shs 3,000. Today even TV stations are signing them up to be included in the program, line ups for their viewing audiences. The original group Theatre Factory has even split giving rise to another group Fun Factory. The latest is Club Silk that has introduced Comedy as part of their menu and the charge is 25,000 per head. Quite amazing bearing in mind that before these were guys entertaining just for laughs.

SOHO
Small Office Home Office(SOHO) has sprung up as a result of the internet becoming more affordable. For as little as Shs 20,000 per week, One can have access to unlimited internet. With this kind of arrangement, the number of offices at home is on the increase for jobs like Air ticketing, Tour and Travel and Web Design Services among others.

Loan Sales Executives
No doubt this is a new trend as a result of banks becoming more flexible on noticing that other than asking for land titles as collateral, you can now use one's job/salary as security. Loan sale executives are now massively deployed to recruit more customers for the loans. The number of the employed is still very low so the same executives bounce back trying to lure the customers into loan top ups in the process trapping customers into the loan rat race.

Importing Cars
It is not surprising  that the number of cars coming into the country is increasing every month. This is made possible by the internet. One simply logs onto a website and looks at the available stock and places an order online by sending an email to this company. Payment is made by Telegraphic Transfer(TT) and the car is later shipped to the nearest port to you.

This means that anyone can do this without applying to anyone or being subjected to an interview. Not all websites are genuine though. So there is need to carry out a due diligence and once not sure, please resort to the traditional methods.

              
Uganda Telecom has joined other telecom companies like MTN and Zain in providing Mobile Commerce to its subscribers. M-sente Mobile Money can allow you to withdraw, deposit, transfer funds and also pay school fees. You can also buy airtime using the service.

The service is very similar to that of MTN and the beauty with these mobile money services is that you can send money to anyone with a mobile phone irrespective of whether they are registered or not. It does also not matter which network the person you are sending money is on.

Zain's Zap Money can be used to fuel at filling stations, access your bank account using the Zap service coupled with being able to send money to anyone in East Africa. MTN's mobile money and now UTL's m-Sente mobile money are focusing on sending and receiving money plus purchasing airtime using the service.

However one bit that continues to confuse most people who are not familiar with Mobile Money is how the money gets to the phone. I always compare it to how you load airtime on your cell phone. In most cases you will go to a shop/dealer and buy airtime. The same applies to depositing or withdrawing money on to your phone, you have to walk to an authorized agent to sign up, deposit or withdraw.

Otherwise, Mobile money is the cheapest and convenient way of sending money from one person to the other as compared to the traditional methods like Western Union, Moneygram, Electronic Funds Transfer especially if the amount involved is from Ugx 5,000 to Ugx 1,000,000/- which is the maximum amount to be sent by MTN for example.
Related: Mobile Commerce Hits Kampala

MTN Uganda has added something a little extra to the Mobile Money service making it more useful than ever before. You can send and receive money with the help of your mobile phone and now you can buy airtime with it.

Originally you were only able to buy airtime of up to Ugx 5,000/- but now that is not the case anymore as you can buy airtime from as little as Ugx 50/-. Some people could be wondering how you do this and this is exactly how it is done.

You must have upgraded your sim card to be able to send money to your loved ones, friends with the help of mobile money. You do not need to upgrade your simcard to receive money because it comes in a form of an SMS and any one with a mobile phone irrespective of the network will be able to receive that kind of message.

You then proceed to an authorized mobile money agent where you present that sms together with your secret code which could have been communicated to you earlier by the sender and then money will be given. In the same vein, if you want to put money on your phone, you deposit it with the authorized agent and before you leave his point of sale, you should have received a message reading that you have received money from someone.

The money you have put on your phone can now be used to send to other people, buy airtime for as low as Ugx 50 and so on and so forth.

Related: Buy Airtime with MMM

Radio, Telly, Billboards and other forms of media are running either Zap Money or MTN Mobile money adverts. But this is technology some will continue shying away from but also a great tool to those who have already tried it out. You can compare this to one who uses an ATM for withdrawing but at the same time fears to deposit through an ATM. This means that they would rather go traditional i.e. walk to the banking hall and bank the money over the counter.

Zap Money is a service of sending money from a Zain Mobile phone to any other mobile phone where as MTN Mobile money is a similar service of sending money from an MTN Mobile enabled phone to any mobile phone in the country. Please note that when sending money; it does not matter which network the recipient is on.

Zap has a lot more functions as compared to MMM. You can use Zap to fuel your vehicle, access your bank account, send and receive money within East Africa and E.A we are talking of five countries i.e. Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania.

We are yet to establish which other functions MTN Mobile money can offer over and above sending and receiving money to anyone with a mobile phone in Uganda. Short of that, the services are great and once analyzed through the aspect of sending and receiving money, the new products are doing very well. Over 2Billion Uganda shillings has been transacted within the first two months of launching the service.

Threat to Banks
The population of people with mobile phones is three times higher than the bank account holders in the entire country. The latest statistics of people with mobile phones is at 10Million whereas bank account holders are just 3Million. This has brought in third party affiliations like Western Union who recently teamed up with Zap Money to offer their services.

Kampala Vs Up Country
In Kampala, the money transfer service is well spread across the city because, mobile vans are occasionally seen in busy places tring to register new members and answering frequently asked questions from those who are still trying to get to terms with the new service, Mobile money agents or Zap agents are in each and every corner. Unfortunately this is not the case when you get out of Kampala and you try to go upcountry. For example you might find just one branch in Kireka, followed by another in Bweyogerere, Mukono and then Lugazi. The next Mobile money agent could be in Jinja.

More benefits are yet to be realized from this service which is taking Kampala by storm. In Kenya for example, DSTV subscribers can pay their bills using Zap money.

Mobile Money Transfer Now in Uganda 
Once you have enabled your sim card to become MTN Mobile enabled as opposed to sending money to friends and relatives, you can also buy airtime.

Go to MTN Menu> Mobile Money> Buy> MTN Airtime> Amount> 5,000 >Mobile Number>......>Confirm Entry> Ok> MM Pin.....> Confirmation message will follow.

If you have more than 5,000 or 5,000 shillings as balance on your mobile money account, you can use it to buy airtime in case it runs out and yet you were in the middle of an important call with no airtime vendor near by.

It is important to note that you cannot buy airtime below 5,000 as that is the minimum amount to be sent for moblie money transfers.

Telecommunication
In the past it was a matter of holding a phone for purposes of calling, receiving plus sending sms. This has now changed with more sophisticated phones which are doing more than just calling but also serving as Radios, Digital Camera's, Video recorders, Voice recorders, MP3/MP4 players and surfing the internet among others.

Depending on the type of phone, you can also be located using Google Earth. The phone will reveal your location to whoever may be looking for you.

MTN has just launched a service that enables anyone to send money to another person with a mobile phone. The amount to be sent varies from 5,000 to 1,000,000/- within Uganda only. The charge for sending and receiving is affordable.

Uganda has five Telecom operators whose services target majorly mobile phone users and the big five are: MTN, UTL, WARID, ZAIN and Orange the last entrant in the industry. Other services being handled by these companies include ISPs, Fax Services, Landline and so on and so forth.

This has also created a chain of indirect jobs like vending airtime, repairing phones plus sale of phone accessories which was otherwise not their in the past.

On the contrary though, the parliament of Uganda is looking at the possibility of making phone tapping possible so that once you are suspected of transferring illicit information through your phone, then the law can catch up with you.