Kenyan telecommunications giant Safaricom on Thursday October 3 experienced an outage on both the Safaricom and M-Pesa app.
In an update by the telco giant, as seen by The Kenya Times, the company informed its customers of a temporary outage.
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At the same time, it directed Kenyans using the apps to use the USSD Code *334# or the Sim Tool Kit.
“Dear Customer, M-Pesa and My Safaricom apps are unavailable. Kindly use *334# or SIM TOOL KIT as we work to restore the services,” the text to the subscribers read in part.
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Social media users also raised complaints about experiencing delays with the apps, with many receiving Safaricom prompts.
This comes after Safaricom introduced a standing order feature for its M-PESA Ratiba service, enabling customers to schedule payments directly from their mobile devices.
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This new feature allows users to conveniently automate utility payments, money transfers, and subscription settlements on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis, eliminating the need to manually initiate transactions each time.
Also Read: Safaricom vs Starlink: Why Another Company Wants to Join Ongoing Case
Prior to this, the rivalry between Safaricom and American satellite internet service provider Starlink has intensified in the Kenyan internet market.
On September 26, the telco Chief Executive Officer Peter Ndegwa announced that the company is in discussions with Elon Musk’s Starlink and other satellite providers regarding potential future partnerships.
“From a satellite perspective, we have to partner with Starlink or other satellite providers in future to make sure that that technology plays right through,” Ndegwa said in an interview in New York.
“We have had some discussions, and we will continue to have those discussions to the extent that they complement what we are offering.”
The company requested that foreign satellite providers be required to partner with local telecommunications operators when conducting business in Kenya.
The company argued that this requirement would boost investment and employment while ensuring compliance with local laws.
Also Read: Safaricom Launches Recurring M-PESA Ratiba Payments; Benefits; How to Use
Additionally, Safaricom raised concerns to officials about the potential security risks and lapses in regulatory oversight that could arise from allowing services like Starlink to operate under independent licenses, citing the cross-border nature of satellite services as a significant factor in their court filing.
In June, the leading telecommunications company announced a reduction in internet speeds across the country due to an outage affecting two of their undersea cables. This disruption impacted several critical applications, including the M-PESA Super App and the Safaricom App.
The outage was affected by two of the undersea cables that deliver internet traffic in and out of the country.
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