MyWater - an ICT company that makes water meters detailing how much water homeowners use and how much is owed to municipalities - will turn its focus towards mobility when it launches its Android and iOS mobile apps in the coming months.
Larry Symington, CEO of MyWater, says users will be able to track water use in their homes, make mobile payments to municipalities, and use their payment history to improve their credit rating.
The smart water meters have been on an extended trial involving around 400 users, says Symington, and the initial purpose was to provide accurate readings and alerts for consumers and participating municipalities. "We started in 2010 and most of our current users are based in the Ekurhuleni municipality, while we have around 200 units running in Mpumalanga."
He says MyWater now aims to capitalise on SA's high cellphone penetration rate, while maintaining its focus on improving billing efficiency.
"We're trying to get more buy-in from municipalities, but users will be able to make payments through our links with companies like ISP Cash and Mobile Money. We are also hoping to get banks onboard in the next few months."
Symington says MyWater is in talks with the Umsunduzi Municipality, in KwaZulu-Natal; Mbombela and Govan Mbeki municipalities, in Mpumalanga; and Emfuleni Municipality, south of Johannesburg. "Now that elections are over, we are hoping to get more information from them and communication lines are already open."
Symington explains the system takes water billing to "people's pockets". "From a cellphone, you can see what the bill is, make payments and start building a credit profile as you do that.
"In addition, MyWater has also finally closed a loop with the Credit Providers Association so users can get a letter of credit through water payment records to improve credit records," he adds. Symington hopes this will encourage consumers to stay up to date with paying their bills.
Neil Croft, owner of Mahala Mobile, says MyWater's aims could be successful if municipalities across SA used the same billing systems. "The systems need to be able to talk to one another. It doesn't matter how good your mobile system is, it won't cope if the foundations are not working properly."
Altron is currently working to integrate the systems of 34 municipalities in five provinces, in a bid to speed up the payment process for ratepayers and administrators.
Share