Orange has unveiled Top-Up, a Web site that enables people to remotely top-up mobile credit for customers of over 350 operators in the world.
The company says users who want to send mobile credit to another contact "simply have to enter the mobile number to be credited, select an amount and pay by credit card".
An SMS, along with a personal message, will then be sent to the receiving user to confirm the transaction.
The facility is available in three currencies - the South African rand, the euro and the US dollar - and is designed for those who live far from family and friends.
Orange says the service "is aimed in particular at migrant populations or those living abroad who are looking for a simple way to send mobile credit to their friends and families as means to stay in contact or simply as a gift".
Top-Up is available in English, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, and enables users to reload credit for customers in over 100 countries.
Orange notes SA's high number of immigrants from African countries and beyond "can take advantage of the Orange Top-Up service when looking for a way to credit friends and family abroad or vice-versa, regardless of their mobile network operator".
The Web site indicates the value of the credit in the currency used to make the payment as well as the receiving country's currency.
"The transaction fee for using the service is also clearly indicated on the Web site," explains Orange.
New business opportunities
Top-Up is the most recent service launched by Orange Horizons, the subsidiary which seeks out new business opportunities in countries where Orange does not have a presence as a telecoms provider.
In SA and Portugal, Orange Horizons has what it calls "corners" in partners' stores and offers services like SIM card replacements to tourists visiting from counties in which Orange is present.
Orange says the Top-Up service will expand as more operators around the world start connecting with its offers.
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