Econet launches EcoCash Android application

Mernat Mafirakurewa Business Editor
The country’s largest mobile telecommunications company by subscription — Econet Wireless has scored another first after launching its own EcoCash Android application.EcoCash is a mobile payment platform that  enables Econet subscribers to make financial transactions.

As of October last year, three million out of its eight million subscribers were using  EcoCash.

The EcoCash application launched last Friday can now be downloaded for free on Google’s Play Store —enabling users of the payment platform to top-up their airtime, purchase goods and services, cash out from their wallets, send money and also inquire on their balances.

Android powers hundreds of millions of mobile devices in more than 190 countries around the world. It is the largest installed base of any mobile platform and growing fast.

It offers a world-class platform for creating apps and games for Android users everywhere, as well  as an open marketplace for distributing to them instantly.

“With the EcoCash application customers can transact faster and easily from any Android based mobile phone.  Customers can also now directly select mobile numbers from the phonebook for example  when sending money or buying airtime for    someone,” reads information about the  application.

According to TechZim — an information technology news blog, the official EcoCash Android app is different from the unofficial one that came before it.

TechZim said the app doesn’t require the user’s pin code. It just strings together the long USSD code and submits it on behalf of the user.
The EcoCash USSD platform then takes over and requests the user’s security pin.

“This makes it more secure than the Android app which would itself see the pin.  To be fair, Econet changed the structure of the USSD menu recently to accommodate this new way of entering the pin,” TechZim said.

Econet Wireless spokesperson Rangarirai Mberi had not yet responded to questions regarding the launch and anticipated impact of the app to the users at the time of going to print.