[kictanet] Airtel removes M-Pesa branding from agent shops

[Ali Hussein]

Listers

Apologies for cross posting. 

Interesting developments in the mobile money. Safaricom moves to court to compel Airtel to remove M-Pesa branding from its agents shops.

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate-News/Airtel-removes-M-Pesa-branding-agent-shops/-/539550/2892422/-/utg15i/-/index.html

I'm curious.

1. Does Airtel own these agent shops? Or are they exclusive Airtel shops? If they are independent shops why sue Airtel? 
2. Is Safaricom acting anti-competitively? Compelling mobile money agents who deal with competitor products to stop dealing with them? In other words is exclusivity something that passes muster in our commercial laws? 
3. Whilst I have absolutely no problem with Safaricom protecting its brands I'm curious how this helps them in the long term except to continue perpetuating their 'Green Monster' badge in the face of the public. 

Us Kenyans have a love-hate relationship with Safaricom. We love Safaricom and hate it at the same time. This is an interesting conundrum for any brand. How to harness the negative and positive energies from customers to grow their brand equity. 

I hope someone at Safaricom is listening.

On a related matter on the issue of dominance and abuse of market position:-

Why do we need a consultant to tell us what is already obvious in the Telco sector? I think the regulator is throwing too much bureaucracy at an issue which can be resolved over a cup of tea with the various protagonists in the industry. 

Just saying..

Ali Hussein
Principal
Hussein & Associates
+254 0713 601113 / 0770906375

Twitter: @AliHKassim
Skype: abu-jomo
LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
Blog: www.alyhussein.com

"Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought".  ~ Albert Szent-Györgyi

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