BillPay – Pay by Phone

Telenor Group mobile operator Grameenphone and the Bangladesh Power and Development Board (PDB) launched the service jointly in 2006, to make bill payment a hassle-free task for the people of Bangladesh. BillPay allows people to pay their electricity bills either from their Grameenphone mobile or at any authorised BillPay centre.

Simplifying the bill payment process

The solution is driven by the motivation of Grameenphone and PDB to simplify the bill payment process and thus do away with the problems associated with paying bills: standing in long queues, travelling, limited payment hours and various post-payment hassles.

“This has made my life so much easier. Earlier I had to stand in a long queue for hours to pay the bills. Now I don’t need to do that. I can pay my bills any time of the day and anywhere in the country with my mobile phone. I’m very pleased with this service,” says Faiyead Ahmedul Hye, a busy Business Executive in Dhaka.

Mobile Money Management

The BillPay solution derives from the Seed 2004 idea “Mobile Money Management” developed by Monowaruz Zaman of Grameenphone. The basic idea was to introduce mobile-based financial services in countries lacking banking infrastructure and with low penetration levels. In Bangladesh, less than 5-10 per cent of the population has access to conventional banking services in this cash economy.

More than 200 authorised BillPay Centres

Consumer and business customers in the Chittagong metropolitan area are now able to pay their electricity bills at over 200 authorised BillPay centres. Customers receive immediate payment confirmation from PDB.

They are also able to query their present and past bill status instantly via SMS or receive assistance from the modern and dedicated call centres.

Ensuring transparency

Grameenphone is using its extensive distribution network and proven technology to help automate PDB bill collection infrastructure in Bangladesh. Grameenphone feels that this not only helps to make bill paying easier, it is also a convenience that it can make a big impact on and potentially change the lives of a large part of the population. Today’s billing systems are manual, increasing the risk of human error, and subscribers often have to take the bill receipt to the respective authorities to correct or expedite the transaction.

Expanded to all of Bangladesh

In 2009, BillPay set many milestones. BillPay was expanded to all corners of the country to enable the people of Bangladesh to enjoy the service. BillPay was also surpassing more than two million error free bill payments – a milestone achievement for such a new and innovative service. Among these two million bills paid through BillPay, 1.65 millions were paid in 2009 alone. These transactions have saved valuable productive time and energy for consumers and thus contributed in the national development.

BillPay at a glance:

	2007	2008	2009
Utility company under BillPay	1	2	8
	PDB-Ctg	PDB-CtgTitas Gas	PDB-CtgTitas GasDPDC DESCO PDB-Rajshahi PDB-Sylhet Bakhrabad Gas Systems Ltd Chittagong WASA
Bill payment	141,000	510,000	1,660,000
Collection amount (BDT*)	127 mln	377 mln	1,642 mln

*Bangladeshi Taka