
Malaysian operator Maxis and Western Union have teamed up to launch the mobile money service that would allow Maxis subscribers to send cross-border remittances directly from their mobile phones. The service, which is expected to be rolled out in early 2010, is the first such deal Western Union has ever made. As a result, 11 million+ Maxis subscribers in Malaysia will be able to send funds from their mobile phones, and the recipient will be able to pick up the funds in cash at more than 345,000 Western Union Agent locations in 200 countries.
For the record, more than $6.4 billion in remittances was sent out of Malaysia during last year. Many of these were sent by the estimated 1.9 million foreign workers living in the country — largely Indonesians, Filipinos, Bangladeshis, Nepalese and Vietnamese.
[Via: CellularNews]
About The Author
Dusan Belic
Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do.
In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application.
Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.