Decoupling SIM Cards from Mobile Money: A Critical Path for Smaller Operators to Compete?
Decoupling SIM Cards from Mobile Money: A Critical Path for Smaller Operators to Compete?
In many African markets, including Ghana and Kenya, mobile money remains tightly coupled to SIM card ownership. Your phone number is your wallet. While this integration worked brilliantly to drive initial adoption, it has also cemented the dominance of major telecom providers who control both mobile connectivity and financial access.
But what if we rethought this model? What if smaller mobile money operators could decouple SIM registration from mobile wallet ownership — allowing customers to use their services without first becoming phone service subscribers?