Global water pump company Grundfos has teamed up with Ericsson to develop a water dispenser for the African market. Launched in Kenya first, the dispenser will allow users to pay for water with mobile payment services. Peter Heuman, head of M-Commerce at Ericsson, said that the new system developed by World Vision âis crucial to reducing the cost and deployment times of these innovative ATMs that will deliver a more reliable water supplyâ. Due to water initiatives in drought-hit areas failing in the past due to lack of funds and maintenance, the companies feel that mobile payment capabilities will deliver a more efficient service with reduced overheads. Heuman added that Ericsson's M-Commerce Interconnect can be used with any local payment provider, âsimplifying the payment processâ.Â
