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Dubai testing methods to pay government fees via mobiles
By the end of this year, paying some government fees may be as simple as buying mobile phone credit.
- By Scott Shuey, Chief Business Reporter
- Published: 01:28 January 31, 2008
Dubai: By the end of this year, paying some government fees may be as simple as buying mobile phone credit.
Salem Al Shair, director of eServices for the Dubai eGovernment, told Gulf News the department is currently testing ways to pay bills from mobile phones via SMS.
"We do have a mobile portal that has services, and now we want to add payment to it," he said. "It should be ready towards the end of the year."
Dubai eGovernment also announced two other online services yesterday, including a deal with Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank that will allow ADCB customers to pay fees online through their accounts.
ADCB vice-president Ravi Nair said the bank also allows payment of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) and etisalat bills, as well as the purchasing of Wasel credit, directly through their mobile phones.
"We believe that most of the transactions we do today should be available to customers electronically," he said. "That's where the world is moving, and we definitely want to provide them a safe and secure way to do this."
Design
S. Durgaprasad, director and CEO of Bahwan CyberTek, the Omani company that developed the software for the pay portals, said the system was designed with several factors in mind. "Topmost is security, ease of operating and sub-second response, because customers tend to leave if it takes quite a bit of time," he said.
Al Shair said the Dubai eGovernment has also finished testing electronic payments with Emirates Bank, and services should be ready to go online soon. He said Dubai eGovernment has three objects for this year, which include increasing the number of banks linked for direct debit services, making electronic payments available for the companies in the private sector, and making pay portals available internationally. "If we can achieve these, we will be successful for this year," he said.
The second service announced by the department is an e-permit project, which involves partnerships between Dubai Municipality, Dubai Customs, Dubai Police and Adobe Systems, Inc. The service is aimed at speeding up the importing of restricted goods into the emirate and will allow permits to be sent to Dubai customers electronically.
Have your say:
Do you access government/banking services through mobile phones? Will you shift to m-commerce services should they be made available? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com
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