The telecommunication space in Kenya has grown since independence from home telephones to mobile phones or handsets. The communication space is regulated by the Communications Authority (CA) that ensures the space is used in a way that does not cause harm to others. With the evolution of handsets, Kenya had an increasing demand for communication services such as data and talk time bundles. According to September 2019 data, Kenya had about 53.2 million subscribers with major players such as Safaricom and Airtel taking the highest percentage of subscriptions. For example, Safaricom has grown to having about 34.5 million subscribers while Airtel had about 13.1 million subscriptions, according to the 2019 data. The numbers continue to grow with increasing reach to customers by Safaricom and Airtel.

The major players, Safaricom and Airtel due to stiff communication, develop innovative solutions to attract subscribers their way. For example, M-PESA services provided by Safaricom has had a major impact on subscribers choosing Safaricom over the competitor. The financial product is used by about 27.6 million Kenyans to send and receive money from any part of the county. It offers several services including purchasing talk time bundles also known as airtime.

M-PESA allows customers to buy airtime via their phones without needing physical scratch cards. However, the services do not allow customers to purchase airtime for other networks. To find a solution to this, mobile operators developed an indirect way using PayBill which is issued by the service provider.

Using PayBill to Purchase Airtime

TeelPay provides an innovative solution to buy airtime to other networks including Airtel and Telkom. Using the official PayBill number 4142145, you can easily purchase airtime of any amount via M-PESA. However, the services is free for airtime amounts less than KES 100. This is convenient to the majority of Kenyans who purchase less than KES 100 airtime amount.

Follow these steps to buy airtime for all networks:

1. Go to M-PESA menu
2. Select PayBill option
3. Enter business number 4142145
4. Enter the number you wish to purchase airtime for
5. Enter the airtime amount
6. Enter your secret PIN to confirm payment