Ericsson announced that it has partnered with Vodafone's M-Pesa in an effort to simplify mobile money payments and cash collection between M-Pesa and businesses, according to a press release.

The first deployment under the deal will connect M-Pesa with the growing network of Grundfos safe water kiosks throughout Kenya and Tanzania, with other countries to follow.

"Vodafone is delighted to enable access to affordable, safe water for our M-Pesa customers as a result of the partnership with Ericsson M-Commerce Interconnect for Grundfos systems," said Michael Joseph, director of Mobile Money for Vodafone.

"Breaking down the walls that exist in the mobile money ecosystem represents a significant leap forward in creating much-needed connections between wallet providers and enterprises," said Peter Heuman, head of mobile financial services for Ericsson. "When digital payments become pervasive in cash-based societies, new opportunities that were previously unimaginable become reality."