Ooredoo, a mobile operator in Qatar, today announced it has committed to the GSMA's Mobile Money Interoperability program to accelerate the implementation of interoperable mobile money services across Africa and the Middle East, according to a press release.  

Ooredoo joins in supporting the program a group of operators who together represent 582 million mobile connections across 48 countries in Africa and the Middle East. These include Bharti Airtel, Etisalat Group, Millicom, MTN Group, Orange, STC Group, Vodafone Group and Zain Group.

The GSMA's MMI program also includes mobile network operators from other regions and focuses on helping them to successfully launch and scale interoperable mobile money services through identifying and sharing best practices, creating performance benchmarks and providing regulatory support, according to a press release.

"Ooredoo's companies have taken the lead in providing mobile money services in the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia, and we recognize the important social, economic and community benefits that these services provide," Dr. Nasser Marafih, group CEO of Ooredoo, said in a statement. "We are pleased and proud to support this initiative, which is fully aligned with our commitment to develop life-enriching services that support human growth."