Customers register free with an authorized M-PESA agent - typically a safaricom dealer, but sometimes a gas station, food market, or other local shop. Since its launch, in March 2007, the service has acquired more than 9 million customer-40% of kenya's adult population.
Spurred by the success of its original offerings, the service has expanded to include bill payment, business-to-customer payments such as paychecks and microfinance loan disbursements, delivery of humanitarian aid, and international money transfers.
Failure to address the access challenge is an important reason that so many companies have little success adapting their current models to emerging markets.