CONTRACTS & DEALS

Posted: 12/2003

CONTRACTS & DEALS

CarrierTel, GA Communications, Global Tel and Meridian Interactive Communications have chosen Versatel Networks Inc.s SCS 1500 service creation platform, migrating away from a service bureau model.

Boston Communications Group Inc. says four carriers are renewing their contracts, and five other companies are signing for bcgis payment services.

Coastel Communications of Lafayette, La., has selected bcgi Voyager Billing and Customer Care. Illinois Valley Cellular of Marseilles, Ill.; Thumb Cellular of Pigeon, Mich.; and Bluegrass Cellular of Elizabethtown, Ky., all renewed their contracts to use Prepaid Connection to support their prepaid wireless service offerings.

bcgi also announced Cellular One of northeastern Arizona, Cellular One of east-central Illinois, Thumb Cellular of Pigeon, Mich., Dobson Cellular Systems and Centennial Wireless are using the Payment Agent Service to allow prepaid wireless subscribers to purchase airtime using their payment cards any time, anywhere.

Giant Retail Stores Group is partnering with Q Comm International Inc. to replace its traditional prepaid scratch cards with electronic ones using Q Comms Oxpress 200 point-of sale-activation terminals, paying Q Comm a fee on each product sold via the terminals. Giant has installed the terminals in almost all of its 132 stores in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.

Executives say the method does not eliminate relationships with previous service providers; it just changes the delivery format from printed to electronic. Giant offers prepaid long-distance phone and wireless airtime cards, Internet, credit cards and a proprietary gift card.

Sister companies US Fibercom and Phone-Link Inc. have implemented ComWest Inc.s integrated switching services, citing projected money and labor savings. US Fibercom offers long-distance services and Phone-Link is a prepaid dialtone company. The companies operate in 22 states and run approximately 900,000 minutes a month. They provide wholesale distribution and direct contract bulk purchases.

Telenor Satellite Services says PGS Geophysical of Norway has renewed its global satellite communications agreement through June 2005. Telenor will continue its fully-managed Sealink service to a PGS Geophysical fleet of 14 high-tech 3D seismic vessels, including Sealink prepaid cards. The Sealink system provides corporate voice and data communications, at speeds up to 2 mbps, essentially extending PGS corporate network to all of its vessels. All vessels are connected to a PBX network providing on-board offices with immediate direct dial access. The Sealink Prepaid scratch cards can be recharged through the Internet.

Imperial Oil is installing VendTek Systems Inc. subsidiary Now Prepay Corp.s e-Fresh point of sale terminals in more than 2,000 Esso service stations throughout Canada. e-Fresh is a suite of software applications used to distribute electronically prepaid telecommunication products and financial services.

Vodafone Ireland is using the XACCT Technologies network-tobusiness platform across its GPRS and 3G network to consolidate billing for prepaid and postpaid data and voice services.

Prepaid Application Services Pvt. Ltd. will license i2c Inc.s FastCash transaction processing platform and PASPort point-of-sale terminal software so it can electronically deliver and activate prepaid telephone products, Internet access, gift cards and bill payment in Pakistan. The companies anticipate an initial rollout of 250 terminals this year, and will deploy another 1,000 by mid-2004.

Business Payment Systems (BPS) has added Comstar Interactive Corp.s CHARGE ANYwhere wireless card processing solution to its portfolio for merchants. BPS also will give customers using Lipman USAs Nurit 3010 and Nurit 8000 portable payment solutions the option of routing their wireless transactions through the Comstar gateway, using Cingular Wireless Mobitex network or the Motient network. The Comstar gateway will connect BPS customers with National Processing Inc. to give users approvals in less than 10 seconds, says the company.

CHARGE ANYwhere is a scalable, wireless point-of-sale service that allows businesses to make transactions in the field on a portable device, and manage them online in real time.