WAP Top-Ups for Guatemala PrePay Accpunts

IN Switch's ePIN Topup system has been launched in Guatemala by Comcel and, in a few weeks, will be available through Millicom's operations in Honduras, El Salvador, Paraguay and Bolivia. ePIN electronically credits air time on prepaid cell phones, thus eliminating the need to purchase prepaid scratch cards. Air time credit is sold by the retailer by sending an SMS or by accessing a USSD or WAP options menu. The air time credit is applied instantaneously and both the retailer and customer receive a SMS confirmation message.

ePIN provides substantial cost savings by eliminating operating and infrastructure costs associated with the printing, distribution and management of prepaid scratch cards and third party payments for any charge transactions. Furthermore, the need for retailers to invest in POS terminals is eliminated due to the fact that only a standard GSM mobile handset is required. These cost savings in turn reduce air time minute costs for customers and have allowed the introduction of a new commercial product, the micro-charge.

Earlier last week, Comcel in Guatemala released ePIN's micro-charge with a value of only 5 Quetzales ($0.66).

Additionally, ePIN provides location services, administration and management of the air-time distribution channel, as well as a money transfer service. Credit application is in real time and displayed in a digitized map, which monitors promotions and sales locations and statistics. With ePIN the operator manages the air-time distribution channel. Distributors can transfer credit, check their balance or last transactions thru their mobile phones or via web. The service GIFT permits credit balance transfer from one customer to another.

Customers' benefits include more point-of-sale locations, greater air time minutes due to cost reductions and the flexibility and availability of credit application options.

According to Daniel Fernandez, IN Switch's CEO, "ePIN will boost the use of cellular phones in emerging markets by reaching low income segments and remote or hard to reach places where scratch cards are very difficult to distribute. This only marks the beginning of ePIN's capabilities, due to the fact that this system allows for small amounts of money transfer between point of sale and the electronic payment of goods and services thru a mobile handset. We are creating an international infrastructure for payments, e-business and money transfer."

Posted to the site on 24th August 2005