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| For
immediate release
NOW
YOUR CELL PHONE CAN PICK UP THE TAB
CELLULAR SOUTH LAUNCHES FIRST MULTI-CITY WIRELESS WALLET TRIAL
Consumer Trial of New Mobile Payment Technology
Kicks Off in Memphis, Tenn., and Jackson, Miss.
Jackson,
Miss. (June 6, 2007) – Cellular South, the nation’s
largest privately held wireless provider, today announced the launch
of the first-ever multi-city consumer trial of its ground-breaking
WirelessWallet service – a new technology that enables consumers
to make purchases and payments using their cell phone.
The two-city
trial, taking place in Memphis, Tenn., and Jackson, Miss., is a
first for a U.S. regional wireless provider. In addition, this is
the first mobile wallet trial in the country to engage multiple
retailers within a community. More than 75 Cellular South customer
participants will test the technology at nearly 50 retail locations
– further strengthening Cellular South’s position as
a wireless innovator driving widespread m-commerce adoption.
“The WirelessWallet
trial gives us the opportunity to listen to our customers in two
significant markets, learn from their hands-on experiences and improve
an already premier mobile payment product,” said Greg Latour,
senior vice president of technology development for Cellular South.
“Conducting a comprehensive, multi-city test gives us the
experience and broad-based knowledge to perfect the product and
deliver the best, most reliable mobile payment service to our customers.”
Calling
on Partners
To bring the WirelessWallet consumer trial to life, Cellular South
called on some of the nation’s largest mobile payment innovators.
Kyocera
Wireless. The WirelessWallet technology uses a handset from
Kyocera Wireless, a leading global manufacturer of wireless devices
and accessories. The wireless device acts as a digital credit card
that allows Cellular South customers to make payments and purchases
by simply tapping it against a Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled
wireless reader. The company plans to complete the trial by August
2007, with an anticipated widespread consumer roll-out of WirelessWallet
in early 2008.
“Whether
it’s paying for the dry cleaning or purchasing lunch at the
nearest café, we’re helping to make mobile payment
technology a reality for consumers, ,” said Dave Carey, vice
president of strategic planning at Kyocera Wireless Corp. We’re
excited to work with Cellular South to help transform the way people
pay for goods and services.”
ViVOtech.
Cellular South has partnered with ViVOtech to provide the payment
software that resides on the handset, the software for over-the-air
provisioning of credit cards, smart posters and in-store contactless
readers. According to Michael Mullagh, chief executive officer,
ViVOtech, "Cell phones are the next frontier for contactless
payments, and Cellular South is playing a major role by initiating
this trial. Using our technology, Cellular South customers will
soon be able to pay for goods and services without having to pull
their credit card out of their wallet – ViVOtech makes it
easy to download credit card information into NFC-enabled cell phones
and to make payments by simply tapping the phone against an NFC-based
wireless reader.”
Mpact,
Inc. With Mpact, Inc. for trial development and management services,
reader deployment and NFC content and delivery services; and USA
Technologies (NASDAQ: USAT) to develop a contactless wireless reader
designed for vending machines and other self-service point of sales
applications. “NFC-enabled cell phones from Cellular South
will transform the way consumers not only pay for goods and services
by making it quicker than cash, check or swipe card, but also will
enable Cellular South customers to receive information on their
cell phones by tapping posters, pictures, and other NFC-tagged objects,”
said Steve Ludlam, president of Mpact, Inc. “Using contactless
phones from Cellular South will make life easier for wireless users.”
The Cellular
South WirelessWallet trial is part of a suite of innovative consumer-focused
m-commerce solutions. Last month, Cellular South introduced its
new mobile payment service called Obopay, which allows customers
the ability to instantly and effortlessly receive, send and spend
money directly from their wireless device to anyone, anywhere, anytime.
With Obopay’s user-friendly features, users can check account
balances, get money owed from other mobile users, and view transaction
histories, as well as invite friends to use the service.
To
learn more about Cellular South’s WirelessWallet trial, visit
www.cellularsouth.com/wirelesswallet.
To receive more information about Obopay and all of Cellular South’s
innovative mobile payment and m-commerce solutions, visit www.cellularsouth.com.
About
Cellular South
Cellular South is the largest privately held wireless provider in
the U.S. The company is focused on providing the best service possible
through its nationwide wireless voice and data network, m-commerce
leadership, award-winning customer care, state-of-the-art wireless
devices, and commitment to the communities it serves. Cellular South
was honored with the 2006 Newcomen Award, and a concurrent resolution
from the Mississippi Legislature commending its executives and employees
for their extraordinary efforts in Hurricane Katrina’s wake.
This year, Cellular South was honored with another concurrent resolution
for its continued investment and commitment to Mississippi. Most
recently, Cellular South was awarded the State of Mississippi cellular
contract, making it the state’s exclusive cellular service
provider. For more information, visit www.cellularsouth.com.
For
more information, contact:
Jim Richmond
Cellular South
(601) 624-7504
jrichmond@cellularsouth.com
Liz Whelan
On behalf of Cellular South
(312) 616-8394
lwhelan@ckpr.biz
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