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More from the Future File |
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If
the idea of processing retail transactions on a palmtop, as mentioned in
the previous article, is attractive to you, you’re gonna love this one.
American Mobile Satellite Corporation and U.S. Wireless Data, Inc., have
joined forces to allow merchants to process financial transactions
virtually anywhere in the nation without
the need for telephone lines.
The partnership will provide end-to-end wireless transaction processing
services for credit and debit cards. When American Mobile’s ARDIS®
network is combined with U.S. Wireless Data’s Wireless Express Payment
Services (WEPS), merchants can authorize credit and debit cards within 3
to 5 seconds.
The application will allow merchants the flexibility to locate wherever
customers want to conduct business and does not require telephone
installation or monthly service. Once the card is “swiped,” the
encrypted transaction data is sent via wireless modem over the ARDIS
network to the WEPS server, which translates the information and sends it
to the card processor. The processor authorizes the transaction and sends
an approval code to the WEPS server, which translates the code and relays
it to the terminal. Simultaneously, the WEPS server captures the data in a
transaction report, which acquiring banks can access using a Web browser.
The ARDIS network provides coverage in approximately 430 major markets
serving more than 93 percent of the urban business population, including
more than 11,000 cities and towns across the U.S. For more information access www.uswirelessdata.com or www.Am Mobile.com.
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