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Telecom Innovator Pairs with Hypercom

Blackstone, a provider of prepaid products and services, has awarded Hypercom Corporation a $50 million contract for a wide scale rollout of Hypercom’s ePic ICE card payment terminals and Web appliances, in support of Blackstone’s POS activation program. The rollout is designed to allow retailers to more easily sell prepaid calling services and products by using the same device that handles traditional credit card payments.

The Blackstone POS multiple function card payment and prepaid product activation program is an industry first. Merchants don’t need to inventory cards, count prepaid inventory, reconcile payments or store paper transactions. Using the browser-based ICE terminal, merchants can print and activate the calling cards, access accounting information via the Internet, accept credit, smart, ATM, debit and EBT cards, as well as process check verifications.

“Hypercom’s ePic ICE terminals are the first to integrate fast, secure and reliable card payment capabilities, prepaid service activation and printing of the cards at the point-of-sale,” says Chris Alexander, president and CEO, Hypercom Corporation. “The Hypercom ePic ICE solution goes beyond current magnetic strip activation that requires a separate prepaid calling card activation terminal and a separate printout for the PIN and access number. Hypercom’s solution integrates everything into one package, incorporating a new stock card printer for improved convenience and ease-of-use for the merchant, and an easy to access, expanded category of prepaid products for the consumer.”

Blackstone is a manufacturer and distributor of prepaid products and telecommunication services. The company offers more than 50 prepaid calling cards, prepaid paging, prepaid dial tone, prepaid wireless, one plus long distance, Internet services, and POS terminals at more than 300,000 retail locations.

For more information visit  www.blackstonecallingcard.com.

Hypercom Corporation is a global provider of electronic payment solutions that add value at the point-of-sale for consumers, merchants and acquirers. For more information visit www.hypercom.com.