02 Feb 2006
Axalto SIM Cards to Enable Prepaid Wireless Top-ups
France-based smart card maker Axalto and U.S.-based technology firm Vesta Corp. have jointly developed a system that lets prepaid wireless phone subscribers buy additional airtime with a payment card over their phone. Deepak Jain, Axalto's U.S.-based director of marketing and business development, tells CardLine Europe that Axalto has provided subscriber identity module cards that allow wireless subscribers to designate a payment card or bank account, an account number, and a desired payment amount when they initially purchase the phone. When subscribers need more airtime, Jain says, they can access a menu on their phone and automatically purchase their desired amount with one click. Vesta has established the necessary infrastructure to switch the payment transactions and route them to the necessary processors for approval, Jain adds. According to Jain, the two companies are initially marketing the system to wireless providers in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean, but it can work with any GSM phone anywhere in the world.