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BlackBerry users to make credit-card transactions from device

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BlackBerry users to make credit-card transactions from device

03.11.2008
An innovative new payment technology will enable BlackBerry users to make credit-card transactions via their device.

The technology – claimed as a world’s first – was developed by Irish technology firm Commercial Wireless and its UK partner Tracktech.

The eMerit solution has been put through the MasterCard Point of Sale Terminal Security (PTS) program, an extremely stringent, laboratory-based, accreditation program normally reserved for standard, credit-card data-processing machines. This is the first accreditation of its kind for a smart phone device.

There are many routes to market for eMerit, and an extremely attractive (ongoing) scheme has been put in place to incentivise resellers, distributors, service providers, dealers and IT partners, on top of the direct sales strategy that is already in place internally.

Commercial Wireless managing director Michael Moriarty said the solution will be launched in the Irish market in the next six months.

“We believe that eMerit will be of significant value to businesses in Ireland and the UK. It can be made available to single users or large corporate enterprises. Also, a unique application can be added to allow calculation of payments against specific products or services”.

Commercial Wireless acquired a majority shareholding in Tracktech earlier this year, as part of its plan to build up operations in the UK. The testing and commercialisation of the eMerit solution is the first joint initiative to be carried out by the two companies.

“The launch of eMerit represents an important development for us as a company, in that we are setting up a wholly new line of business,” Derek McDonald, CEO, Commercial Wireless, explained.

“We have built our reputation over the years as a distributor of mobile devices, and are now expanding into the area of mobile payment applications,” McDonald added.

By John Kennedy