South African retailers, banks and restaurants running point-of-sale devices are ready for the coming influx of 2010 visitors.
Speaking to ITWeb, Derek Chaplin, MD of Altech Card Solutions (CS), says the company has made its recommendations to the banks on the transaction devices that will be needed to field a large number of tourists, and all of its customers have started preparing for the increase.
Altech CS is a major supplier of transaction devices and security for the local banks, with hardware from its French partner Gemalto. The company has around 100 000 devices in circulation across the country.
According to Chaplin, local banks have been upping their POS capacity and upgrading their technologies to better handle the large number of expected financial transactions that will happen during the World Cup.
“Over the last year, we have been speaking to our customers about the event. They are aware of what is coming and are preparing for it,” he notes.
First National Bank, which is one of Altech's clients, and the official bank of the 2010 Soccer World Cup, will likely be one of the companies increasing its stock, as it will have exclusive access to certain areas, which will need new devices.
The company essentially services three of the big four banks, as well as a new customer, Capitec Bank, and several smaller financial institutions.
He says local retailers and restaurants are also ready for the coming spectacle, and payments through POS, ATMs and other transaction services will handle the new customer base.
Altech CS develops the software that straddles Gemalto hardware being circulated among its customers.
Last year, Altech CS was the only partner internationally that sold Gemalto's entire range of devices. According to Chaplin, the companies have been in partnership for almost 17 years.
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