Postilion, a leading provider of software solutions for self-service banking and payments and a division of S1 Corporation, today announced that it has been chosen by du, the integrated telecom service provider in the UAE, to provide a payments platform.
Payment transactions, whether they are contract fees, top-up payments, or content purchases, are processed using Postilion's Electronic Recharge and Payment Switching solution.
du was formed to provide telephony and communications services in the UAE and was launched in February 2007. du aims to give customers the highest levels of support and innovative services in the market. As part of this overall strategy, du's new payments gateway was designed to make settling mobile phone bills and adding money to customer accounts far easier than traditional methods.
du had just 12 months to create a full telecommunications and payment infrastructure to support its customers. In order to achieve its ambitions, du worked with Postilion and Mi-Pay, a processor specialising in outsourced mobile payments. Together, the roll-out of a payments gateway to support du's customer base of approximately 1 500 000 users was completed on time and du's customers can now settle bills and set up automated bill payments or fixed-amount transfers directly from their mobile phone. Alternatively, payments can be made at ATMs or in retail stores thanks to Postilion providing du with connectivity to the banking infrastructure.
"We required an entirely new infrastructure for handling payments on behalf of our customers," said Osman Sultan, CEO of du. "The chosen system had to be simple to install, easy to manage, and have a demonstrable track record of providing the highest levels of service and reliability. We also knew that a fast implementation would be necessary to meet the challenging timescales of the roll-out, so a system based on open standards was essential. Postilion's proven approach suited us perfectly and we are already expanding the level of payment services that we can offer to our customers. In the future, we expect that our customers will also be able to settle other types of bills, such as fixed-line rental, television service and utility bills, from their mobile phones."
du's customers can manage their own mobile phone payments through the innovative self-service platform. This enables both pay-monthly and pay-as-you-go customers greater control and more efficient management of their bills. All of du's customers can register for mobile payment services, activate and set their preferred-rate numbers, buy SMS and data bundles, and activate caller tunes. Account management takes place over a Web portal or an interactive voice response system.
Steve Kirrage, Senior Vice-President and General Manager for Postilion Middle East, said: "du's strategy is based on providing the highest levels of customer service, flexibility, and choice. By using Postilion's Electronic Recharge and Payment Switching solution, du was able to expand its offerings in a cost-effective manner and satisfy customer needs. The entire du payment platform was implemented in a period of six months, which is a testament to the high quality of professional services that Postilion offers in the Middle East."
"Bringing a complete payment processing system to market was a big challenge for du, and one that required a strong overall strategy to be successful," commented Norman Frankel, Managing Director, Mi-Pay. "Despite the extremely strict deadlines that it had to meet, du has built one of the most innovative customer service portals, not only in the Middle East, but in the wider telecommunications sector."
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