Euronet Launches ATM Recharge Service for Centertel Mobile Subscribers
Euronet Launches ATM Recharge Service for Centertel Mobile Subscribers
Euronet Launches ATM Recharge Service for Centertel Mobile Subscribers Leawood, KS and Warsaw, Poland – November 15, 2000 — Euronet Worldwide (Nasdaq: EEFT), a leading provider of secure financial transaction solutions, today announced the availability of its ATM ReCharge service for customers of Centertel’s pre-paid GSM service in Poland. Euronet ATM ReCharge enables Centertel’s IDEA customers to automatically add minutes to their pre-paid mobile phone accounts online at approximately 450 Euronet ATMs in Poland.
With this ATM transaction option, Euronet offers added convenience to Centertel’s IDEA customers who regularly purchase pre-paid airtime. Now customers may automatically add minutes to their pre-paid phone accounts at any Euronet ATM throughout the country 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. After authorizing and processing the transaction, the ATM triggers an electronic credit to the subscriber’s pre-paid account. The subscriber’s mobile phone then receives an SMS message from Centertel confirming that the account has been credited.
Centertel is now the fifth GSM customer in Central Europe using the Euronet ATM ReCharge service for pre-paid subscribers, and the second such customer in Poland. This partnership is the first to offer the Euronet ATM ReCharge via an on-line connection rather than through voucher
purchases. Euronet ATM ReCharge is already available at Euronet ATMs in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Croatia for customers of ERA GSM, Pannon GSM, EuroTel, and VIPnet, respectively. Currently, this is the most advanced and sophisticated method of pre-payment for mobile phone recharging in the world.
“We were impressed with this innovative service offered by Euronet and the speed with which they implemented this solution for our customers,” said Wojciech £ukawski, Deputy Marketing Director Marketing Planning & Business Development of Centertel. “Our POP subscribers will benefit from being able to perform convenient, immediate recharges of their pre-paid phone accounts, and our company will save on production and distribution costs.”
“With Centertel, Euronet has taken customer service for the fast growing wireless industry to a new level. The widespread success of similar programs across Europe has demonstrated great potential for the exploding wireless market in the U.S. as well,” said Michael Brown, Chairman and CEO of Euronet Worldwide. “This innovative service adds spontaneity to the pre-payment decision and allows Centertel IDEA subscribers to combine the tasks of purchasing added airtime and withdrawing cash all at the ATM.”
About Centertel
PTK Centertel, a limited liability company, is the operator of two mobile phone networks in Poland: the analogue NMT450i with 140,000 users and the digital Idea with almost 1.350,000 users. A nation-wide dualband (GSM 900/1800) Idea network offers: no-monthly-fee POP service, a complete service named OPTIMA and a unique offer for corporate customers – MERITUM. In both PTK Centertel several services are available, including voice mail, data and fax transmission, Internet access, WAP, m-banking (unique on the market), information services, short text messages (SMS), GPRS, intelligent network services, cellular phone booths, ECG by phone, and roaming services through 157 operators across the world. PTK Centertel’s shareholders are: Telekomunikacja Polska S.A. (Polish national telecom) with 66% of shares and France Telecom Mobiles International with 34% of shares.
About Euronet Worldwide
Euronet Worldwide is a global provider of secure electronic financial transaction solutions. The company provides financial payment middleware, financial network gateways, outsourcing, and consulting services providing banks, financial institutions, and mobile operators the ability to provide their clientele access to their personal financial information and perform secure financial transactions - any time, any place. Arrowz TM, the company’s proprietary transaction management system, powers financial transaction solutions for over 250 clients in 60 countries as well as the company’s processing centers located in the United States, Europe, and Indonesia. The company owns and operates the largest independent ATM network in Europe with corporate headquarters in Leawood, Kansas, USA, and European headquarters in Budapest, Hungary.
With this ATM transaction option, Euronet offers added convenience to Centertel’s IDEA customers who regularly purchase pre-paid airtime. Now customers may automatically add minutes to their pre-paid phone accounts at any Euronet ATM throughout the country 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. After authorizing and processing the transaction, the ATM triggers an electronic credit to the subscriber’s pre-paid account. The subscriber’s mobile phone then receives an SMS message from Centertel confirming that the account has been credited.
Centertel is now the fifth GSM customer in Central Europe using the Euronet ATM ReCharge service for pre-paid subscribers, and the second such customer in Poland. This partnership is the first to offer the Euronet ATM ReCharge via an on-line connection rather than through voucher
purchases. Euronet ATM ReCharge is already available at Euronet ATMs in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Croatia for customers of ERA GSM, Pannon GSM, EuroTel, and VIPnet, respectively. Currently, this is the most advanced and sophisticated method of pre-payment for mobile phone recharging in the world.
“We were impressed with this innovative service offered by Euronet and the speed with which they implemented this solution for our customers,” said Wojciech £ukawski, Deputy Marketing Director Marketing Planning & Business Development of Centertel. “Our POP subscribers will benefit from being able to perform convenient, immediate recharges of their pre-paid phone accounts, and our company will save on production and distribution costs.”
“With Centertel, Euronet has taken customer service for the fast growing wireless industry to a new level. The widespread success of similar programs across Europe has demonstrated great potential for the exploding wireless market in the U.S. as well,” said Michael Brown, Chairman and CEO of Euronet Worldwide. “This innovative service adds spontaneity to the pre-payment decision and allows Centertel IDEA subscribers to combine the tasks of purchasing added airtime and withdrawing cash all at the ATM.”
About Centertel
PTK Centertel, a limited liability company, is the operator of two mobile phone networks in Poland: the analogue NMT450i with 140,000 users and the digital Idea with almost 1.350,000 users. A nation-wide dualband (GSM 900/1800) Idea network offers: no-monthly-fee POP service, a complete service named OPTIMA and a unique offer for corporate customers – MERITUM. In both PTK Centertel several services are available, including voice mail, data and fax transmission, Internet access, WAP, m-banking (unique on the market), information services, short text messages (SMS), GPRS, intelligent network services, cellular phone booths, ECG by phone, and roaming services through 157 operators across the world. PTK Centertel’s shareholders are: Telekomunikacja Polska S.A. (Polish national telecom) with 66% of shares and France Telecom Mobiles International with 34% of shares.
About Euronet Worldwide
Euronet Worldwide is a global provider of secure electronic financial transaction solutions. The company provides financial payment middleware, financial network gateways, outsourcing, and consulting services providing banks, financial institutions, and mobile operators the ability to provide their clientele access to their personal financial information and perform secure financial transactions - any time, any place. Arrowz TM, the company’s proprietary transaction management system, powers financial transaction solutions for over 250 clients in 60 countries as well as the company’s processing centers located in the United States, Europe, and Indonesia. The company owns and operates the largest independent ATM network in Europe with corporate headquarters in Leawood, Kansas, USA, and European headquarters in Budapest, Hungary.