Companies that want to take advantage of the emerging prepaid wireless market through debit phone technology now have the option of owning their customers using CellTalk Inc.’s MCS-560 software and private-label cellular phones.
Scott Clark, director of marketing and sales for the New York-based company, said one of CellTalk’s largest customer segments is those companies currently reselling prepaid service but want more control over their customer base. Those resellers often are blamed for customer support and redemption center problems they have no control over, he said.
“What we offer that no one else is really offering is a chance to program the personality of the phone,” said Clark, who noted that the alternative to handheld solutions is to invest in a switch, which can run more than $100,000. Using the software, resellers can control how and where a phone will work, added Clark.
Companies supply their own airtime, Clark said, and then create their own home, long-distance and roaming parameters. CellTalk’s software, which works on any personal computer equipped with Windows 95, is designed to allow carriers and resellers to bypass the manufacturer and program a debit phone on their own.
Companies can control airtime code and pin number generation and set up their own redemption center using the software, said CellTalk. The software also can be used to configure phones for post-pay plans.
The software works with the Uniden PCD 2000 phone.
Programming options include prepaid or traditional cellular, area code restriction, first digit restriction, roaming, local calls in home area, long-distance calls in home area and incoming calls while roaming or in the home area. Phones can be programmed individually or in batches, said the company.
“Up until this point, debit phones would have to be constantly updated through the manufacturer,” said Christopher Jochim, vice president of CellTalk. “We noticed the frustration of these resellers having to rely on the manufacturers in order to supply service to their customers and created a computer program that would allow resellers to become `self-sufficient.’ “
Clark said while CellTalk puts competitors into the prepaid market, it doesn’t have any direct competition yet. The software allows companies to compete against Topp Telecom, US/Intelicom and other established players in the prepaid industry.
The software is especially attractive in international markets, said Clark, because many foreign governments will not allow switch-based prepaid applications, leaving a handset-based solution as the only option.
“The potential in foreign analog markets with a system that is switch independent is enormous,” said Clark. “The United States has proven to be a successful testing ground; however, it was made possible thanks to the carriers’ cooperation.
“The foreign market is a completely different animal because you are dealing with providing a source of communication to many people who do not have access to regular phone service,” he continued.
The software and continuing support from CellTalk is priced at $26,000. CellTalk can customize the systems as well.
“Once we set them up, we try to make them as aggressive as possible,” said Clark. “They can use us if they want. We can be somewhat like a hidden partner, if they want us to be.”
Clark said CellTalk doesn’t have any plans to become a service provider. “The area of developing technology is huge and competitive, and we want to devote all of our time to making our customers better,” he said.
