BEDMINSTER, N.J.-Bell Atlantic Mobile said its AirBridge Wireless Retail Solutions Group, which is focused on providing wireless credit-card transaction processing, entered into a joint marketing agreement with U.S. Wireless Data Inc.
Under the pact, the cellular carrier will distribute U.S. Wireless’ proprietary TRANZ Enabler wireless credit-card-processing system, which uses Bell Atlantic’s Cellular Digital Packet Data network.
Bell Atlantic plans to work with U.S. Wireless to target merchants that use the wireline VeriFone TRANZ machines and other types of terminals, or who don’t accept credit-card payments at all. TRANZ Enabler converts a merchant’s dial-up VeriFone terminal into a high-speed wireless terminal.
The wireless transaction takes three to five seconds, said Bell Atlantic, while the dial-up process can take 11 to 20 seconds, and even longer during high-usage times.
In addition, the wireless verification service would allow mobile merchants and service providers to offer credit as a payment method because a credit-card transaction could be verified on the spot, explained Bell Atlantic.
“The potential market for this service is immense as more than 32 billion credit-card transactions in over 3.5 million merchant locations” take place each year in the United States, said Evon Kelly, chief executive officer of U.S. Wireless.
