Europolitan and Unwire sign a co-operation agreement in the field of telematics

Europolitan and Unwire sign a co-operation agreement in the field of telematics Europolitan has signed a co-operation agreement with the IT company Unwire regarding the joint development of telematics services for payment terminals using cash cards and credit cards, amongst other things. This technology will also revolutionise the service provided by vending machine companies, as well as their machine maintenance. Based on Europolitan's network solutions, Unwire has developed hardware for the use of wireless transmission of money from payment terminals. The subscription developed by Europolitan makes communication via the GSM network simpler, faster and more cost effective than via the fixed network. The payment terminal can be installed in vending machines and can help make companies operation and maintenance more efficient. The agreement between Europolitan and Unwire is the first of its kind in the field of telematics using the mobile GSM network. "When you make payments via our payment terminals you do not need cables to the fixed telephony network and you can this way take the terminals wherever you want," says Gunnar Fröjdh, president of Unwire. "Transmission from the terminals to the banks is faster and more cost effective because Europolitan's GSM network has a digital connection all the way to the bank. The paying customer does not have to wait for the transaction to go through," he says. With this new technology, a transaction will take 6-10 seconds. The cost of a single transmission will be around 0.40 SEK. This can be compared with the costs involved in the fixed telephony network, where you have to pay for the time you use the network, as well as a start-up fee. The new technology revolutionises the operation and maintenance of vending machines. A vending machine, e.g. for soft drinks, can be equipped with a built-in payment terminal for credit cards and cash cards which is also fitted with an alarm function. The service technician can also link up to the machine from his/her office and examine what it contains and how much has been sold. "Telematics is a new and growing market and it is important for Europolitan to stay ahead. This is what we are trying to do by working with Unwire, which is the leading systems supplier in this field," says Mikael Kluge, Marketing Director at Europolitan." Europolitan is a Swedish GSM operator which prioritises service and quality. The company's head office is in Karlskrona and it leads development in technologically advanced services for GSM900/1800. The Europolitan Group, which includes the sister company Europolitan Stores AB and the stock marketlisted Europolitan Holdings AB, employs around 750 people. Unwire AB is owned by Procuritas and Ledstiernan. Together with their (co- operation) partners, they develop products and systems for comprehensive mobile communications solutions for banks, monitoring/control and positioning. The company was founded in 1997 and currently has 11 employees. For more information, please contact: Gustaf Ekberg, Business Development Manager, Europolitan AB phone: +46 708 33 14 36, e-mail: gustaf.ekberg@europolitan.se Gunnar Fröjdh, President, Unwire AB phone: +46 708 50 00 77, e-mail: gunnar@unwire.se ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1998/12/15/19981215BIT00230/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1998/12/15/19981215BIT00230/bit0002.pdf