InterAcct’s AirTimeExchange Extended to Malaysia

June 29, 2009 - PRLog -- InterAcct Solutions Group (IAS), a provider of mobile payment solutions using Unstructured Supplementary Services Data (USSD), announced today that Celcom, a leading mobile operator in Malaysia, has joined their network of operators enabling AirTimeExchange, a mobile value-added service enabling instant and secure international remittance of prepaid airtime. This announcement marks the second mobile operator to join the network following the launch of AirTimeExchange on Indonesia’s Excelcom on May 27.

“We are very happy to announce that AirTimeExchange is now available via two leading mobile operators in the AMI alliance. Malaysia is a key market for migrant workers and Celcom has demonstrated their commitment to this segment by providing AirTimeExchange to its prepaid subscribers,” said Chris Eyles, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), InterAcct Solutions Group.

“Our network of operators in Asia continues to grow as more and more migrant workers are offered our innovative solution. AirTimeExchange provides low transaction fees that migrant workers have never experienced before when sending money back to family and friends. This benefit alone will allow these workers to send small amounts of money on a regular basis, without absorbing a disproportionately large portion of the transaction value in charges,” he added.

AirTimeExchange is an international airtime transfer solution enabling subscribers to transfer prepaid airtime from one mobile network operator to another in a different country. It is specifically designed for the low value, less-than-$20 transfers that migrant workers would like to make to their relatives and friends in their home country. With the inclusion of Celcom into the AirTimeExchange network, migrants across the region will now have better access to the solution.

With over 8.8 million users on its network, Celcom reaches 32% of the Malaysian mobile phone market. Of these subscribers 7.0 million are on Celcom’s three prepaid brands, giving almost 80% of Celcom users access to AirTimeExchange.

Celcom is a leader in the telecommunications industry and recently was awarded the 2009 Data Communications Service Provider of the Year Award and the most coveted award, the 2009 Service Provider of the Year.

Transferring funds internationally is an expensive process with transfers costing between 5 – 10% of the sum sent for amounts around $200; a share which can be painfully higher for smaller amounts , such as typical prepaid balances.

InterAcct’s AirTimeExchange offers transaction fees typically between 2 – 5% of the value being transferred. With an estimated 2.1 million foreign workers in Malaysia , virtually all of whom subscribe to a prepaid mobile account, AirTimeExchange provides them with a significantly cheaper option for assisting their family and friends back in their home country.

The InterAcct system for the transfer of airtime integrates seamlessly with the existing pool of mobile handsets already in the market and with the operator’s core network and billing systems. Based on InterAcct’s USSD platform, software installation and configuration on the handset and the need for registration or activation by the subscriber are eliminated which facilitates rapid deployment, market uptake and enables subscribers to enjoy fast and uninterrupted communications between the handset and the operator network.

“The ability for mobile operators like Celcom to offer easy, cost affective value-added services like AirTimeExchange will see positive results in the high number of prepaid subscribers using the service and their levels of satisfaction from a service that solves a genuine pain point. The operator itself will also benefit from the clean and straight-forward deployment model and the very sophisticated customer support and reporting tools. AirTimeExchange is a reflection of InterAcct’s commitment to providing mobile network operators with real-time, secure and easy to deploy solutions, offering benefits to both the operator and the consumer," concluded Chris Eyles.

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InterAcct Solutions Group is the trusted partner of MNOs, financial institutions and content providers for high-volume, secure messaging solutions using Unstructured Supplementary Services Data (USSD) technology for all GSM phones. More at www.iasgrp.com