Tags: Manufacturers, Retail, Transactional Kiosks, Vending Kiosks

8/15/11

According to GlobalAtlanta.com, Duluth, Ga.-headquartered NCR Corp. has launched self-service kiosks in the Middle East and Africa that allow consumers to buy mobile phone SIM cards and purchase or recharge prepaid plans.

"The solution was designed with the needs of the unbanked community in mind. In many developing countries, consumers purchase prepaid cell phone plans and need to go into the store to accrue more minutes or data," NCR spokesman Cameron Smith told GlobalAtlanta:

Six mobile carriers in the Middle East and Africa have adopted the kiosks, which accept cash, debit or credit cards. They are designed to be set up in airports, train stations and shopping malls.

As with many NCR products, development was a global endeavor that affected Georgia. The hardware was made at NCR's Suwanee, Ga. facility, while the software was developed in Cyprus.

NCR's emerging-markets sales team, created in January to better meet the changing needs of consumers in developing countries, worked with Middle Eastern carriers to develop the kiosks, Mr. Smith said via email.

"The solution is initially being deployed in the (Middle East and Africa) region, and we are actively looking to expand availability to other emerging markets, such as Brazil, India and China, and other regions around the world with a high concentration of unbanked citizens," he added.