Swedish banks unite with mobile operators — MobileMonday Global: Industry News

^{Common recharge system for prepaid operators} Swedish banks unite with mobile operators

8 Jul 2006 at 18:38 GMT Timo Poropudas

Large Swedish banks SEB and Swedbank FSB have entered into co-operation with leading mobile operators; TeliaSonera, Tele2 and Telenor (formerly Vodafone) to pay for prepaid top up. Telecom software company Seamless Distribution has created the communal platform that enables the collaboration. The project was initiated in 2005, and allows prepaid airtime recharge over banking channels such as ATMs, telephone banking and Internet banking. This creates customer friendly alternatives to buying prepaid airtime in convenience stores. The platform also opens up for new, innovative and secure types of customer oriented payment methods to be added in the future. Currently, almost 45 percent of Swedish citizens have prepaid mobile phones. Prepaid customers are obliged to buy airtime refill on a regular basis, but at present there are few options available to them, other than buying airtime at convenience stores or over the Internet with a credit card. More than half of the Swedish population is a customer of either SEB or Swedbank FSB. SEB customers have been able to buy prepaid recharge at their ATMs for a while, but this facility is now part of a new and more extensive platform. For Swedbank FSB customers, the service is launched via Telephone banking and later on at Swedbank ATMs. Further on, both banks will integrate the service with their Internet banking. The airtime switch system, that connects the two banks with mobile operators TeliaSonera, Tele2Comviq, Telenor (formerly Vodafone), and MVNOs Tango and Halebop, is based on Seamless Distribution’s ERS-platform (Electronic Recharge System). A future objective is to fully expand the service offering by having the other Swedish banks and mobile operators join in the venture.