Consumers to pay bills via text message following Telrock deal

Consumers to pay bills via text message following Telrock deal

Telrock Communications Ltd, the mobile applications technology company focused on the financial services, utility and public-sector markets, has entered into an exclusive agreement with PayPoint, the UK’s leading cash and internet payments company, that will enable consumers to pay bills and top up their mobile phones via text message.

Telrock will provide its mobile payments system textDebit(tm) to PayPoint under a revenue-sharing agreement. Technology provided by Telrock enables end users to make secure payments to clients of PayPoint using SMS text messaging. Consumers will pre-register a debit, credit or pre-paid card which can then be used to pay a variety of bills such as energy, telecommunications or water, or top up a prepaid mobile phone.

The partnership will create a new payment channel for PayPoint, complementing its existing over-the-counter cash payments network and internet payments division. It will also offer Telrock an opportunity to work closely with the market leader in handling cash and pre-payments for utility providers and mobile phone operators.

Telrock’s leading mobile payment and customer account servicing platform is already being used by British Gas, Scottish and Southern Energy and Royal Bank of Scotland Group.

Dominic Taylor, Chief Executive of PayPoint, commented:

“This partnership with Telrock will enable PayPoint to exploit the increasing popularity of mobile payments while broadening its proposition to existing and new clients and offering customers a further convenient way to pay bills and buy other services.”

Commenting on the deal Russell Robinson, Managing Director of Telrock, said:

“The deal provides Telrock with a new route to market, serving a large and growing industry through a popular consumer brand. The agreement acts as a clear endorsement of our services and we look forward to working with this leading cash and internet payments group.”

Further information:

Telrock Ltd:
Russell Robinson, Managing Director
+44 (0) 20 7553 5600
russell.robinson {at} telrock(.)com
www.telrock.com

Media enquiries:
Peter Curtain / James Madsen
+44 (0) 20 7307 5330
james.madsen {at} capitalmsl(.)com

For PayPoint:
Mischief PR
Helen Crossley / Jenine Creaney
helen.crossley {at} mischiefpr(.)com
jenine.creaney {at} mischiefpr(.)com
+44 (0) 20 7100 9999

Notes to editors:

Telrock Communications Ltd

Telrock specialises in the design, development and integration of solutions using mobile technology for payments, money transfers and other mobile-based transaction services such as fraud alerts and account information requests. Telrock services seek to improve operational efficiency and significantly reduce operating costs for companies whilst improving customer service in the financial, energy, water, telecoms and local government. The company was founded in January 2002 by Russell Robinson and Tim Crowley, Chief Executive.

PayPoint plc

PayPoint is the leading cash and internet payments company in the UK and Ireland, handling in excess of £5 billion in over 400 million transactions annually for more than 5,000 clients and merchants. The company operates with several significant payment streams:

* The PayPoint branded retail network numbers over 18,500 terminals located in local shops (including Co-op, Spar, Costcutter, Sainsburys Local, One Stop, Londis and thousands of independents) in all parts of the UK and Ireland. Terminals handle gas and electricity meter prepayments, cash bill payments, mobile phone top-ups, transport tickets, London Congestion Charges, BBC TV licences and a wide variety of other payment types for all of the leading utilities, telecommunications suppliers and many consumer service companies. This network is used by consumers, free of charge, over 7 million times a week. The network has 97.3% population cover on a 1 mile urban or 5 miles rural measure;

* Additional multiple retailer connections into the electronic till systems of nearly 4,000 outlets including BP, Somerfield and Superdrug for mobile top-ups and selected payments from the PayPoint range;

* The PayPoint ATM network has 1,979 ‘LINK’ branded machines across the UK, also typically in convenience stores;

* PayPoint Internet Payment Services (PPIPS), trading as Metacharge and SECPay, provides secure credit and debit card payments for over 4,000 web merchants linking into all the major UK acquiring banks; and

* PayPoint International has recently acquired a Romanian mobile top-up operator to which a bill payment service will be added, emulating the UK branded retail network. PayPoint International also operates Irish bill payment and top-up services.

PayPoint floated on the London Stock Exchange in September 2004. The company’s market capitalisation at 25 March 2007 was £464 million. PayPoint has been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise and is widely recognised for its leadership in prepayment systems, smart technology and consumer service.