Celtron International Subsidiary, CreditPipe, Signs Two-Year MobileCredit Contract
MIDRAND, South Africa--Nov. 1, 20039, 2003--Celtron International Inc. (OTCBB:CLTR) announced today that CreditPipe, a wholly owned subsidiary of the South African subsidiary, Orbtech Holdings Limited, has signed a two-year MobileCredit deal with AA Battery Services (Automobile Association of South Africa, http://www.aasa.co.za), whereby CreditPipe will provide mobile credit card processing and check guarantee facilities for the association's battery service operators.Mr. Allen Harington, Chairman of Celtron, confirmed that MTN, one of the largest cellular network providers in Africa, who is the marketing and delivery partner of CreditPipe, has signed agreements with AA Battery Services in South Africa to provide mobile credit card processing and check guarantee facilities for the association's battery service operators.
The Automobile Association of South Africa was formed in 1930 as a result of the merger of the various provincial Auto Clubs in South Africa. In 1995, the Automobile Association purchased the Kyalami Racetrack, where it is now headquartered. The AA's membership in South Africa sits at almost a million members. In 2003, First National Bank entered into an agreement with the AA whereby all FNB petrol card holders would receive AA benefits as a result of their card holder status.
In October 2002, eBay paid $1.5 billion to acquire PayPal, which enables customers to send and receive payments online. With 35 million users, the value per user is calculated at approximately $43 per member. CreditPipe's MobileCredit offering aims to be the wireless equivalent of this service. "With nearly 1 million members, the AA MobileCredit contract has the potential to dramatically increase Celtron's consolidated revenues and earnings," said Mr. Harington.
According to Mr. Ron Pienaar, Managing Director of Orbtech Holdings, MobileCredit utilizes Wireless Internet Gateway (WIG) technology that resides on a cell phone SIM card. This eliminates the need for any Web-based banking service or Wireless Application Protocol (WAP). Users receive immediate transaction settlement in their bank account and confirmation is received in seconds via short messaging system (SMS) protocol. Customers are protected from fraud by the Mail Order Telephone Order (MOTO) rule, which gives them the right to dispute a transaction that takes place in the absence of traditional credit card validation.
"AA Battery Services identified the need for its mobile support fleet to accept non-cash payments from stranded clients. Typically clients were often found not to have cash on hand to pay for a call-out. This meant that invoices were generated and distributed to a client before payment could be effected, essentially increasing the number of debtor days and exposing the AA to bad debt risk. Given that clients often had new batteries installed by AA Battery Services, default payments also carry a stock cost loss. By accepting credit cards and check guarantee transactions and processing them immediately, risk exposure is eliminated," said Pienaar.
According to Mr. Brandon Sandiford, Managing Director of CreditPipe, "MobileCredit displaced an existing WAP-based card processing system due to lower running and connectivity costs coupled with faster transaction processing times. MobileCredit offers a variety of interface options, including WAP over GPRS, IVR and WIG-based menus, each of which enable the user to select the most convenient and cost-effective connectivity option to suit the application or situation." In addition, the average response time of 30 seconds per transaction from submission to return SMS notification ensures that connectivity costs are kept to a minimum, said Sandiford.
This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Those statements include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of Celtron International Inc. and members of its management, as well as the assumptions on which such statements are based. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Important factors currently known to management that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-statements include fluctuation of operating results, the ability to compete successfully and the ability to complete before-mentioned transactions. The company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results.
For further information, contact Allen Harington, Company President, at + 27 11 652-6350.