Batelco's @ltijara.com service has been providing Internet and non-Internet payment services for consumers and business alike since 1999, and is still one of the world's only telecommunications-company owned systems. The payment gateway is being re-launched to businesses, ministries and government organisations in Bahrain at a time when Bahrain's e-future is high on the agenda. Chief operating officer Samir Nooruddin unveiled the enhanced Batelco system at a special ceremony attended by a number of company officials and representatives from Batelco's partners in this project.
The Batelco partners in the @ltijara project include Credimax, Amex, Benefit and Visa International.
'Bahrain is already way ahead in its plans for e-government, and Batelco's partnership in this project is an important contributor,' said Adel Daylami, Batelco's senior manager Data and Voice Services. 'With @ltijara.com we are simply extending the options open to those who want to put business services or consumer functions on line.'
The principle of increased convenience and time saving for customers is close to Batelco's heart, since it's the first nationalised industry in the Kingdom to be opened up for competition. With @ltijara.com Batelco is opening up its enhanced customer service systems for others to use.
"Payment gateways are relatively simple", says Daylami. "They are a mechanism that allows the safe transfer of money from customers to suppliers, on line. But the @ltijara.com system is so much more. @ltijara.com handles payment from Amex, Visa, MasterCard and direct debits from local banks, and in future will be able to take payments from the Bahrain Government's Smart card, which will have an integrated e-purse as part of its standard feature."
Batelco has installed the necessary credit and debit card processing systems in-house to speed up the authorisation process for all @ltijara.com transactions. It has also ensured reliable and secure financial transactions, by using secure network and encryption standards such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL).
The service uses Batelco's knowledge of telecommunications, and its network of automated customer services points to bring the solution right to the customer's front door.
'Imagine you are a ministry, such as the traffic directorate, or the ministry for housing and you want to cut queues in your building,' continued Adel Daylami. 'People with routine tasks to complete, such as paying bills or fines, or topping up prepaid cards, do not necessarily need to use trained customer service staff, but can simply carry out their transactions using autopay services outside the company. If organisations can find a way to let people handle ordinary transactions from the outside in a way that is more convenient for them, it gives the service desks more time to spend with those who have got problems or queries.'
In the future, the service will have the capability for people to use a Bahrain Government smart card, which has all their individual identification details on it, to pay their traffic fines, electricity and phone bills on the same Batelco Kwikserve machine.
'They can do this at any time during working and non-working hours, so there would be no need for separate trips to ministries or customer service centres anymore,' added Adel.
Businesses can buy their visa permits on line, and ordinary people could book and pay for dental and hospital appointments from the comfort of their own home on the telephone or on line.
To register for the service, the businesses or ministries have to obtain a merchant account from AMEX and CrediMax who are currently linked to the service. This will provide them with a merchant account and a merchant identification number. Batelco will then provide the @ltijara.com service, which will be tailored to the specific requirements of the business or government entity.
Quelle: AME Info, 12.04.2004
