++ Airtel, HNB and Smart Metro together with Sony FeliCa partner the second phase of the project
++ Transportation in the capital city of Uva Province – Badulla to be the second NFC enabled region
++ 150 long distance, 1200 interprovincial and provincial buses to be NFC enabled
Colombo, March 2nd 2014: Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa along with Hatton National Bank (HNB), Smart Metro, Sony FeliCa and the Badulla Bus Association today commercially launched the second phase of the NFC (Near Field Communication) enabled multi-functioned payment system in the Badulla region.
This payment system will be available for customers residing or traveling through the region on ‘HNB One Card’, the pioneering NFC enabled payment card launched in December 2013. With the provision of the e-bus ticketing facility, HNB becomes the first bank to deploy such a service commercially in Sri Lanka.
The connectivity technology for the complete system will be energized by Airtel through Airtel Lanka Enterprise Solutions. The NFC connectivity system will add to the list of innovative global enterprise solutions that Airtel has introduced to Sri Lanka such as IPLC and vehicle tracking systems.
The launch of the second phase of the NFC system took place in Badulla under the patronage of the Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Hon. Dilan Perera, Mayor of Badulla Hon. Upali Nissanka and other invitees from the organizations involved.
The NFC enabled systems will be used in 150 long distance buses and 1200 inter provincial and provincial buses belonging to the Badulla Bus Company. The card uses a simple “tap and go” method and passengers would have the convenience of travelling on these buses without the hassle of carrying cash with them. The first step in a long process of greater customer convenience, the system will soon be available for ATM transactions, transport facilities island wide, toll stations at the two currently functioning expressways, drive-thru food outlets, supermarkets and fuel stations.
The first phase of the project has already been tried and tested in Matara through 225 buses of the Matara Passenger Transport Company. The successful completion of phase two will pave way for the service being spread throughout the island bringing greater convenience to the public transport system. Collaborating as the exclusive total connectivity partner throughout the entire project, Airtel will continue to provide innovative technological solutions as the project progresses. Smart Metro the provider of NFC enabled bus ticketing machines has been doing research and development in this area for many years with an unmatchable technical expertise. The NFC technology is supplied by Sony FeliCa the market leader in NFC enabled payment card industry. The partners joining HNB in the e-bus ticketing project are purely selected on technology and business capability, and have proven their capabilities through the successful completion of the two phases of the project so far.
About Bharti Airtel: Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 4 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company´s product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed DSL broadband, IPTV, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G wireless services and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had over 275 million customers across its operations at the end of May 2013. To know more please visit, www.airtel.com
About Bharti Airtel Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd: Bharti Airtel Lanka commenced commercial operations of services in Sri Lanka on January 12, 2009, and was the fastest operator to reach 1 million customers in Sri Lanka. With its network footprint panned out across the country and capturing strategic ranking positions in various areas in less than three years of operations, Airtel has emerged as Sri Lanka’s fastest expanding network. Registered under the Board of Investment in Sri Lanka, Airtel Lanka provides digital mobile services into Sri Lanka which includes voice telephony, voice mail, data services and GSM based services. The Company has also received accreditations such as ISO 27001:2005 and ISO 22301 for its continuous efforts towards information security and business continuity. To know more please visit, www.airtel.lk
