ATLANTA - In a deal worth $2.5 million,
Cingular Wireless has installed bill payment Web kiosks by NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR ) in 186 retail locations throughout the Southeast.The NCR 7401 Web kiosk and receipt printer enables Cingular customers to pay with cash, checks and credit and debit cards. A joint venture between SBC (NYSE:
SBC ) and BellSouth (NYSE: BLS ), Cingular provides wireless voice and data service to more than 19 million customers in 38 states, the District of Columbia and two U.S. territories.Cingular is one of a number of companies deploying Web kiosk technology and the first wireless provider to offer the enhanced service to customers, it claims. A report issued this year by market research firm
Frost & Sullivan predicts that as the number of applications for kiosks increases and they become more attractive and reliable, worldwide markets for interactive kiosks will grow exponentially.Web-enabled kiosks can be programmed to perform multiple tasks in addition to bill payment, such as helping consumers find merchandise, refreshing pre-paid accounts, checking product availability, accessing product information and viewing product promotions.
