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USA Technologies offers upgrades for 2G, 3G devices

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November 5, 2020

USA Technologies Inc., a cashless payments and software services company that provides end-to-end technology solutions for the self-service retail market, has announced a plan to help upgrade devices operating on 2G and 3G networks that are being phased out, according to a press release.

Mobile network operators across the globe and in the U.S. are beginning to sunset 2G and 3G networks as 4G long-term evolution is now the industry standard, according to the release. USAT migrated most of its customers from 2G to 3G but will work with those still on legacy devices, to complete the remaining 2G upgrades in the field.

Operators will also have the choice to include EMV as part of the upgrade.

To ensure business continuity, customers with devices that are reliant on either network generation will need to upgrade no later than end of 2022, although some carriers do have 2021 sunset dates. This will affect all USAT ePort and Seed devices in the U.S.

USAT has developed an upgrade program that leverages its Platform as a Service and focuses on a choice of plans to help operators maximize their capital investment. Operators will be able to upgrade without too much spend and without the need to rip and replace, according to the release.

Many 3G devices in the field are equipped with an EMV contactless card reader and will only require a 4G telemeter (G10s) upgrade.

For the small ticket unattended retail market, EMV contactless is all an operator needs, particularly since consumers are quickly moving to frictionless methods of payment since the onset of the pandemic, according to the release.

Operators now have the option to include EMV as part of this network upgrade. In addition, the company completed a free over-the-air upgrade to enable EMV contactless to hundreds of thousands of readers in the field, with no upcharge or action needed by the customer.