Wireless Federation

ClairMail, Inc., the leader in 2-way mobile phone-based customer interaction, today announced that PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (PNC) expanded its mobile banking services by integrating ClairMail’s comprehensive mobile banking solution. The breakthrough ClairMail System leverages any mobile phone’s existing text messaging (SMS — short message service) software and capabilities; no new mobile phone software is required. As a result of the ClairMail System’s modular design and complete mobile banking services, PNC now enables its customers to conveniently access their accounts using virtually any mobile communications device — regardless of manufacturer, model, operating system or wireless carrier.
The ClairMail System also provides the application intelligence and delivery mechanism for sending numerous security-related alerts to PNC customers, including alerts for when a user ID, password, security question or contact information (e.g. address, telephone, number or e-mail address) is changed. Additional alerts will be available to PNC customers in the future, including alerts when an overdraft occurs or when a balance falls below a customer-defined amount.
The ClairMail System incorporates a powerful Event Engine that can easily handle the potential transaction volumes from banks of any size and deliver alerts in real-time. ClairMail will collaborate with PNC to augment PNC’s offering with more alerts and other mobile banking functionality over time.
“A mobile banking solution should be available to all bank customers and provide both account information and security alerts,” said Thomas S. Kunz, senior vice president, director of e-Business for PNC. “By leveraging the existing text messaging on all mobile phones and delivering security alerts via the ClairMail solution, PNC is providing convenient, secure and on-demand mobile banking services to our customers.”
“ClairMail is privileged to partner with PNC to give their customers secure, 24/7 account access and dynamic, real-time security alerts,” said Joseph Salesky, CEO of ClairMail. “PNC customers will benefit from our complete mobile banking services on any mobile phone, using the text messaging functionality they are already familiar with.”
ClairMail was recently recognized as a leader in the mobile banking and payments industry by TowerGroup, a financial services research firm. ClairMail was positioned as having the highest strategic extensibility of any vendor and one of the best market execution ratings given its recently announced partnerships with Fidelity National Information Services and WAUSAU and agreements reached with major customers in the United States.

About ClairMail

ClairMail is the only comprehensive 2-way mobile platform for banking, payments and card services. Deployed either on-premise or as a managed service, ClairMail optimizes any mobile phone for 2-way customer interaction. Only the ClairMail System offers 2-way mobile banking, payments and card applications that utilize any phone’s existing messaging and mobile web software and extend the capabilities of third-party client applications. On one platform with a single implementation, ClairMail empowers financial institutions to generate and deliver 2-way Actionable Alerts to their customers and provide easy and immediate account management, secure transactions and no-hold customer service. Unlike other 1-way, proprietary and inflexible point solutions which lack the application intelligence to generate 2-way alerts, the ClairMail 2-way System is a turnkey, standards-based 2-way offering that seamlessly and securely integrates with existing systems, delivers the fastest time to value and provides an alternative to more costly channels like call centers and IVR. Founded
in 2004, ClairMail is headquartered in Novato, Calif. The company is privately held and funded by Norwest Venture Partners, Outlook Ventures and JAFCO Ventures. For more information visit www.clairmail.com.
About Wireless Federation

Wireless Federation is an industry research conglomerate headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The mandate of the Wireless Federation is to provide its members and customers industry knowledge that can further enhance their understanding of the wireless industry. Wireless Federation conducts bespoke research and produces boxed reports in collabaration with Industry Bodies, Telecom Operators for Issues that revolve around ARPU, CHURN and Loyalty.
They have been associated with more than 225 mobile operators globally to set their Pricing/ Tariff Strategies, Go-To-Market Strategies for Mobile Advertising, Mobile Payments, Cutting VAS among others amongst 59 countries globally.

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Zain, Kenya introduces an all new mobile tariff, targetting the youth, dubbed as Club 20. This new tariff will offer its subscribers unlimited SMS at a flat rate of  Sh20 and will also enable them to make free calls between 10 pm and 6 pm.
Looking at the success of the Vuka tariff which brught in two million subscribers to the network during the last one month, Mr Rene Meza, MD, Zain Kenya, has seen the efforts to grow in the market bearing fruit, as a study shows that nearly 50% of new subscribers in country switch to Zain.
“They could be coming from the competitors or could be new subscribers,” the MD said. He also added that the new service was targeted at the youth who prefer using the SMS mode of communication.
“We still have some more propositions that we intend to roll out in addition to the much-anticipated revolutionary banking services,” he concluded.

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Zambia National Commercial Bank (Zanco) has ease payement procedures for its account holders. Zanco launched a mobile banking service dubbed Xapit. This mobile banking service allows its customers to make payments via cell phone. Zanaco managing director Mark Weissing, said that the facility will initially be made available only to the bank’s customers but will later be extended to over 2 million people who have mobile phones but no bank accounts. Weissing further said that Xapit enables mobile bill payments, airtime purchases and fund transfers. Only Zain Zambia subscribers can avail this service. The motive to rollout this service is to improve the business activities of the bank and its customers.

For Best Practices/ Case Studies on Mobile Money - Banking, Remittances, Commerce & Payments. Please contact christina@wirelessfederation.com

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