A new breed of self-service terminals was introduced into the local market yesterday when Grintek Telecoms announced it had secured a distribution agreement for Cyberline International's automated services machines (ASMs). The announcement was made at the Tel.Com Africa 2002 telecommunications exhibition in Sandton.
Cyberline's ASM terminals are modular in design and can be used by a range of organisations such as banks, government departments, leisure groups and retail companies.
"Typical applications could be in the financial services sector as these devices could offer the section of the public who do not have access to the Internet, a means of interacting with bank services such as loan applications," says Claudio Ingrosso, CEO of Cyberline International.
Roger Blain, group executive for Grintek Telecom, says a key area for the ASM terminals is in the delivery of government services. "In the e-government and public transport space, ASMs will act as an enabler for government to improve service delivery to all South Africans. Future developments may well include paying taxes through the ASMs or printing forms that are available from offices such as Home Affairs."
The ASM terminals could also potentially replace automatic teller machines (ATMs) as well as providing in-store information or on-the-job training.
ASMs are available in two different designs, one to be mounted in wall cavities much like ATMs, and the other a standalone pedestal model design. Each machine is equipped with a set of standard operating slots such as a card reader and receipt slot. Other functions can be added to meet customer requirements.
Content for the ASM terminals is customisable and while demonstration models include banking and entertainment modules, these can be extended with an organisation's own software applications.
"The flexibility of the ASM includes upgrades all the way to becoming a fully-fledged ATM, complete with proper cash dispensers. Some of the options and variations to the ASM include video conferencing, credit card reader, printer, coin and note acceptors, signature pads, PIN pads, keyboards, trackballs and biometric scanners," says Ingrosso.
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