Oberthur Technologies selected by CANAL+ OVERSEAS for electronic top-up of prepaid pay-TV subscriptions in Africa

Oberthur Technologies, one of the world's largest providers of security, identification solutions and services based on smart card technologies, announced today that CANAL+ OVERSEAS, the international subsidiary of CANAL+ Group, has selected its electronic top-up solution to dematerialise the distribution of its prepaid pay-TV renewal of subscriptions in Africa.

Using electronic top-up will allow CANAL+ OVERSEAS to dematerialise and automate the reselling process of prepaid subscriptions. CANAL+ OVERSEAS' retailers will be able to instantly top up subscribers' pay-TV accounts via a mobile phone. The platform will also manage e-voucher purchasing and delivery via SMS. While significantly reducing the costs and constraints associated with physical inventory management, the solution will also allow CANAL+ OVERSEAS to quickly adapt to market changes and trends, and offer a broader range of products.

The service will be run in one of Oberthur Technologies' highly secure data centres located in Tewkesbury, United Kingdom, and will leverage the MoreMagic m:TopUp end-to-end solution, including a mobile application for retailers and a pan-Africa SMS brokering service. MoreMagic, a wholly owned subsidiary of Oberthur Technologies, is a leading provider of mobile money solutions around the globe.

Jacques du Puy, CANAL+ OVERSEAS' President, said: "By migrating to electronic top-up provided by Oberthur Technologies, CANAL+ OVERSEAS can offer its customers a faster, seamless and dramatically more convenient experience. All people will need to do is give their subscriber's ID, phone number and payment to the merchant in order for their account to be topped up instantly."

"Our ability to deliver and operate a flexible end-to-end solution that is fully compliant with CANAL+ OVERSEAS requirements, together with our deep understanding of mobile technologies, shows that Oberthur Technologies is a partner of choice in efficient, effective electronic top-up solutions for the digital TV market as well as mobile operators," said Arnaud de La Chapelle, Managing Director, Solutions Business Unit at Oberthur Technologies.