IRISH COMPANY Openet has announced the roll-out of a flexible data payment system for Apple’s iPad on a major US carrier, believed to be ATT.
The company manages the transaction process that users are guided through when activating their iPad’s 3G connection and allows the network to provide fixed and ad hoc data packages.
Prepay and pay as you go options are available to users and the system is flexible enough to allow for more tailored plans in the future.
For example, users could pay for just a set amount of connection time, a small data allowance or even for access to specific sites only.
“The initial roll-out will be followed by a series of innovative roll-outs post event,” said Niall Norton, chief executive officer of Openet.
“What has gone out to the public at first was a very straightforward few choices of how you wanted to manage your account; what will happen later this year is that the options will become more sophisticated.”
The company provides similar solutions for a number of US and international carriers and this flexible system also works on other 3G devices, including smartphones and USB dongles.
Mr Norton said the company had succeeded where legacy billing technologies had not because it is able to adapt to huge numbers of subscriptions and payment options quickly.
“Our platform was designed to be hugely flexible and we are able to be that agile,” he said. “It’s also highly robust, very highly engineered and very fast.”
Despite being headquartered in Park West in Dublin, the company does not have any Irish clients.
However, Mr Norton said he was excited about the launch of a partnership with mobile operator Meteor, which is due to go live this summer.
“We have provided some additional solutions with these guys for the likes of EU data roaming, but we have an active engagement now with Meteor which will launch in the summer,” he said.
“We enable many potential services and are looking to marry them to their marketing plans, so we’re extremely pleased to have a working relationship with them,” Mr Norton added.
Openet was founded 11 years ago by Joe Horgan, who is the companys chief technical officer.
The company employs 210 people in Dublin, 200 in its offices in Virginia, USA and a further 100 people across offices in Malaysia and Brazil.
