(Associated Press via NewsEdge) Belgium's three mobile phone operators said that their customers could now make payments from anywhere, even if the check is lost in the mail.
Payment card operator Banksys and telecoms companies Base, Mobistar and Proximus said their system was the first time their own secure payment software, called m-banxafe, was put into use.
Customers receive an invoice by text message and confirm the payment using a secret code. To use the system, they need to have SIM card that will support the payment software and a Belgian bank account.
The companies said it was good facility for people who do not have cash on hand and cannot get to an ATM.
'It is also useful for anyone providing a service: for delivery personnel or tradesmen, it offers a guarantee of immediate payment,' they said.
Customers are charged 25 euro cents ($0.33) for the service, including sales tax, while merchants have a heavier fee of 49 ($0.65), excluding value added tax.
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