Fonepool and Macalla partner for J1 student deal

Mobile solutions provider Macalla Software is to deliver a remote prepaid phone payment solution for pre-paid phone service company Fonepool for J1 students working in the United States.

The top-up service will be exclusively handset based, eliminating any need for vouchers, and is available from June 1 2004.

Fonepool offers a pre-paid phone service to the 10,000 Irish J1 visa holders who travel to the US on Work and Travel Programmes each year.

Macalla Software's solution enables students to simply text message a demand for fresh credit to a local number that triggers a transaction for the appropriate amount to be charged to an authorised credit card, without the needs for vouchers.

Niall O'Cleirigh, CEO Macalla Software said today : "We believe this is a compelling, convenient, and ultimately cost-effective method of keeping in constant touch with family, friends and colleagues while on an extended visit to the US.

The handset based top-up means phone credit is always at your fingertips, while signing on for the service here in Ireland before they travel will eliminate any insurmountable administration travellers may confront overseas."

Fonepool launched the service last year enabling student workers to purchase a US mobile phone for €87 that works across the US, including $40 credit.

Fonepool succeeded in recruiting 1,000 Irish students during the summer and the same number of Australians and New Zealanders during winter and has recently signed a strategic two-year agreement with operator T-Mobile USA, the fourth largest provider of mobile phone services in the US.

The company will deliver the service to J1 visa holders from more than twenty countries in 2004, concentrating on Europe in the summer months and southern hemisphere countries including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Brazil and Argentina in the winter months.