News

PayStar adding wireless Internet access to kiosks

March 18, 2002

LODI, Calif. - PayStar Corp. (OTCBB:PYST), a company that is aggressively pursuing the public access Internet kiosk, cashless ATM, prepaid telecom services and the wireless banking services markets, is now trying out wireless Internet access, according to a company news release.

Paystar signed an agreement with hereUare Communications for hereUare to deploy public Wireless LAN services throughout PayStar's InfoStation kiosk network.

According to the release, PayStar has agreements to set up Internet kiosks with Hilton, Northwest Airlines, U.S. Airways, Alaska Airlines, and major airports. The company will upgrade its locations to offer public high-speed Internet access using the 802.11b wireless standard and hereUare's services.

The services will allow travelers to access the Internet using wireless technology from the kiosk, the release stated.

W.D. Yotty, chief executive officer and chairman of PayStar, said that the company will offer this service at about 300 hotels, airports and convention centers by the end of the year. Customers using the service will be able to log in anywhere in the world using a common ID, and be billed by one provider regardless of who owns the wireless network, Yotty said.

San Jose, Calif.-based hereUare Communications Inc. is a venture-capital funded company provided technology for public network access, aggregation, and billing services. The company makes the eCoinBox, a device that provides access control, accounting, and auditing for affiliated networks.

In March hereUare received $12 million in second round funding, Internetvcwatch reported. Principal investors included Raza Foundries and ComVentures. Other investors included Lucent Venture Partners; PacRim Ventures.

PayStar's pay-for-use application, Gold Sprocket, was purchased from San Diego-based Fun e-Business in May, along with that company's kiosk assets, according to a May news release issued by PayStar.

In June the company agreed to supply 5,000 PayStar InfoStation kiosks to Kiosk USA during the next two years.