News

VendTek testing phone-service kiosks in China

March 20, 2002

VANCOUVER - Self-service technology provider VendTek Systems Inc. (CDNX:VSI), envisioning the world's most populous country, China, as a future market for prepaid wireless phone services, has launched a pilot program for its e-Fresh line of self-service kiosks in Beijing.

Called Yi Tong (Chinese for "easy through"), the test program consists of five kiosks located in Beijing at a department store, wireless phone shop, and university. The kiosks are connected to a VendTek server in Beijing through a public phone line and offer prepaid phone services and phone cards through China Mobile wireless service.

VendTek President Paul Brock cited a Gartner Dataquest Asia-Pacific study showing that Chinese pre-paid connections increased from 12 million in the fourth quarter of 2000 to 66 million in the fourth quarter of last year.

"The market potential in China is immense," Brock said in a news release.

The test program will last three months. Long-term plans could include large-scale deployments in Beijing and other major Chinese cities, though Brock did not offer specifics.