Industrial and commercial communications operator Metacom says its new MC403 NanoPAD, the latest in its range of connectivity solutions, will substantially drop the cost of ensuring seamless financial transactions, anywhere in the world.

"Retailers, banks and financial services providers are finding their transaction capacity under pressure as demand grows for online card payments and other value-added electronic services," says Metacom MD Réan van Niekerk.

"The NanoPAD gives our clients high-speed 3G capability for connecting ATMs, EFT terminals and point of sale applications to the financial transaction infrastructure, and because we've optimised it for affordability the cost is also lower than older solutions, even though the technology is more advanced."

Van Niekerk says the NanoPAD devices -- each of which can support an Ethernet network connection or four serial point of sale devices -- will cost just R99 per month as opposed to a current industry benchmark of around R170 per month. In addition to this, the Ethernet option also allows for additional configurable inputs and outputs which can for example be used to manage power to external devices or monitor alarm inputs.

Each device supports dual plastic or chip SIM cards to ensure clients stay connected even when one GSM network goes down or experiences heavy congestion, adds Van Niekerk. Metacom supplies Telkom, MTN and Vodacom SIM cards to ensure that the best possible signal is achieved.

Metacom's managed service is an important part of the deal, he says: "Every single device in our network is monitored around the clock from the Metacom International Operations Centre so we can take action the moment we see a problem. And we're already securely connected to most banks, third party switches and other players in the transactions infrastructure, so there is no need for our clients to build this into their own networks."

"3G HSPA connectivity with secure SSL tunnelling ensures maximum network throughput and security," adds Van Niekerk. "The NanoPAD is not only faster and cheaper than any similar device currently on the market, it also employs state of the art security."