MobileData, a global technology solutions provider focused on payment facilitation and prepaid electronic value distribution, has positioned its enterprise service platform TradeSwitch to help stakeholders leverage high growth projected for the prepaid ecosystem.

This ecosystem consists of companies and individuals that produce, distribute, vend and consume virtual prepaid products and services, including airtime and electricity.

It is an ecosystem that research – including that conducted by MasterCard – projects to grow more than 22% per annum over the next five years, as well as a global prepaid opportunity of over $822 billion by 2017.

Experts in this competitive space believe diversity and balance are essential to sustainability. If the prepaid ecosystem is rich in the variety of prepaid goods and services, there will be a higher rate of interaction between the different players in the ecosystem.

This inevitably leads to a higher flow of goods and services to the consumer and a higher flow of money to the producer.

This is where the MobileData TradeSwitch adds measurable value.

"This standalone platform enables prepaid ecosystems by fast integrations into producers of virtual products and services. Connectors can rapidly be developed to mobile networks, utility providers, banks, insurance companies and various other producers of virtual goods and services," says Willem Scholtz, Business Analyst at MobileData.

TradeSwitch brings all these goods and services together in order to enhance the prepaid ecosystem's diversity and thereby stimulating and encouraging interaction within the ecosystem.

This offering supports the development of the prepaid ecosystem, for example, through the Node Management component. This offers features like the management of billing periods, credit, stock levels and deal-sheets (which are used to configure the commissions, discounts, charges and bonuses).

TradeSwitch can also be used to purchase the required products or pay for the applicable services. It includes features like cash payments and deposits, the TradeSwitch Wallet, the TradeSwitch Prepaid Debit Card, the TradeSwitch Smart Phone application and USSD transacting.

"We are proud to make available the only standalone platform that can manage the prepaid ecosystem holistically and cater for the needs of every player," adds Scholtz.