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Become an Operator

This page provides more information about the Cell Power service offering to operators. The Cell Power software is provided to an operator against a license agreement with Expertron Group (Pty) Ltd. The operator assumes the primary responsibility to operate and manage the electronic voucher business; Expertron plays an ongoing complementary role in the partnership as the technology service provider.

What Cell Power provides

Cell Power is computer software that provides the functionality to operate an electronic voucher distribution business. The core functionality includes:

Manage resellers

Create reseller (merchants and agents) or consumer accounts on the system. Resellers and consumers purchase electronic vouchers from the operator using the Cell Power platform.

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Configure reseller sales commissions for merchants and agents.

Manage POS terminals

Configure and assign POS terminals operated by resellers and consumers. POS terminals can include equipment already owned by the reseller or consumer, such as a cellphone or personal computer. Additionally, the operator may purchase and distribute retail POS terminals, selling these to merchants from whom there is such a demand.

Manage reseller or consumer deposits

Credit reseller or consumer prepaid wallet accounts against deposits made into the operator's bank account. The prepaid wallet accounts reflect the prepaid credit against which electronic vouchers are purchased by the reseller or consumer. Deposits should be processed as quickly as possible in order to facilitate rapid business turnaround for resellers.

Reports

Provide online sales statements and transaction reports to resellers and consumers. Provide business intelligence reports to the operator.

Inventory management

Inventory management of denominated electronic vouchers.

Access to logs

Provide access to detailed, real-time transaction logs

Manage admin accounts

Manage administrative user accounts and user roles

What Expertron provides

In additional to the Cell Power software, Expertron provides the following services:

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  • Business and systems analysis of the operator's requirements

  • Installation and configuration of Cell Power server software

  • Training (provided to the operator's internal admin staff on a train-the-trainer basis)

  • Option to host the operator's Cell Power instance

  • Integration of Cell Power with 3rd-party systems, e.g. for online vouchers, dynamic recharge or bill payments

  • Any additional custom software development as per the operator's business requirements

  • Remote 3rd-line system support and maintenance (various service level options are available)

The Operator's responsibilities

The Cell Power operator assumes the primary responsibility for operating and managing the electronic voucher business, including:

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  • hosting of server computers at a reliable and reputable hosting provider (if not hosted by Expertron);

  • negotiate with suppliers and purchase stock of products sold through the Cell Power platform;

  • carry the costs and initiatives to market the electronic voucher business;

  • recruit and manage resellers (merchants and/or agents) and/or consumers to register and purchase from the platform;

  • provide bank accounts to receive reseller and/or consumer deposits, and credit their prepaid wallets as soon as possible in order to provide a rapid turnaround for resellers;

  • manage inventory stock levels with the assistance of the tools provided on the Cell Power system

Pricing Structure

The price of the Cell Power software is structured as follows:

Annuity License Fee

Cell Power is software that is licensed to the operator. The license is charged as a percentage of turnover, and is negotiated with the operator based on revenues and business models within the operator territory.

Upfront Installation and Training Fee

The operator is charged an initial upfront fee for the installation of the Cell Power software and training. This cost is determined on a time and materials basis. The standard installation cost is based on man hours for two weeks and is performed remotely (via the Internet) on servers procured by the operator according to Expertron's specifications; additional special integration and/or customization is quoted for separately. The operator is also responsible for travel and subsistence costs if travel to the operator's territory is required.

Monthly Support Fee

The operator is required to take one of the remote support packages offered by Expertron.

System Requirements
Server Hardware

The Cell Power software is installed on one or more server computers. The servers are provided by the operator according to Expertron's specifications,  and are made accessible for remote access via the Internet. The number of servers, and the location of the servers is dependent on the operator's business requirements. Cell Power has been efficiently installed and commissioned remotely on servers located at various sites around the world.

Additional Hardware

One or more GSM modems are an optional, but highly recommended hardware component to provide SMS notifications and alarms sent from the Cell Power servers.

Software Installation

Apart from the base operating system software, all other software is installed remotely by Expertron. The Cell Power software includes the following modules installed on the Cell Power servers:

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  • Transaction server software

  • Administration Internet interface software

  • Point-of-Sale server software for vending from dedicated POS terminals

  • Point-of-Sale server software for Internet vending from personal computers and cellphones

  • Point-of-Sale server software for SMS vending from cellphones

  • Point-of-Sale server software for USSD vending from cellphones

  • Registration server software for merchant and/or consumer registrations via the Internet from personal computers and cellphones

  • Registration server software for merchant and/or consumer registrations via USSD from cellphones

  • Reporting and management Internet interface software for merchants and/or consumers

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Cell Power uses the MySQL relational database and Linux operating system.

Special requirements for SMS and USSD vending

SMS vending requires the installation of one or more GSM modems attached to the Cell Power transaction server. Cell Power also provides an SMPP interface for integration with an SMPP gateway.

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USSD vending requires integration with the USSD gateways of local mobile network operators (MNO) or wireless application service providers (WASPs)  in the territory where Cell Power is used. The operator will have to request a USSD service code from the MNO.

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The operator will be responsible to negotiate contracts with MNOs for access to SMS and USSD services used by the Cell Power platform.

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