IMGCAP(1)]
Global demand for wireless point-of-sale terminals and service is spurring Apriva, which operates a wireless POS terminal network, to start an international division, Paul Coppinger, a co-founder, tells ISO&Agent Weekly. "We're going international because there's a definite need around the world," Coppinger says. Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Apriva's services are sold in the United States through independent sales organizations. Coppinger says the international sales model also will rely on working with acquirers, which may not be ISOs, but still have access to merchants. Coppinger says nations lacking a fully developed wired telephone infrastructure, such as in the United States, are among locations where Apriva sees a need for its services. In particular, Apriva is looking at nations such as Brazil, Russia, India and China, which have growing middle classes and increasing use of debit and credit payment methods. Coppinger said Apriva considered international markets when the company started in 1999, "but the timing wasn't right." Now, having worked through issues such as installation and security for wireless payment devices, Apriva has enough experience to branch out, Coppinger says.
Apriva also named Bill Clark, who joined Apriva in 2005, as the executive in charge of the company's U.S. POS division.
