BellSouth Classic Goes Wireless with Solutions from BellSouth Wireless Data
DULUTH, Ga., March 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The 1999 BellSouth Classic, a major
stop on the PGA Tour, is going wireless with solutions from BellSouth
Wireless Data. One wireless solution will allow vendors to make credit card
transactions from anywhere along the golf course, while another solution will
keep the media connected with the latest tournament information.
BellSouth Wireless Data, a subsidiary of BellSouth Corp. (NYSE: BLS) and a
leading provider of wireless data communications solutions, is outfitting
course concession stands with wireless credit card terminals for fast and
easy transactions. The company is also displaying wireless credit card
terminals and the BellSouth Interactive Paging(SM) Service at the event's
Product Pavilion. Key sports writers covering the event, which takes place
March 29 to April 4 -- Tournament Players Club at Sugarloaf in Duluth, GA,
will also use the Interactive Paging Service to get the latest tournament
news.
"The BellSouth Classic is a perfect venue to illustrate how wireless data is
moving into the mainstream and touching peoples' lives in new ways every
day," said William F. Lenahan, president and CEO of Woodbridge, N.J.-based
BellSouth Wireless Data. "We are proud to be taking part in this prestigious
event and to have our advanced wireless data communications solutions help
the concessionaires and sports writers stay wirelessly connected, no matter
where they are on the golf course."
Fans attending the BellSouth Classic won't have to carry cash to purchase
food items at concession stands placed along the Sugarloaf golf course.
BellSouth Wireless Data and Martin Howe Inc., an integrated provider of
transaction processing services and wholly owned subsidiary of NOVA
Corporation (NYSE: NIS), have outfitted concession stands with Lipman USA
Inc., wireless credit card terminals. These wireless terminals give
concessionaires the ability to process credit card transactions without
having to depend on the availability of phone lines or dial-up connections.
The wireless credit card terminals give fans the freedom to use their credit
cards at concession stands everywhere . . . from the clubhouse to the greens.
Each terminal is equipped with a wireless modem, allowing for rapid
transmission over the nationwide BellSouth Intelligent Wireless Network(SM).
Once a credit card is swiped, terminals transmit the data wirelessly via the
BellSouth Intelligent Wireless Network to an authorization center where
information is received, processed and broadcast back to the terminal. The
whole transaction takes less than ten seconds.
"At a major event such as the BellSouth Classic, it is important to be
equipped with the latest technology to ensure convenience and efficiency for
spectators and vendors alike," said David Kaplan, executive director of the
BellSouth Classic. "Having BellSouth Wireless Data's cutting-edge, wireless
solutions in place help us operate more smoothly."
BellSouth Classic spectators will also sample the nation's premier
interactive paging service, the BellSouth Interactive Paging Service, at the
event's Product Pavilion. There will be demonstrations of the Interactive
Paging Service as well as the opportunity for visitors to send e-mails to
colleagues, friends or family via the service.
Reporters covering this year's BellSouth Classic will stay wirelessly
connected throughout the event with the BellSouth Interactive Paging Service.
BellSouth Wireless Data is providing key sports reporters with the
Interactive Paging Service. Reporters will constantly be updated by BellSouth
with breaking tournament news and player information wherever they are on the
course via the two-way device.
Introduced in September 1998, the service offers people on the go the ability
to initiate and respond to messages in seconds rather than minutes via
Internet e-mail and other pagers, and send messages to fax machines and
telephones. Interactive paging features the RIM Inter@ctive(TM) Pager 950, a
unique wearable, hand-held device with a full keyboard that uses an
Intel386(TM) processor. The BellSouth interactive Paging Service was a winner
of the prestigious 1999 Mobility Award from Mobile Insights as the top
software/service in the Wireless category.
The 72-hole BellSouth Classic has been a fixture on the PGA Tour since 1967
and features many of the greatest names on the tour. For the latest
tournament information or to purchase tickets, fans can go to the official
BellSouth Classic web site at: www.bellsouth.com/classic .
About NOVA Corporation
NOVA Corporation ("NOVA"), headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, manages and
transports payment and other business information on behalf of retailers,
community banks and financial institutions. NOVA specializes in providing
integrated credit and debit card payment and information processing services,
related software application products and value added services to more than
450,000 merchants nationwide and processes more than $50 billion in credit
card volume. NOVA merchant customers typically include small- to medium-sized
merchants that require a full spectrum of processing services. Web site
address: www.novainfo.com <http://www.novainfo.com>;
Martin Howe Associates is a subsidiary of NOVA Corporation, and specializes
in processing credit card payments via Wireless Point of Sale terminals.
Every major sports league, and many entertainment complexes around the
nation, use Martin Howe Associates' wireless solutions. Having the
flexibility and creativity to find quick and permanent solutions has been the
MHA trademark. Web site address: www.martinhowe.com
<http://www.martinhowe.com>;
About Lipman USA Inc.
Established in 1974, Lipman Electronic Engineering Ltd. is a high technology
publicly held company whose shares are traded on the Tel-Aviv stock exchange.
The company's objective is to keep ahead of the competition through
innovative action. The company's business philosophy is to provide the
customer with the most reliable, technologically advanced and most
cost-effective product available. The company is involved in the development,
production and marketing of a broad line of sophisticated,
microprocessor-based electronic equipment and computerized systems for
advanced applications, incorporating optical imaging and scanning
technologies. Following the tradition of over two decades of excellence in
state-of-the-art products, the company continues to expand as a pace-setter
in advanced communication and embedded system technologies. Web site address:
www.lipmanusa.com <http://www.lipmanusa.com>;
About BellSouth Wireless Data
BellSouth Wireless Data, L.P., headquartered in Woodbridge, N.J., is an
expert in providing proven wireless data communications solutions that
eliminate the barriers between critical information and mobile users. The
company, a winner of the prestigious Sears Innovation Source of the Year and
Partners in Progress awards for 1997, delivers a competitive advantage and
increases personal productivity for aggressive, innovative companies and
individuals leveraging communications technologies to meet their strategic
goals. BellSouth Wireless Data operates its wireless data service throughout
the United States, covering more than 93 percent of the urban business
population located in 266 metropolitan areas with a total population of 200
million people.
BellSouth Wireless Data is a subsidiary of BellSouth Corporation, which
provides telecommunications, wireless communications, cable and digital TV,
directory advertising and publishing, and Internet and data services to
nearly 33 million customers in 19 countries worldwide. E-mail:
bellsouthwd.info@bellsouthwd.com . Web site address: www.bellsouthwd.com .
CONTACT: Russ Rowland or Chris Loncto of HWH, 212-355-5049, or email,
russr@hwhpr.com or chrisl@hwhpr.com , for BellSouth Wireless
Data, or Deb Spicer of BellSouth Classic, 404-249-2849
SOURCE BellSouth Corporation
/CONTACT: Russ Rowland or Chris Loncto of HWH, 212-355-5049, or email,
russr@hwhpr.com or chrisl@hwhpr.com , for BellSouth Wireless Data, or Deb
Spicer of BellSouth Classic, 404-249-2849/
/Company News On-Call: prnewswire.com or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 095650/
/Web site: novainfo.com /
/Web site: martinhowe.com /
/Web site: lipmanusa.com /
/Web site: bellsouthwd.com /
/Web site: bellsouth.com /
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