Wireless Connection

DALLAS -- Motorists soon will be able to pay for gas, fast food and other convenience store items using their mobile phones.

Alon USA, a 7-Eleven licensee operating 170 in Texas and New Mexico, said it is testing Cellerate, a new mobile payment system, at company-owned convenience stores. The payment system is being offered by an alliance among transaction services provider Alliance Data Systems (ADS) and mobile commerce firm Cellenium, an affiliate of Elbit Ltd., according to Wireless.NewsFactor.com.

With Cellerate as the gateway, customers initially will have access to applications including buying fuel at FINA gas stations and the goods offered at 7-Eleven stores located in those stations, as well as paying for fast food and making purchases from vending machines.

Down the line, the system will offer mobile payments for parking, DVD rentals and tickets to entertainment events, he said.

Cellenium will provide the technology for managing the Cellerate system, while Alliance Data delivers the transaction-processing network and infrastructure. FINA -- with a branded network of 1,600 gas convenience stores in seven states -- will serve as the primary outlet for the system's rollout.

The company already has introduced similar systems in Europe, Israel and Southeast Asia, the report said.
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