Sky & Space signs US$30 million deal to deliver mobile payments via nanosatellite ASX-listed nanosatellite provider

Sky and Space Global has signed a US$30 million, five-year deal with mobile payments start-up BeepTool Communications that will see it provide services over Africa.

The two companies had previously cooperated in October to perform what was claimed as the world’s first financial transaction using nanosatellites.

Following the pilot, BeepTool has now agreed to purchase from SAS all the available communications bandwidth that is required by BeepTool to fill its commercial demand. Under the terms of the agreement, BeepTool and Sky and Space Global will collaborate to integrate the BeepTool messaging app with Sky and Space Global’s communication bandwidth software systems.

The agreement includes advance payments for end user devices, as well as payments per usage of the services with minimum usage commitment. Ahead of launching the services, BeepTool will run a field trial of its messaging app using SAS’ first 3 Diamonds nanosatellites to ensure that the BeepTool application works over the SAS network.

Africa-based BeepTool is a mobile payments, messaging and voice app that is used by over 800,000 customers across the African region and globally. Geoff Long, Commsday