CreditCall and ANT to Enable Instant Credit Card Payment System for Satellite, Cable and Broadband TV Boxes

New on-screen payment system in development for worldwide deployment

Cambridge, 6 April 2004

CreditCall, the UK leader in cashless payment solutions, today announced that it has entered a technology partnership with interactive TV software development specialists ANT Limited, to develop a payment system that will allow consumers to purchase services using their credit or debit card, directly from an on-screen menu from their satellite, cable or broadband decoder box.

The payment system employs CreditCall's CardEase® transaction technology, which securely processes payment from the user's card. ANT's Fresco® browser for TV is being integrated with CardEase® to render an intuitive user interface, enabling the consumer to operate the payment system via their TV screen and remote control. Communications with the payment host will be via the back channel fitted to the cable or broadband decoder box, or by normal telephone line in the case of satellite.

The system will open up limitless possibilities for the next generation of home entertainment digital media centres, with the initial applications likely to be the direct payment of viewing subscriptions, instant payment for premium movies, sports events, special premium content, digital jukebox services, home shopping and charity donations.

The Creditcall and ANT technology partnership will also allow satellite, cable and IPTV companies to reduce the number of failed subscriptions through the convenience of an "on-box" payment method, and at the same time reduce the costs of call centres and traditional payment methods. The technology is being designed to work alongside, and complement, existing conditional access systems.

"ANT Limited's market-leading reputation in interactive TV software made them the clear partner of choice for CreditCall", said Nick McGarvey, Managing Director of CreditCall Communications Ltd. "Together, we are confident that we can extend the convenience of direct credit and debit card payment from the high street right into people's living rooms."

"Consumers and service operators need to know that they can depend upon their cashless payment mechanism", said Stephen Reeder, Executive Director of Sales & Marketing at ANT Limited. "CreditCall is a recognised force in providing reliable security to retail payment systems on a global scale. With the integration of ANT technology, the company is able to add a new dimension to the rapidly growing interactive TV marketplace."

Currently in prototype development, there are plans for this new CreditCall payment system to be deployed by several leading set top box manufacturers by the end of the year. Based upon the global growth of secure card payments, this is expected to become a standard feature on all set top boxes and home entertainment systems in the years to come.

About ANT Software Limited

ANT plc (www.antplc.com) is a leading provider of digital TV client and consumer electronic software solutions. ANT's unique client solutions allow robust and consistent delivery of digital-media, user interfaces, interactive services and applications to the TV and portable media devices. ANT enables service providers to efficiently create and deploy successful solutions to the market that deliver high value and clear differentiation.

ANT's products are pre-integrated with many industry-leading solutions and are based upon open standards, enabling low-risk, cost-effective roll-out of services, while ensuring flexible client hardware choice with efficient bill of materials. ANT software has been extensively deployed by customers throughout the world including Chunghwa Telecom, Foxconn, France Telecom, Humax, LG/Nortel, Philips, Sagem, Samsung, SaskTel, Telecom Italia and Thomson.

ANT plc's shares are listed on AIM, a London Stock Exchange regulated market, under the ticker ANTP (Reuters: ANTP.L, Bloomberg: ANTP.LN).

About CreditCall Communications Ltd.

CreditCall is a specialist cashless payment solutions provider, with recognition in the UK, The Americas, Mainland Europe and the Far East. CreditCall develops payment systems for diverse applications including card-based telephony, Pay & Display car parking, Vending, Ticketing and Pay TV.

CreditCall invests heavily in research and development and provides payment services facilities, which will allow any virtually any machine, device or terminal to be enabled to accept credit or debit card, as well as certified EMV software licenses and consultancy for the emerging chip-based EMV cards.

For more information about CreditCall products and services visit the company's website at: www.creditcall.com

Trademarks

ANT, the ANT logo, Galio, Fresco and PurePlay are all trademarks or registered trademarks of ANT Software Limited. All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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