TNS launches bring-your-own-app feature for terminals

Transaction Network Services has launched a Bring Your Own App feature for its Android-based payment terminals, allowing operators to deploy their own customer-facing applications on unattended devices.

The option is aimed at operators in unattended, retail and fuel payments that want more control over the customer interface while leaving payment processing and compliance to TNS.

Under the model, operators build their own Android applications and connect them to the TNS payment app on the terminal through a payments application programming interface. TNS handles card capture, PIN collection, encryption, EMV processing and payment certification.

Each operator application must be approved by TNS before it can run on a terminal. This gives developers a defined point of integration without taking on the security and compliance obligations tied to payment processing.

Demand for tailored payment experiences has grown as operators look for ways to differentiate their services at self-service locations such as kiosks, forecourts and other unattended environments. At the same time, building and maintaining payment software adds complexity through PCI compliance requirements, security controls, certifications and ongoing maintenance.

The new arrangement is intended to separate those two issues. Operators can focus on the look, feel and user journey of their applications, while TNS manages the underlying payment infrastructure and related certifications, including point-to-point encryption requirements.

How it works

The operator's application triggers a payment transaction through TNS software already installed on the terminal. This keeps the customer-facing software and the payment function linked but separate.

The architecture also separates acquirer keys from terminal keys. In practice, operators can change acquirers or alter commercial arrangements without updating physical terminals in the field.

That could reduce the operational work involved in managing terminal estates, particularly where devices are spread across multiple sites. It also gives operators a way to adjust payment relationships without replacing or manually reconfiguring hardware.

David Hore, Senior Director, Payments Product Portfolio, TNS Payments Market, said the product was designed to address a longstanding trade-off in the sector.

"Operators have historically had to choose between innovating on customer experience or taking on the complexity of payments," Hore said. "BYOA is designed to remove that compromise. Our customers can build the applications that enhance their business's unique selling proposition, while we manage the payments, compliance and certification behind every transaction. That's the role TNS plays: providing a managed service that allows our customers to focus on their business."

Wider strategy

The rollout applies across TNS's Android-based unattended terminal platform as well as its retail and fuel payment terminals. It forms part of the group's broader effort to make it easier for customers to manage fragmented payment systems through a managed service approach.

TNS operates in payment and network services and says it serves more than 2,800 organisations in over 50 countries. Its offering includes unattended and in-store terminals, online payment services, connectivity and payment orchestration.

The launch reflects a wider shift in the payments market toward Android-based devices, which support more flexible software development than traditional closed terminal systems. For operators, that opens the door to more branded and sector-specific interfaces, but also raises questions about software control, approval processes and responsibility for regulated payment functions.

By keeping the payment stack under its own management while allowing customers to build the front end, TNS is positioning the new feature as a middle ground between open application development and tightly controlled terminal software. The model is intended to give operators room to tailor services without assuming the full burden of certification and compliance.

Michael Johnson, Global Managing Director, Payments Market Business, TNS, said flexibility in managing terminals and payment relationships had become more important for unattended operators.

"This is exactly the kind of flexibility unattended operators need to meet the demands of the modern payments landscape," Johnson said. "BYOA gives customers the freedom to create differentiated experiences that reflect their brand and their customers' needs, backed by a payments foundation they can trust."