Applications developer Masabi and mobile payments provider Mi-Pay have partnered to develop Street Vendor, a mobile transaction system that allows mobile operators, banks and other retailers to offer their services in remote regions using mobile phones. The Street Vendor mobile application enables a distributed workforce to take cash payments in return for mobile top-ups or money transfer services using standard mobile handsets. The mobile handset acts as an Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) terminal and communicates with a central server to authenticate and approve the transaction over encrypted SMS in areas where other data connections are unavailable. The application is compatible with many standard handsets, up to seven years old, and doesn't rely on smartphones, 3G or GPRS connectivity, which are not always available in rural areas. It uses Masabi's EncryptME system to ensure transactions are secure from the phone to the bank, regardless of the mobile network used. It also and complies with all international money transfer regulations. Already in use by Saraf Mobile, a person-to-person, agent-based money transfer service, Street Vendor is now live in Sudan, with other roll-outs planned across the Middle East and North Africa. Unlike mobile operator-led mobile payment services, which require new Sim cards to be issued and integration with local network infrastructure, the Street Vendor system can be rolled out to any territory with SMS reception.