Italian company Seco is bringing its contactless payment terminals to North America with the first customer being Tower Optical, which makes the public binocular viewers installed at tourist attractions, observation decks, parks and other landmark destinations across the USA and Canada.

Following deployments in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the Karl4 terminal is now being adopted in North America, supported by the expansion of payment card certifications and the completion of FCC certification.

The compact payment terminal is designed for unattended and self-service applications. It enables secure, contactless transactions through debit cards, credit cards and digital wallets, helping operators reduce cash handling activities while providing consumers with a fast and intuitive payment experience.

The US launch has been enabled by a series of technological and regulatory milestones, including the FCC certification in addition to the certifications already available in Europe. Karl4 supports Visa and Mastercard, ensuring compatibility with the payment methods most commonly used across North America. Additional payment cards are planned.

Seco has already secured Tower Optical as its lead customer in the USA. Through the integration of KarL4, Tower Optical is modernising its installed base by replacing traditional coin-operated mechanisms with contactless payment technology: this allows visitors to activate binocular viewers with a tap of a payment card or digital wallet.

Beyond enabling payments, Karl4 (edge.seco.com/en/karl4.html) provides operators with a reliable and easily deployable platform that can be integrated into existing equipment, extending the useful life of installed assets while supporting digital service innovation. The terminal’s integral cellular modem and low-power operation facilitate retrofit into mechanical, coin-operated vending equipment.

“We are particularly proud to support Tower Optical in modernising one of the most recognisable tourist experiences across North America,” said Dario Freddi, managing director of Seco (www.seco.com) in the USA. “This deployment demonstrates how a proven payment platform can be applied across a variety of unattended applications, helping operators modernise existing assets while delivering a seamless experience for end users. The potential vertical applications are endless.”

Adam Rice, co-owner of Tower Optical (toweropticalco.com), added: “Tower Optical’s iconic viewers are mostly outdoors and unattended year-round, so whatever went inside them had to survive the elements and use power conservatively. We evaluated a number of payment terminals and the KarL4 was the only one that met all of our requirements. Our machines have stood at some of America’s best vantage points since 1933 and, for most of that time, they operated on quarters. The Karl4 allowed us to adapt to 21st century payment methods without changing anything people love about our product.”

While the initial deployment focuses on tourism and public viewing equipment, the same technology can address a broad range of applications, including vending, leisure, transportation and other outdoor self-service infrastructure.