Indian technology consultant Tech Mahindra has become the first licensee for AT&T subsidiary Cricket Wireless’ PoS system for enhancing retail telecoms operations.

Cricket Wireless, a prepaid wireless provider wholly owned by AT&T, offers affordable, no-annual-contract mobile services in the USA powered by AT&T’s nationwide 5G network.

This agreement marks the first time that Cricket Wireless has licensed its intellectual property (IP) to a third party.

Called Aktivate, the PoS system can be integrated into Tech Mahindra’s products for wireless service providers globally. Aktivate, an intuitive mobile-first PoS, powers Cricket’s 4000 retail outlets, enabling store agents to assist customers quickly and provide better experiences. Additionally, it incorporates gen AI into the interface to assist agents with any questions they have while serving customers.

“Traditional PoS systems are often function-driven and fragmented,” said Manish Mangal, chief technology officer at Tech Mahindra. “The strategic licensing agreement with AT&T to integrate Aktivate will enhance our existing portfolio, providing user-friendly gen AI-driven PoS systems that increase sales, reduce training time and improve customer satisfaction. Looking forward, we plan to incorporate agentic AI to autonomously perform tasks, enabling store agents to focus fully on interacting with their customers.”

Tech Mahindra has previously played a role in developing Aktivate, providing technical talent and collaborating on the rollout of features to support the product’s evolution since its launch in 2018.

“Having worked with Tech Mahindra throughout Aktivate’s development journey, I believe this agreement will generate significant value for both organisations,” said Matt Haymons, chief information officer at Cricket Wireless (www.cricketwireless.com). “Tech Mahindra’s technical expertise and industry knowledge make them a strong collaborator to expand Aktivate’s reach to new markets.”

The implementation of this agreement will begin immediately, with Tech Mahindra integrating Aktivate into its suite of telecommunications products and strengthening the long-standing relationship between the two organisations. Tech Mahindra will now offer this to wireless providers in markets where Cricket Wireless does not operate.

“This licensing agreement demonstrates the innovative software development capabilities within AT&T and highlights how strategic agreements can create additional value streams from our technology investments,” said Scott Frank, vice president of IP sales at AT&T (www.att.com). “By working closely with trusted third parties like Tech Mahindra, we can maximise the return on our development efforts while helping advance the broader telecommunications industry.”

This collaboration is in line with Tech Mahindra’s focus on enhancing and scaling customer service for global telecoms providers with gen AI technology. With more than 250 customers across 90 countries, Tech Mahindra (www.techmahindra.com) has capabilities in network engineering and simplifying the customer experience.