The new deal will see Ingenico integrate its i5100 countertop terminal with Datalogic's Touch CCD barcode scanner at thousands of locations across both countries.

Rather than using a laser, the Touch barcode scanner uses CCD technology which has no moving parts making it far less likely to be damaged if it is dropped or roughly handled.

The introduction of the Ingenico terminal with barcode reader will further support the efforts of retailers to attract new customers to their stores by enabling easy payment of bills and mobile top-up. Many of these customers will make additional purchases once in the store.

Leading the adoption of the new device is alphyra, which has introduced a distinctive pink version of the i5100 terminal and Touch CCD scanner at 17,000 retailer outlets in its payzone network, Europe's leading retail network for the collection of cash payments from consumers.

Cillian Wright, General Manager, Ingenico Ireland, said: "Having an Ingenico terminal is proving to be a key differentiator on the High Street where competition is heating up.

"We expect retailers to see this as a winning combination. It will make serving customers a faster, smoother process which helps to encourage repeat visits. It is hard to over emphasise how important this increased level of throughput and footfall is to modern retailing."

Ingenico is one of the world's leading providers of electronic payment solutions with an installed base of over 10 million terminals in over 90 countries. Each day the company processes in excess of 100 million secure transactions.

Paul Charmatz, payzone's Sales, Service and Marketing Director, said: "We were particularly impressed by the scanner's ability to read first time a wide range of barcode types. The i5100 terminal and Touch CCD scanner has put payzone at the forefront of technological innovation in the payments processing industry."

Paul Duggan, Managing Director of Datalogic UK, added: "This shows the strength of Daatalogic when working in partnership with the channel and its ability to provide customised solutions to differentiate our offering to the market."