Vodafone tests NFC in New Zealand

Vodafone is testing NFC technology in New Zealand, the mobile network operator’s local chief executive Russell Stanners has told The New Zealand Herald.

Vodafone

Stanners said New Zealand had a chance to become an early adopter of this type of technology.

“It’s something New Zealand should be a leader in,” he said.

“The infrastructure is there. The timeframe will depend on whether [manufacturers] embrace near field communication.”

Stanners was tight-lipped on details but said trials were under way and Vodafone would be making an announcement on NFC in the coming weeks.

MasterCard and ANZ began an NFC trial in New Zealand last month. A group of the bank’s staff have been given contactless stickers or microSD cards for Blackberry phones to enable them to make payments worth up to NZ$80 (US$65) using Mastercard PayPass.

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