News in brief from the NFC world and beyond: Mass transit aims for contactless standard • O2’s location-based ads • Mobile barcode usage up 700% • RF-SIM supplier set for IPO • Proximity advertising to net $6bn in 2015 • UK leads US in coupon interest • and more… More
1,500 customers of Telefónica and La Caixa have been issued with Samsung S5230 NFC phones which they can use to make debit and credit card payments in taxis, sports centres, at market stalls and in retail stores. More
The mobile network operator is starting small with a limited rollout in the Czech city of Pilsen but a business strategy is now in place and commercial launches in the UK and Spain could be next. More
The bestselling touchscreen phone, known by a number of brand names in different regions, is to be used in trials in Spain, France and Dubai — but there are no plans yet to make the NFC version of the handset available at retail. More
Four hundred Samsung Star NFC handsets are being distributed to selected Mobile World Congress attendees for use at the event, which opens in Barcelona today... More
Telefónica O2 Europe has become the latest company to join GlobalPlatform, as the smart card standards body’s Mobile Task Force initiative gathers steam... More
The mobile operator has joined Vodafone and T-Mobile in the German rail company’s Touch&Travel NFC ticketing project, as it heads towards a major expansion of the pilot testing area and a future nationwide commercial launch. More
OPINION: One way to put yourself in prime position on the day NFC handsets finally become widely available is to start building your brand now, regardless of whether there are limits on the level of service you can currently offer. More
The new O2 Money offering is a low-tech prepaid card solution for now but, says O2, this is just the first step in the operator’s plans to be at the forefront of the move towards the rollout of NFC technology in the UK. More
The UK’s National Health Service is conducting several pilots of O2’s new Homecare solution, designed to help both homecare workers and patients access and share information. More
All customers are expected to be able to use their phones to pay for everyday items within three years in “the biggest revolution in payments since plastic cards were introduced over 40 years ago.” More
The Czech town of Pilsen is to be the site of the world’s first trial of a multi-function NFC system incorporating both retail payments and Mifare transit ticketing applications. More
The BT team responsible for the communications infrastructure at the London 2012 Olympic Games is exploring ways to use mobile services to enhance the consumer experience. Under discussion are phone voting and the use of NFC for small payments and for event staff management. More
Mobile operator O2 has signed a deal which will see eleven major music venues across the UK rebranded as an ‘O2 Academy’. O2 will offer customers a series of benefits such as priority access to tickets and will use the venues to test a range of NFC-based services. More
The mobile industry association has finalised its device requirements for NFC handsets and called on manufacturers to put phones incorporating the Single Wire Protocol interface into consumers’ hands by the middle of next year. More
Transport for London now looks pretty set on its plan to replace its prepaid Oyster contactless card system with a bank-card compatible solution. Both contactless bank cards and NFC are options being considered and TfL will definitely outsource delivery of the new system to the private sector More