Vodafone Group is set to sign a five year contract with Gemalto, The Wall Street Journal reports, for “technology for a mobile payment service planned for launch next year”... More
Gemalto to announce major deal with Vodafone?
Vodafone
Vodafone Italia sets out NFC payments launch plans
The mobile network operator is to launch commercial services in 2013 and is beginning with a pilot phase in Milan this month that will see customers being able to make payments for goods and services with an NFC version of its existing Smart Pass prepaid card. More
Telefónica O2 begins mobile payments rollout in Germany with mPass contactless stickers
The telecoms giant is adding MasterCard PayPass stickers to the mPass service it operates with Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom, allowing users of the mcommerce and ecommerce payments service to also use it to make purchases in stores. More
New Zealand NFC partners to begin field trial
Auckland Transport, Telecom New Zealand and financial services group Westpac have announced they are now ready to begin their first NFC field trial... More
Spanish university to roll out NFC services across entire campus
UCAM, the Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia, is to be the first university in the world to implement NFC technology across its entire campus, the university’s Samuel Mendoza, director of multimedia, and Sergio Leon, director of the computing service, have told members of the Higher Education Smart Card Association (HESCA) at a meeting in London this month... More
Carriers get green light to launch NFC in the UK
The European Commission has given its unconditional approval for the UK’s three largest mobile network operators to form a joint venture company to introduce NFC mobile payments and promotional services in the UK. More
NFC specialist Tapit to raise US$8m for international expansion
The fast growing Sydney-based start-up already counts Coca Cola, RIM, Johnson & Johnson and Unilever amongst its clients and has just implemented a major new project for Australian carrier Telstra. More
Auriemma: UK consumers want to get mobile wallets from their bank
A mobile wallet containing only cards issued by their bank is the most popular option for British consumers, a new survey has found, suggesting that the battle to be “top of wallet” for mobile payments may turn into a fight to be “only card in wallet”. More
Dutch banks and carriers abandon Sixpack NFC joint venture plan
ABN Amro, ING, KPN, Rabobank and Vodafone are exploring a range of alternative ways to work together to introduce NFC services in the Netherlands, program director Wim Westerhof has told NFC World, in a bid to avoid the regulatory hurdles associated with forming a joint venture company. More
EU set to approve Project Oscar UK NFC venture
The European Commission is set to green light the creation of a joint venture company to bring NFC to market in the UK, according to the Financial Times... More
Telefónica picks Visa for mobile payments in Europe
Telefónica Digital has appointed Visa Europe as its preferred mobile payments partner for its O2 and Movistar networks in Europe in a deal described as “a wide ranging strategic partnership to drive new business opportunities within mobile commerce.”... More
Isle of Wight festival goers get contactless tickets and payments
“There are a number of festivals throughout the UK, Europe and United States adopting the technology, and they’re all using entry wristbands as the intermediary,” says technology provider ID&C. “It’s convenient for fans and will only benefit their experience.” More
New Zealand NFC pilot partners report 100% positive consumer feedback
All the participants in a small four month mobile payments trial conducted by BNZ, Vodafone, Visa and Paymark in Auckland and Wellington said they were likely to recommend the service to friends and 14% said they would be willing to pay a small fee for the service. More
New Zealand gets first commercial NFC service
Mobile network operator 2degrees and prepaid card issuer Snapper have teamed up to enable commuters in the city of Wellington to pay for public transportation and purchases in local merchants with an LG Optimus Net NFC phone. More
Telecom New Zealand and Westpac test NFC with Auckland Transport
The pilot follows the announcement that New Zealand’s mobile network operators are to partner with the operator of the country’s debit card and ATM networks to introduce a central TSM platform. More
O2 Wallet launches in the UK: NFC to be added “in time”
Amid on-going delays for the UK mobile network operators’ Project Oscar NFC joint venture, O2 has moved ahead with the launch of a mobile wallet that offers a suite of payments and marketing services to any mobile phone user, regardless of the carrier they get their mobile service from — with NFC to arrive later. More
European regulators put brakes on UK NFC joint venture
The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation into the planned NFC joint venture between Everything Everywhere, Telefónica and Vodafone UK which will delay launch until after the London Olympics and casts doubts over the timetable for the introduction of similar projects in a number of other European countries. More
New Zealand carriers to form NFC venture with payments provider
Vodafone, 2degrees and Telecom New Zealand have partnered with the operator of the country’s debit card and ATM networks to introduce a central TSM platform that will allow the carriers to “continue to compete vigorously for customers by developing their own innovative services on top of the open platform infrastructure provided by the TSM”. More
UK NFC JV files with Brussels
The NFC joint venture between three UK mobile network operators has now filed for approval with the EU to go ahead with the scheme, code named ‘Project Oscar’, the Guardian reports, despite on-going objections from excluded carrier Three... More
UK NFC JV heads to Brussels
Everything Everywhere, Vodafone and O2 will be submitting their plans for a UK-based NFC joint venture to regulators in Brussels next week, the Financial Times reports... More