O2 has confirmed it is to launch the UK’s first large-scale trial of Near Field Communications (NFC) technology on mobile phones. The trial of the O2 Wallet will allow customers to use their mobile phone for services such as travel on the London Underground, credit card payments, Location Based Services delivered via smart posters, and electronic tickets for entertainment. O2 has partnered with Nokia, Transport for London, TranSys, Barclaycard, Visa Europe and AEG to launch the scheme, which will be trialled across London over the next six months by 500 people selected from O2’s customer base. If the trial is successful the O2 Wallet could be commercially available across London by the end of 2008.
Previous NFC applications in Japan from NTT DoCoMo have already proven successful as a method of payment for transport. In addition, the GSMA’s Pay-Buy-Mobile project, utilising NFC, is also gaining traction. Over the next several months, 12 mobile operators will run trials of contactless mobile payment services in Australia, France, Ireland, Korea, Malaysia, Norway, The Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Turkey and the U.S. as a precursor to commercial launches. The GSMA’s Pay-Buy-Mobile project utilises SIM-based technology for NFC applications. “We see our trial as complementary to the GSMA’s initiative,” Mike Short, VP, Research and Development, O2 Group, told Mobile Business Briefing.