Offering 5,000 in prizes through its touchatag division.
Near Field Communications (NFC) techology is most often talked about in connection with mobile payments. However, Alcatel-Lucent wants games developers to start thinking about how they can use NFC too.
It's launched a competition through its touchatag spin-off, giving away €5,000 of cash prizes to developers who come up with innovative NFC "urban games" for mobile phones.
The contest, the Vienna Jungle Scrum, is part of Austrian operator Mobilkom's A1 Innovation Days event on 26th and 27th September. That means entrants have to base their designs on the city of Vienna.
"We are seeking to inspire innovation and add value for our mobile users," says mobilkom CEO Hannes Ametsreiter.
"Vienna is the perfect location to host this urban challenge. The city's long history and mix of modern elements will motivate developers to create innovative applications that are specifically designed for Near Field Communication and the mobile network."
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Alcatel-Lucent is hoping for some nifty mobile game ideas blending NFC and location - for example sending players running round Vienna tagging RFID stickers using their handsets.
Is all this just technological willy-waving though? After all, NFC handsets aren't exactly popular yet. However, touchatag general manager Anthony Belpaire thinks urban games could lead to innovations in other areas of NFC services.
"Urban gaming is a first step in building user comfort in using the technology for more advanced e-wallet transaction applications such as coupon redemption, payment and fidelity," he says.
