Spain to be used as test zone before international rollout in 2012.
Telefonica Digital has developed a mobile wallet for NFC-enabled BlackBerry smartphones, which will see a pilot launch to run in cooperation with banks and retailers.
Initially the trial will start in Spain with 350 staff members, each using the payment platform, which uses the tap-to-pay method of transaction.
The employees involved in the NFC project will also use their BlackBerry device as a security pass to gain access in and out of the Telefonica HQ.
Telefonica says BlackBerry was chosen as a result of the security the platform has in place and following the pilot project more Telefonica trials will be launched.
The Telefonica Wallet project is to support NFC-enabled, BlackBerry OS 7 smartphones including:
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* BlackBerry Bold 9900
* BlackBerry Curve 9360
* BlackBerry Curve 9380
Matthew Key, Chairman & CEO Telefonica Digital, said: "We are getting ever closer to the point where our customers will be able to take the contents of their wallets and put them on their mobiles.
"Trials such as this are important to ensuring a great customer experience and we look forward to seeing the launch of commercial wallet services in several markets next year."
Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO at RIM, said: "RIM is committed to supporting the advancement of NFC and its many applications in the market. We have a strong partnership with Telefónica Group and we are very proud to participate in this important pilot, which allows people to use their BlackBerry smartphone in place of separate physical cards for mobile payments and building access."
RIM recently announced its BlackBerry devices were the first smartphones in the world to receive MasterCard PayPass tech and it also revealed an interest in using NFC to open doors.
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I just cant wait to see how mobile advertising will be effected by NFC. Some folks think its a ways off, but we are excited to see how it will shape the space as we know it. - Giancarlo Maniaci TapIt Mobile Advertising
GIancarlo Maniaci Nov 24th 2011 at 6:37PM
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