Partnership to bring NFC products to 93 million consumers in Europe
MasterCard has teamed with Deutsche Telekom, the largest telecommunications company in Europe, to bring NFC mobile payment products to more than 93 million consumers in the region. Demand for mobile commerce has been on the rise in Europe for some time. The availability of NFC-enabled devices is growing, providing consumers with more chances to conduct mobile payments for goods and services. In an effort to meet this demand and provide consumers with more access to mobile payment systems, MasterCard and Deutsche Telekom are working to embolden the availability and use of NFC payment systems in Europe.
First stage of mobile commerce initiative to take place in Poland this year
The first project spawned by the partnership will take place in Poland later this year. Germany will play host to the next step of the mobile commerce initiative. In Poland, the initiative will initially see the launch of a variety of NFC tags and cards that can be used with mobile devices and mobile wallet applications. These products will be issued through banks and other financial institutions that will be working with both MasterCard and Deutsche Telekom. Deutsche Telekom notes that the transactions made through the use of these products will be secure and verified through the use of SMS messaging.
Initiative to make mobile commerce universally available to consumers
The availability of NFC-enabled mobile devices has cause some strain in the mobile commerce industry. Without these devices being widely available, consumers have been unable to partake in mobile payments. The NFC tags and cards issued through the initiative are meant to provide consumers who do not have access to an NFC-enabled mobile device to participate in mobile commerce.
Companies to work to embolden European mobile commerce infrastructure
Deutsche Telekom hopes that the initiative will embolden the region’s mobile commerce infrastructure and prepare retailers to better facilitate mobile payments. New NFC products and services are expected to be launched in Poland this year, with Germany slated to receive these products in 2013. MasterCard and Deutsche Telekom have not revealed any additional countries that will be included in the initiative.
