Vodafone Group PLC
14 March 2002
14 March 2002
VODAFONE AND T-MOBILE ANNOUNCE INTEROPERABLE MOBILE PAYMENT PLATFORM INITIATIVE
Vodafone Group Plc ('Vodafone') and T-Mobile International AG ('T-Mobile') today
announce an initiative to create an interoperable mobile payment platform to
accelerate customer and merchant adoption of mobile transactions. The companies
are planning to launch the open platform towards the end of the year, with an
initial roll out in Germany and the UK. Vodafone and T-Mobile hope that other
operators will join them in launching the payment platform.
The payment scheme will deliver a secure and easy-to-use payment solution for
the purchase of goods and services via a mobile device. Wireless customers
simply store their personal details and preferred payment options in a virtual
wallet, and then choose which payment instrument they wish to use when making
payments via their mobile phone, similar to undertaking a transaction from a
conventional wallet.
Multiple payment options will be available including traditional credit and
debit cards, making transactions possible with any participating merchant of the
scheme. It is also possible, as part of this scheme, that smaller purchases will
be billed direct either to the customer's bill, by pre-paid top-up card or using
other micro payment mechanisms. The aim of the scheme is to provide an
end-to-end experience that is convenient, secure, user-friendly and trustworthy.
Thomas Geitner, Chief Executive, Global Products and Services, Vodafone, said '
An open, interoperable platform for mobile payments will be a significant
enabler of m-commerce, enhancing the array of content, services and commerce
options available to customers. Our goal is to bring additional value to
customers by turning their mobile phones into convenient wallets. We believe
mobile customers should be able to use their devices as a payment tool, much as
they use their credit or debit cards or cash today.'
'There is a strong need for industry synergies to drive the usage of mobile data
services,' said Nikesh Arora, Executive Board Member, New Business, T-Mobile and
CEO, T-Motion. 'We see a global vision to make the mobile device
multifunctional, a phone 'too' approach -consumers using their devices for
phonecalls, as a games console, a messaging terminal or a virtual wallet. We aim
to offer a seamless end-to-end solution for consumers and enterprises and
integrating commerce into that solution is a key milestone.'
Encorus Technologies, owned by eONE Global, is working with the operators on
this initiative by combining its PaymentWorksTM software with the payments
expertise of First Data Corp, the world's largest payment processor (NYSE: FDC)
and eONE Global's largest investor.
- ends -
For further information contact:
Vodafone Group Plc
Tim Brown, Group Corporate Affairs Director
Melissa Stimpson, Head of Group Investor Relations
Bobby Leach, Head of Group Financial Media Relations
Darren Jones, Senior Investor Relations Manager
Jon Earl, Senior Investor Relations Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 1635 673310
Tavistock Communications
Lulu Bridges/John West
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7600 2288
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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