The trial will see customers of two banks being able to make payments with NFC phones at branches of the Globus hypermarket chain in the cities of Prague and Pilsen.
Telefónica O2 Czech Republic, Komerční Banka, Citibank Europe, supermarket chain Globus and Visa Europe have begun the NFC payments trial in the Czech Republic they announced in March.
The six month pilot project will see two hundred clients of both Citibank and Telefonica as well as two hundred common clients of Komerční Banka and Telefonica making payments with Samsung Star 5230 NFC phones at three Globus hypermarkets in Prague as well as a Globus store in the city of Pilsen. The aim of the trial “is to gain knowledge of the real use of contactless mobile payments and prepare for commercial launch of this service,” says Telefonica.
Telefonica has already launched a limited commercial NFC service in Pilsen. In May 2010, a limited number of NFC phones pre-loaded with the local Plzeň transport and city services card were put on sale and plans call for this service to be integrated with the payments capabilities now on trial.
Next: Visit the NFCW Expo to find new suppliers and solutions