Finnish carrier Telia is working with OP Bank to test the viability of using a high speed 5G network to deliver face recognition payments to merchants operating in locations without a fixed line connection.

The test took place at an ice cream truck located in the car park of Telia’s premises in Vallila. Customers with a Pivo mobile wallet were able to make payments using a tablet-based face recognition system placed on the counter of the ice cream van.

“The technology compares the customer’s face with the biometric template uploaded through a camera, the customer accepts the payment using pre-saved credit card details and the transaction is completed,” Telia explains.

“Facial payment is a good example of a service that benefits from the capacity increase and lower latency of 5G,” says Janne Koistinen, head of Telia Finland’s 5G program. “5G will also take the security of mobile connections to the next level, which is interesting for example for payment and other financial services.”

“Besides security, a smooth user experience is important for customers,” adds Kristian Luoma, head of the bank’s OP Lab. “5G makes the service faster and is therefore the perfect partner for Pivo Face Payment.”

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