O2 is preparing to launch near-field communication (NFC) mobile services in the UK. Among the planned services are a wallet application and direct-to-bill and peer-to-peer payment facilities.
According to Matthew Key, CEO of O2's parent company, Telefónica, O2 will soon offer NFC-based mobile commerce services similar to those already available in countries such as Germany and Kenya. He said: "Near-field communication will allow people to carry their credit card in their phone and scan transactions."
The NFC services will complement the location-based advertising services that O2 has introduced in the UK. Key stated that O2 would serve as an aggregator of NFC services and payments.
The company expects location-based advertising to become a major product line as the use of smartphones increases. He said: "The business model will change significantly in the digital world. There will be a convergence of many different models, including access, advertising and search models."
However, he cautioned that there were still barriers to making the technology available on a wide scale since countries such as the UK are falling behind Germany in the deployment of spectrum.
The mobile industry would also have to overcome obstacles such as privacy concerns, geographical issues and the development of platforms.
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