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 toward 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, ownedby 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.
About Vodafone
Vodafone is the world's largest mobile operator with over 100m proportionate customers worldwide operating in 28 countries across 5 continents.
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
About T-Mobile
Since early 2000, the majority global mobile communication activities of the Deutsche Telekom Group have been coordinated under the roof of T-Mobile International AG, one of the world's largest GSM telecommunications providers. The acquisition of the U.S. mobile communication providers VoiceStream and Powertel, represents a key milestone in the company's internationalization strategy. With six UMTS licenses T-Mobile will continue to establish its footprint and gain competitive advantage through its commitment to mobile data. T-Mobile focuses on two core product areas for mobile data s - T-Mobile online, focusing on consumer services, and Mobile Business Solutions, a business to business product unit delivering wireless office applications to the corporate user.
For more information:
T-Mobile
Elaine Devereux / Jennifer King
Tel: +44 (0) 20 8762 5000
pressoffice@t-motion.net
About eONE Global
eONE Global LP (www.eoneglobal.com) identifies, develops, and operates emerging payment systems spanning the business, government and mobile markets. Its operating companies include: govONE Solutions, LP (www.govONEsolutions.com ), which enables businesses and consumers to calculate taxes and make payments to government and businesses electronically; Taxware (www.taxware.com) a division of govONE Solutions, is a leading developer of worldwide commercial tax compliance systems; Encorus Technologies (www.encorus.com) which is focused on building a flexible and open infrastructure and developing efficient payment processing services to drive the acceptance and usage of mobile payments worldwide; and SurePay, LP (www.surepay.com), which creates electronic business payment solutions to complete the financial supply chain for enterprises. eONE Global is owned by global payment services leader First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC) (www.firstdata.com) and iFormation Group, (www.iformationgroup.com) a company founded by The Boston Consulting Group, General Atlantic Partners, LLC and The Goldman Sachs Group
For more information:
eONE Global
Caroline Hoke
Tel: +1 770.857.7178
Encorus
Lillian Tsai
+49 711-22061-343