By Telecom Lead Team: Sybase
365, a provider of mobile messaging and mobile commerce services, has entered
into a partnership with Telefonica Digital to provide mobile wallet services.
Sybase 365
will help develop Telefonica’s mWallet, which will be the gateway for its
customers to a range of mobile financial services.
The mWallet will offer a
convenient and secure way of accessing a range of services from a stored value
account through to payments and peer-to-peer transfers.
It will be capable of
storing prepaid, debit, credit and loyalty cards, and thereby simplifying
online purchases.
With NFC technology becomes
more widespread it will be possible to make payments directly from the wallet
via compatible handsets and point of sale terminals.
“The mobile wallet lies
at the heart of our financial services strategy and it is crucial that we
deliver a strong, simple and secure user experience to our customers,”
said Joaquin Mata, Head of Financial Services at Telefonica Digital.
The partnership with Sybase
365 is the latest development as Telefonica builds its global capabilities in
the mobile financial services space.
“With the ongoing
convergence of technology and agreement amongst key players in the ecosystem,
mobile commerce services are a fast developing global phenomenon,” said
Matthew Talbot, senior VP of mCommerce, Sybase 365.
Telefonica expects to see
the first commercial wallet services launching in Latin America and in Europe
during the first half of 2012.
Last year, Sybase 365 entered into a partnership with Qatar Telecom (QTEL) to provide mobile money
services in Qatar. Sybase 365 is providing its mobile wallet (mWallet) software
to enable Qtel’s latest mobile money service.
