The NFC bandwagon has taken a lurch forward with Europe's leading operators agreeing to design a common logo that is clearly understood by consumers. Telefónica O2, Vodafone, Deutsche Telecom, Telecom Italia and France Telecom Orange want the new symbol to be able to alert subscribers with NFC-enabled handsets where they can use the technology for mobile commence services.
This move comes after the NFC Forum, the industry group responsible for the technology's standardisation and promotion, proposed that mobile operators use its newly-created N-Mark logo. However, the operators rejected the symbol and said it lacked adequate impact for general use.
"This is something we all think is necessary. It's very much in the discussion stage at the moment, but we all agree it's something we should have," Telefónica O2's Nick Wilkin told NFC World. "Whether we use the three waves you see on contactless credit cards today, or make a new design, the point is to make sure it's as easy as possible for customers to see whether they can use their phone at a checkout."
The aim, as reported by NFC News, is for the new logo to appear on POS terminals, ticketing booths and in other retail locations, indicating where NFC is accepted, said Daniel Gurrola, vice president of strategy for Orange.
Given that the Quick Tap service from Orange UK is the only European commercial NFC deployment today, this effort by the five operators would seem timely with announcements by many other service providers to launch m-commerce services this year.
For more:
- see this NFC World article
- see this NFC News article
Related Articles:
O2 UK exec: M-wallet JV to go live within months
Everything Everywhere, O2, Vodafone forge JV to fast-track m-commerce
Telenor and MasterCard try again with m-payments pilot
Visa challenges operators for NFC leadership in France