Press release

O2 today announced new NFC (Near Field Communications) trials across the healthcare and entertainment sectors to pave the way for mass market use of NFC technology on mobiles.  O2 will further test the customer experience for additional uses of NFC technology, placing the company at the forefront of this technology innovation.

O2 pioneered the first large scale NFC trial in the UK in November last year – the O2 Wallet® – looking at 500 London trialists using both Oyster and payment functionality on a handset.

"The excitement and feedback we have received so far from our NFC trials through the O2 Wallet have already demonstrated that this kind of technology is of real interest to consumers,” said Tim Sefton, Customer Director, Telefónica O2 UK.  “We are keen to continue testing NFC in further sectors of the UK market to gain as much understanding and buy-in from both businesses and consumers about how and when to take this forward.  All of the learnings that we take from these trials will be shared with our Telefónica sister companies, so that they can benefit from our experience when implementing their own NFC solutions.”

NFC is a contactless functionality, enabling a wide range of secure uses including cashless payments, public transport and event ticketing, and smart posters.

Building on the knowledge gained to date and working with established brands including Nestor Healthcare and the O2 Wireless Festival, O2 will further test the customer experience for additional uses of NFC technology

Healthcare workers
An O2 trial to protect care workers in the field while they are visiting patients is also underway. 120 healthcare workers are currently using O2 NFC handsets for remote community care access. NFC tags are being used to enable workers to access patient records on their handsets and log their whereabouts when they are visiting patients to enhance safety measures when workers are making house calls.

O2 Wireless Festival
VIPs at this year’s O2 Wireless Festival in July will be able to access VIPee NFC Toilets at the festival this year.  Selected guests will be able to access luxury cubicles on site simply by tapping an NFC wristband to a special reader. Accessed only by those with one of O2’s exclusive NFC wristbands, the VIPee NFC Toilets will be available on site to 100 existing O2 NFC trial participants and up to 200 O2 customers plus guest per day, all of whom will be randomly gifted an NFC wristband each day by an O2 Angel.

Tim Sefton, Customer Director, Telefónica O2 UK, continued, “The trials we now have underway are a great opportunity for us to bring technology innovation to a number of new industries in the UK.  We believe there is a real benefit to be gained from using NFC technology to make these industries function even more efficiently and these trials will provide crucial insight to getting the overall experience right as we bring NFC on the mobile to market.”

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About Telefónica Europe
Telefónica Europe is a business division of Telefónica comprising mobile, fixed and DSL operations in the UK, Ireland, Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia - all of which use ‘O2’ as their consumer brand. Telefónica Europe also has 50% ownership of the UK and Irish Tesco Mobile and German Tchibo Mobilfunk joint venture businesses.  In addition, the group includes the Isle of Man integrated fixed/mobile operator, Manx Telecom.

Telefónica Europe is headquartered in Slough, UK, and has some 43 million mobile and fixed customers.

About Telefónica
Telefónica is one of the world’s largest telecommunications operators by market capitalisation. Its activities are centred mainly on the fixed and mobile telephony businesses, while its broadband business is the key growth driver underpinning both.

It operates in 24 countries and has a global customer base of more than 233 million. Telefónica’s growth strategy is focused on the markets in which it has a strong foothold: Spain, Europe and Latin America.  Telefónica is a 100% private company, with more than 1.5 million direct shareholders.

Telefónica Europe plc contacts

David Nicholas
Director of Communications
Telefónica Europe plc
david.nicholas@o2.com
m +44 (0)7715 759 176 

Simon Lloyd
Head of Media Relations
Telefónica Europe plc
simon.lloyd@o2.com
m +44 (0)7912 072 777

Telefónica Europe plc press office: t +44 (0)1753 628 402

All Telefónica Europe plc news release can be accessed at our website: www.o2.com

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