O2 reports results of NFC Wallet trial

78% would

2 September 2008 14:30 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

O2 has released the results of its NFC-based "Wallet" trial and the findings look positive for the future of contactless payment in the UK.

In Europe's largest ever such experiment the O2 Wallet trial took place over 6 months and involved 500 guinea pigs that were given a Nokia 6131 NFC mobile phone enabled with Oyster and Barclay creditcard payment abilities.

O2 reports that nine out of ten trialists were happy using NFC technology on a mobile phone and 78% said they would be interested in using contactless services if available. Interest in mobile phone Oyster payment was at 89%.

Convenience, ease-of-use and "the status of having such an innovative device" were seen as the main benefits while choice of handsets (as in there ain't many) was seen as the biggest drawback.

"Imagine going out for the night and only taking your mobile phone with you", said Claire Maslen, O2 bod head of NFC.

"This trial takes us one step forward to achieving this by demonstrating that people want the convenience and practical benefits offered by services like the O2 Wallet."