The mobile wallet association formed by Hungary’s incumbent mobile operators – T-Mobile Hungary, Telenor Hungary and Vodafone Hungary – alongside MasterCard, OTP Bank and SuperShop, has announced plans to trial near field communication (NFC) m-payment applications before the end of the year. The association hope the move will pave the way for a full-blown commercial launch in 2012. Initially, a workshop is scheduled to explore the possibilities afforded by NFC and how best to promote it going forward.
According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, in April this year Vodafone Hungary expanded its NFC-based m-payments trials when it announced services would be available at the Sziget music festival. Under the plan, Vodafone customers could make m-payments using NFC-enabled phones, while all festival-goers received a NFC-based Sziget-card when they arrived at the venue.