LogicaCMG pilots mobile phone payment system in Dutch supermarket

LogicaCMG, a major international force in IT and business services, has today announced details of a pilot project at a branch of the Dutch supermarket, C1000 in Molenaarsgraaf, near Rotterdam where 100 customers will be able to pay for their shopping by mobile phone. This six month pilot is an open innovation initiative led by LogicaCMG and Schuitema (who own the C1000 supermarket chain) in close cooperation with Rabobank, KPN, NXP Semiconductors and RFID Platform Nederland.

The payment system is one of the first European mobile payments applications that is directly linked to online debit accounts. The solution uses the existing online PIN payment infrastructure with the debit card replaced by a mobile phone. The mobiles are equipped with NFC technology (Near Field Communication), which supports contact-free exchange of information, such as payments, over a short distance. For customers, the key benefit is convenience as they no longer have to carry cash or debit cards to pay for shopping, but can simply take their mobile phone.

For the customers taking part in the experiment, groceries can be paid for by simply holding the mobile phone next to the NFC reader at the checkout and entering their individual PIN. In addition to paying for shopping by mobile phone, bottle deposit refunds can also be stored on the phone.

Gerben Mak, innovation director from LogicaCMG in the Netherlands commented: "We are on the verge of a revolution in how we will use our mobile phones going forward in Europe. We’ve gained momentum due to a combination of increasingly mobile savvy generations, emerging technological advancements such as NFC and a timeframe of crucial developments in banking infrastructure across Europe such as the single euro payments area. The ability to pay by mobile phone is not in itself revolutionary but what it paves the way for will be."

"Molenaarsgraaf was an obvious choice for this pilot. It is in an area with many Rabobank customers and there was strong support from the local C1000 supermarket branch. While only 20 kilometres from Rotterdam, Molenaarsgraaf is a small town where most people use the C1000 supermarket, meaning that we could quickly get a large part of the community to trial this new technology. The application fits in with the expectations and behaviour of the consumer. The initial reception has been positive and we believe that European consumers could benefit from the convenient retail experience currently being enjoyed in this small town in the Netherlands."

 

NOTES TO EDITORS

About LogicaCMG

LogicaCMG is a major international force in IT and business services. It employs around 40,000 people across 41 countries. LogicaCMG’s focus is on enabling its customers to build and maintain leadership positions using LogicaCMG’s deep industry knowledge and its track record for successful delivery. The company provides business consulting, systems integration and IT and business process outsourcing across diverse markets including telecoms and media, financial services, energy and utilities, industry, distribution and transport and the public sector. Headquartered in Europe, LogicaCMG is listed on both the London Stock Exchange and Euronext (Amsterdam) (LSE:LOG; Euronext:LOG) and traded on the Xternal List of the Nordic Exchange in Stockholm. More information is available at www.logica.com

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