Pelephone launches electronic wallet
CEO Gil Sharon: The pilot was a great success, and we were quite surprised by the customers’ response.
Mobile carrier Pelephone Communications Ltd. today announced the launch of its electronic wallet in collaboration with Isracard Ltd. and Leumi Card Ltd.
Turning smartphones into electronic wallets is a global trend that is gaining strength, with the increasing installation of near field communications (NFC) technology in smartphones.
Pelephone CEO Gil Sharon told “Globes” that the pilot with Leumi Card was an impressive success. “In the past ten days, we held a kind of preliminary pilot at our service centers. We tested the process of linking customers to the credit card, the sticker (which is attached to the smartphone to read the payment terminal, and which will be superseded by a processor – G.P.), and the mobile payments system.
“The pilot was a great success, and we were quite surprised by the customers’ response, because with no prior campaign or public relations, 1,200 customers participated in the first ten days. This surprised both us and Leumi Card, and is an indication of the Israeli spirit which we know.
“The Israeli consumer is an innovator, who is enthusiastic and likes to test new things. We already know this from the adoption of smartphone, high-speed mobile internet, and so forth. This is a well-known characteristic, which is seen this time too. The second thing is that the service is convenient and attractive, so there is demand for it. We’re now the pioneers of the service, and we must build an ecosystem around it, but the start is encouraging.”
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news – www.globes-online.com – on July 15, 2013