TORONTO – Rogers Wireless has teamed up with RBC and Visa to launch a mobile phone payment pilot program which will allow Canadians to make secure purchases using their mobile phone, the companies announced today.
Designed to be a fast and convenient way for customers to pay for small purchases, pilot participants will be issued specially-equipped Motorola mobile phones that can simply be waved at Visa payWave-enabled checkout readers at select retail stores and quick-service restaurants in Toronto’s downtown core.
"As Canada’s largest wireless provider, Rogers Wireless is continually seeking ways to provide our customers with new and innovative services that will add value to their lives," said David Robinson, vice-president of new business planning at Rogers Wireless. "This pilot is the first step to making our customers’ mobile phones as indispensable as their wallets and we are excited to be working with Visa and RBC on this new wireless payment service."
The pilot will be the first in Canada (this type of payment is old hat in parts of Asia) to test secure over-the-air (OTA) delivery of mobile payment software and credit card information to a customer’s mobile phone. The customer phase of the mobile phone payment pilot is expected to launch in mid-2009, following a brief employee pilot.
