VIENNA, Italy -- The Telekom Austria Group (VSE: TKA, OTC US: TKAGY) announced today that its mobile subsidiary, mobilkom austria, has launched the world’s largest and most comprehensive commercial package of Near Field Communication (NFC) services in Austria in co-operation with its partners NXP Semiconductors, Nokia, ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) and Wiener Linien (Vienna's main public transport provider). In the next few days and weeks NFC services will become available throughout the country. NFC facilitates short-range communication between electronic devices via a fast and easy wireless connection. Thanks to NFC, many everyday applications will become even simpler: With a single movement of the hand, a mobile phone can be transformed into a railway ticket, tram ticket, pay-and-display parking ticket, lottery ticket and much more.

mobilkom austria as the innovation leader

With NFC, mobilkom austria is again demonstrating its innovation leadership in the mobile communications market, aiming at being the first operator to offer its customers products that simplify their lives. In seconds, customers can purchase public transport tickets, snacks from a vending machine and mobile parking tickets. Dr. Hannes Ametsreiter, CMO mobilkom austria and CMO Telekom Austria said: “During the first phase of the roll-out we will be using NFC to make already successful services such as transport tickets even faster and more convenient. During the second phase we plan to launch additional exciting applications such as the mobile purse. The next step, will be for the manufacturers to standardize NFC by putting the application on the SIM card, ensuring the security and flexibility of the service.”

NFC – The intuitive link between consumer devices

NFC was invented by NXP Semiconductors (formerly Philips) and Sony, and has already proven itself throughout the world in electronic devices, countless field trials and applications. “We are pleased that we and the other innovation leaders, mobilkom austria, ÖBB, Wiener Linien and Nokia, are able to launch the largest and most comprehensive commercial NFC deployment in the world here in Austria,” said Ernst Müllner, Chief Executive Officer of NXP Semiconductors Austria. “This collaboration provides an ideal basis for future NFC applications in Austria which make users’ lives easier, such as payment transactions, event ticketing and access control via mobile phone.”

Nokia offers the first NFC mobile phones

Nokia is the first manufacturer to introduce NFC mobile phones into the Austrian market with its Nokia 6131 NFC phone. As of today, these are available for purchase at all mobilkom austria’s A1 SHOPS, specialist retailers and the A1 online shop. “Nokia has always attached importance to integrating innovative technologies into mobile phones in a manner designed to enhance convenience and efficiency for the user. The Nokia 6131 NFC phone is yet another successful example of this,” says Martin Pedersen, Managing Director, Nokia Alps.

ÖBB and Wiener Linien introduce NFC ticketing in daily operationsMobile phone tickets and SMS tickets have become extremely popular with customers of ÖBB and Wiener Linien since they were introduced. The launch of NFC offers customers another new, innovative and safe opportunity to purchase public transport tickets. “It is extremely easy to purchase an ÖBB ticket using a NFC enabled mobile phone,” says Stefan Wehinger, Chairman of ÖBB Personenverkehr AG. “The passenger holds his mobile phone against an NFC touchpoint located right on the platform. All he has to do then is type in his destination and send off the text. Seconds later the ticket arrives on the mobile phone."

NFC also makes ticketing for metropolitan public transport faster and easier. “For us NFC represents the missing link between the traditional ticket and the SMS ticket,” says Michael Lichtenegger, Managing Director of Wiener Linien GmbH & Co KG. “The NFC ticket now makes it possible for the first time to validate a virtual ticket quite clearly showing details of time and place. We are not limited to simple season tickets any more.”

Mobilkom Austria AG & Co. KG