Somehow, the developers of O2's mobile wallet found a small village in Wales that did not have even one cash machine available for its 11,000 residents.
The Slough, Berkshire-based telecommunications company Telefonica UK Ltd., more commonly known as O2, used its digital wallet to give Rhiwbina in South Wales "a money makeover." O2 transformed the village into "the most advanced place in the U.K. for digital payments" for the duration of its demonstrations, O2 stated in a June 15 press release.
O2 launched its mobile wallet in April, providing various payments and marketing services to any mobile phone user, regardless of carrier or mobile provider.
The wallet lacks Near Field Communication technology because the U.K.'s NFC effort, "Project Oscar," was delayed because of regulatory scrutiny (
The O2 Wallet relies on radio frequency identity technology for contactless payments and software that enables access to payment card accounts, price comparisons and merchant offers, the company stated in a press release.
O2 conducted a series of demonstrations at various Rhiwbina locations, as documented through the company's O2 Guru TV crews, the company stated.
The videos show patrons in a pub learning how to split the cost of a round of drinks through the mobile wallet, or how to transfer "pocket money" to a teenager. Other videos show a ballroom dancer paying his share of the cost of weekly lessons, and a person paying back a friend for buying a few items for her at the farmer's market.
Executives at O2 were pleased about the prospect of displaying a mobile wallet concept to residents of a village not offering any options for accessing cash conveniently.
"We're delighted that the residents of Rhiwbina enjoyed using O2 Wallet and that it helped solve a variety of everyday money issues," James Le Brocq, managing director at O2 Money, stated in the press release.
O2 believes the easy and secure method of transferring money via the mobile wallet "will transform the way people manage their finances and spend money," Brocq added.
Consumers can download the O2 Wallet application through any application marketplace, including Apple Inc., Google Inc.'s Google Play and Blackberry Marketplace.
