Vodafone opts for Spain launch of its mobile wallet before global rollout

The groundbreaking Vodafone Mobile Wallet will be launched in Spain

You can’t always count on Spain to lead the technical revolution, but occasionally the country’s appetite for gadgetry will surprise you. British phone giants Vodafone evidently think that the Spanish market is a good testing ground for innovation, as they have just announced that their groundbreaking mobile payments system SmartPass will be launched in Spain before a global rollout later this year…

SmartPass is basically a contactless payment app that syncs with your mobile phone account and allows you to make swift and secure payments for all manner of goods, using just your handset.

It will be made available to all Vodafone customers in Spain who have a NFC (near field communication) enabled smartphone – basically one that has little problem connecting to the internet whilst on the go.

All the customer has to do is download the SmartPass app, which comes embedded with a prepaid Visa account that can be topped up by users whenever necessary. Initially the app will only be available via Visa, who had a hand in developing the technology, but Vodafone is confident that they will soon be able to add other providers too, all under the umbrella name of Vodafone Wallet.

When Vodafone SmartPass is launched this month, an estimated 250,000 stores in Spain will be ready and able to accept these types of payment, with some one million outlets across Europe also primed with this Visa payWave technology.

And here’s the smart part – as well as making payments for goods, SmartPass users can also transfer money between themselves, adding an extra social dimension to an already innovative idea.

“In the long term our goal is that customers do not have to use a physical wallet,” said Iñaki Cabrera, Vodafone Spain’s Director of mCommerce.

Following hot on the heels of Vodafone is mobile rival Orange, who have announced that they too will launch NFC payments in Spain before the year is out. The mobile giants have already had success with two pilot projects with Banco Santander and Málaga’s transport authority, while Spain’s largest mobile provider Telefónica has announced its plans to team up with CaixaBank and Santander to develop its own mobile wallet technologies.

The technological future for Spain looks bright and robust, thanks in no small part to the fact that the country boasts an excellent 4G network and a population that is always willing to try something new.