Turkcell’s Sim-based Mobile Wallet solution allows even Feature phones to pay using mobile. Smartphone who?

Sure, we have NFC on our favorite android phones to make contactless payments wherever feasible using Google Wallet or whatever. But the mobile wallet tech developed, in fact already launched, by Turkcell uses phone’s SIM card to conduct payment-through-mobile business, and thus what’s so great about this tech is its endowment of this ability to lowly feature phones.

The Turkcell wallet is already in business in Turkey for some lucky 28 million Turkcell subscribers, and is not limited to the customers of any one bank; in fact, being a bank customer isn’t a requirement at all. While smartphones can surely have an smart app to use the Turkcell Wallet, the features phone can make do their deals with the SIM menu itself. Further, it supports NFC too, to provide for contactless payments.

Turkcell, Turkey’s first GSM carrier and garnering a large over 53% market in the country, is touting its wallet as the world’s most advanced mobile wallet solution. Any Turkcell subscriber can activate the Turkcell Wallet service on his number by send a specified message to specified number, and also by depositing cash at designated centres – Garanti ATMs (or Turkcell Communication centres). The service already supports some specified banks’ cards with MasterCard/Maestro logo.

For more info on the Turkcell Wallet, check out the full press release below which also highlights its critical features.

Turkcell (NYSE: TKC, ISE: TCELL), the leading communications and technology company in Turkey has developed the most advanced mobile wallet solution in the world, Turkcell Wallet, offering all innovative solutions on a single commerce and payment platform.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120614/537932-b )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121004/567246 )

Being a global first with its feature that enables physical or online shopping by just using the mobile phone number, instead of the credit card; Turkcell Wallet is a SIM based application, working on all mobile phones.  The transactions can be initiated through the SIM menu on all phones, or with a native application on smartphones, and it supports contactless payment on NFC-enabled phones.  This unique service is also available for all Turkcell customers, whether they are bank customers or not.  Turkcell makes Turkcell Wallet readily available for 28 million Turkcell subscribers from day one to provide the simple and secure mobile transaction experience 24/7.  The features of Turkcell Wallet can be summarized as follows:

  1. Simple, secure, and fast payment through the mobile:
  2. E-commerce payments: By simply using a mobile phone number during online shopping with participating websites through cards on Turkcell Wallet.
  3. Contactless payment: Via NFC-enabled handsets at contactless acceptance points.
  4. Face to face payments: Very soon, by simply entering mobile phone numbers on a POS device at participating stores to complete payments through cards on Turkcell Wallet.
  5. Mobile Banking:
  6. Money Transfers: Enables cash transfer to any person’s mobile number 24/7 without requiring a bank account.
  7. Air-time top-up: To any Turkcell prepaid account within seconds.
  8. Purchasing Package Options: Easy purchase of voice, SMS, data or bundle packages.
  9. Utility payments: Very soon, it will be possible to pay Turkcell invoices, utility bills and those of other participating institutions.
  10. Mobile loyalty program:
  11. Offers and coupons: The offers tailored to the personal needs and location based services of various shopping and daily offer websites can be viewed and purchased simultaneously.

Turkcell CEO Sureyya Ciliv commented that “Mobile communication technologies change the way of doing business and reshape the world, while finance and banking take the lead in this rapid adaption.  Investing in mobile payment systems and collaborating with banks since 2008, we have introduced global firsts and become the driving force of this change in Turkey.  Turkcell Wallet is unique and revolutionary and all that we need, by providing all offers on a single commerce and payment platform with its simple, secure, and user-friendly interface.  Turkcell Wallet will open the door to a new era in shopping and e-commerce as an inventive commercial platform where all of Turkey’s leading brands and banks will be available.”

Turkcell Chief New Technology Business Officer Cenk Bayrakdar commented that “We believe that Turkcell Wallet, which we initially developed in collaboration with Garanti Bank, and which will shortly see the participation of 13 other banks, will become indispensable for our customers.  Turkcell Wallet brings together the participating banks, MasterCard’s secure infrastructure, and Turkcell’s technology to combine mobile payment, mobile banking, and mobile loyalty programs in a single service to let our customers leave their wallets at home.  Now your mobile becomes your wallet.”

ABOUT TURKCELL WALLET

Turkcell Wallet is the most advanced mobile wallet solution in the world, offering all innovative solutions on a single platform, and which is compatible with all mobile phones and can be used by all Turkcell subscribers; whether they are bank customers or not.  Having been designed based on the physical wallet; Turkcell customers can activate Turkcell Wallet by adding their cards by a single SMS, or by loading cash to their wallets through Garanti ATMs or Turkcell Communication Centers (“TCC”).  Additionally, contactless Akbank, Garanti Bank, Denizbank, and Yapi Kredi Bank cards that have a MasterCard/Maestro logo can be identified on Turkcell Wallet, as well as Cep-T Paracard and Cep-T Neo prepaid cards sold at TCCs.

ABOUT TURKCELL

Turkcell is the leading communications and technology company in Turkey, with 34.7 million subscribers and a market share of approximately 53% based on June 30, 2012 results. Turkcell is a leading regional player, with market leadership in five of the nine countries in which it operates with its approximately 65.8 million subscribers as of June 30, 2012. It has become one of the first among the global operators to have implemented HSPA+. It has achieved up to 43.2 Mbps speed using the Dual Carrier technology, and is continuously working to provide the latest technology to its customers, e.g. 84 Mbps in the near future. Turkcell reported a TRY2.6 billion (US$1.4 billion) net revenue with total assets of TRY17.4 billion (US$9.6 billion) as of June 30, 2012. It has been listed on the NYSE and the ISE since July 2000, and is the only NYSE-listed company in Turkey. Read more at http://www.turkcell.com.tr

Posted by
Kapil Malani

A die-hard Liverpool FC fan, Kapil is a big fan of Batman, Android and street Cricket. In that order, probably. Email: [email protected]