When it comes to mobile payments Britons fall behind much less developed countries like Kenya or India but Vodafone’s Vittorio Colao, the group’s Chief Executive, thinks the New Year will bring mobile money to the country.
Of course this predictions is not neutral, as Vodafone has recently partnered with O2, Orange and T-Mobile to speed-up mobile payments rollout in the UK under the name Weve. The much talked about venture received European approval in September but still has not begun its operations.
“In Europe everything takes too long because we have organisations and bureaucratic controls that are excessive,” he said. “Now that we have the authorisations we will do our best [to launch mobile payments as soon as we can] but getting the permissions takes longer in Europe. Everything takes longer. It’s a general problem of Europe. Even within each country, there is too much bureaucracy,” said Colao, speaking to the Telegraph.
It remains to be seen whether mobile payments in the UK will be as big as in African countries. While the talk here is about regulation, in the end the consumer will decide whether mobile payments will make it or break it in the country in 2013. According to a new report by yStats, Vodafone’s predictions are not very far off, with 2012 showing an increase in the number of smartphone transactions, despite low enthusiasm for the technology in Britain.
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