CONNECTHINGS to debut Wave-Me NFC services platform
CONNECTHINGS announced the first public demonstration of the Wave-Me NFC services platform will take place at the upcoming GSM Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain Feb. 15-18.
The Wave-Me NFC services platform, the first product developed out of the partnership between CONNECTHINGS and INSIDE Contactless, is built upon CONNECTHINGS’ AdTag server and is designed to give NFC the intelligence it needs to enable a broad range of mobile services beyond payment and transit applications.
A Wave-Me enabled NFC handset will trigger a back-end transaction on the AdTag server (visible on a PC monitor) when the handset is brought in close proximity to an NFC tag, connecting the associated e-coupon with the handset. When the handset is waved near the corresponding NFC tag at the merchant premises, it displays the coupon, providing proof to the merchant that payment has been made.
The Wave-Me NFC services platform doesn’t require any special reader or other equipment at the point of sale, just the presence of the NFC tag to trigger the transaction on the handset, making it easy for small merchants to operate, according to Laetitia Gazel Anthoine, founder and chief executive officer of CONNECTHINGS.
The system can also provide comprehensive reporting and other management services to customers for e-coupons, loyalty programs and information distribution.
The entire platform includes: Wave-Me mobile client software and the Wave-Me Service Engine; NFC tags; the AdTag server providing application distribution, contextualized content management, tag life cycle management and service management, including advertising management and reporting; and intelligent interface and communication modules between the Wave-Me mobile client, NFC tags and the AdTag server.
According to CONNECTHINGS, Wave-Me tags could also contain phone numbers or complex URLs to send SMS messages or send and retrieve information from web sites. Additionally, museums and cities would be able to provide Wave-Me applications to their visitors, with the possibility of using NFC tags deployed in their environment to access services. These tags would provide access not only to a multimedia guide but also to added-value features like annotation and content sharing.
The demonstration will take place at the INSIDE Contactless booth (Stand 8B94) and provide a preview of a pilot project CONNECTHINGS is developing for the Office of Tourism in Marseille for providing visitors with electronic coupons for public transportation and entry to museums and other points of interest around the city.