Alcatel-Lucent To Bring NFC Mobile Coupon Platform To U.S.

Alcatel-Lucent is bringing its mobile coupon and ecommerce platform to the U.S. It is offered in Europe by carriers such as Vodafone, according to David Galante, Alcatel-Lucent Ventures for Mobile Wallet.

The Mobile Wallet, which supports near field communications similar to Google Wallet, will become available to consumers who are using devices running Apple and Android operating systems.

As a white-label service, the platform allows carriers to brand it for retailers. It builds a database profile for each consumer and stores the information in a server on the cloud.

Apple will not build NFC chips into its phones, but Alcatel-Lucent contracted with a company making sleeves for iPhones. The phone acts as a credit card for payment, loyalty and coupon redemption. For consumers using Apple devices, the sleeve would come as a promotion from the retailer, Galante said.

Alcatel-Lucent also provides the APIs to integrate the commerce functions. The data streamed from the back end, which provides consumer preferences, supports the mobile marketing platform -- once known as Optimism, now rolled into Mobile Wallet and ecommerce functions.  

"We're focusing more on local ads, rather than those created by agencies, to create a more personal marketing and coupon system," Galante said.

While Verizon is demonstrating the technology in its CES booth, a handful of companies already use the platform in Europe. The idea is to build a stronger connection with users and personalize the offers.

Sanoma, a subscription magazine, and Netlog, a social site similar to Facebook, use Mobile Wallet in Europe. About 70,000 users tap into the app to maintain public facilities in the city of Antwerp, Belgium.