Not only the MVNO is a way to merge the Retail world and the Mobile Business world, in fact already present in many retail chains is the possibility to re-charge the phone prepaid card using small card containing only bar-code. No more queue at tabacco shops or newspaper kiosks.

Here is how it works: The user buy a small piece o paper (glossy to be more nice) and put it in his/her basket, then the bar-code is read  by the cashier as a coke can and the bill is charged in the store bill.

In the receipt the user will find a digit code he can use to recharge his phone.

This model offers two considerations:

• The first consideration is an integration of the recharge card fullfillment between the retail and the telco and its dealers, another actor appears in the phone recharge market that normally understand better distribution market than Telco operators. Next application could be the one-shot event buying on Digital terrestrial or Satellite television program.
• The other one is a bypass of Credit Card acquirer  that gives to the store (or dealer chain)  the possibility to pay the expense and then also the recharge card through the Credit Circuit. In fact the money flow could be short-circuited between the Retail and Telco banks.

The advantage are enormous from the customer side, since this open a lot of space to reduce commissions and facilitate the delivery chain.

The next applications will use NFC phone, in that case no more paper is needed.

Below the TIM and 3 recharge card in a Esselunga store in Milan.