Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 04 | Page 10

NEWS Italtel unveils updated 5G video application Mastercard and Eataly launch Eataly Pay for in-store payments M astercard and Eataly have announced a new partnership to rollout Eataly Pay app integrated with Masterpass, to enable multichannel, fast, simple and safe payments comfortably seated at the restaurant tables. “The digital revolution is changing our lives and our world,” explained Michele Centemero, Country Manager, Mastercard Italy. “Mobile solutions are a key driver for this revolution. Paying though an app is transforming the consumer experience and enabling innovative solutions. Our partnership with Eataly is a concrete example of how the Mastercard technology is helping retailers gain consumers’ loyalty and improve their business.” I taltel, a leading telecommunications company in IT system integration, managed services and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, has revealed its latest 5G video application, delivering improved upload performances, reducing latency and increasing the battery life of connected devices. Italtel’s i-EVS (Enhanced Video Services) – the latest advancement of its virtual Transcoding Unit (vTU) application – runs over a Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) platform and has been updated with new features, including context- aware and location-aware mechanisms, enabling service providers to launch new value-added services. Due to specific data caching at the edge of the mobile network, end-users can enjoy fast access to dedicated content based on their position in busy environments such as shopping malls, airports and concerts. 10 INTELLIGENTCIO “The MEC platform provides a virtualised layer which allows the high processing of content at the network edge and is a fundamental step towards the creation of an experimental network infrastructure that anticipates 5G,” said Giulio Gaetani, Head of Software Business Unit at Italtel. “The application highlights the crucial role of the Network Functions Virtualization paradigm in managing parameters of the new 5G network architecture.” In particular, the i-EVS demo in Barcelona was being designed jointly with Athonet, a research and commercial partner of Italtel for mobile solutions. Italtel and Athonet have built a complete Mobile 4.5G LTE solution (ready to connect forthcoming 5G New Radio) that includes both an LTE RAN and an MEC platform, which hosts i-EVS. The goal is to simulate a real mobile environment and enable a set of services related to augmented reality. Eataly Pay, developed by Eataly together with Mastercard, is tested for the first time in the Eataly Smeraldo store in Milan. The app allows diners to pay the bill through their smartphones seamlessly and therefore have more time to enjoy their meal. Once the order is placed, the waiter sends it directly to the kitchens and the customers are given a summary receipt that can be inserted into the app to finalise the payment. The order is always updated in real time and can be consulted at any time through the app. Eataly Pay is available both for iOS and Android phones and integrates Masterpass, the digital global payments solution developed by Mastercard, which speeds up the final payment process without requiring customers to enter their credentials and their card details every time they need to make a purchase. Card details – of any payment network – can be entered just once into the app and stored in one safe place. Thanks to this app, everyone can now pay with a simple click and they can also choose to split the bill. Eataly joins the growing number of Italian and European restaurants, including Roadhouse Grill, Rossopomodoro in Italy and Pizza Hut and Wagamama in the UK, which are reinventing the way we can pay the bill at the restaurant with a mobile device. www.intelligentcio.com