Turkcell has become the latest operator to unveil a new mobile wallet solution.

Turkcell Wallet offers m-payment technology, including NFC, as well as mobile banking solutions, such as money transfers, and personalized offers.

The mobile operator said the fact that it uses a customer’s mobile number as the basis for payment rather than a credit card was unique in the market.

CTO Cenk Bayrakdar said the company developed the wallet in collaboration with Garanti Bank, but will see the participation of 13 other banks “shortly”.

Mastercard has provided the infrastructure.

The Turkey-based operator said the wallet is based on a single commerce and payment platform that works across all mobile phones.

It is restricted to 28 million of Turkcell’s customers who can activate the service by adding their cards by sending a single SMS, or by loading cash to their wallets through Garanti ATMs or Turkcell Communication Centers.

Transactions can be initiated through the SIM menu on all phones, or with a native app on smartphones.

“Turkcell Wallet will open the door to a new era in shopping and e-commerce as an inventive commercial platform where all of Turkey's leading brands and banks will be available," said CEO Sureyya Ciliv.