Out-of-home media owner Exterion Media UK is to roll out Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons across public transport services in “major cities” in the UK to deliver marketing messages to passengers’ smartphones.

The move follows a successful pilot conducted on buses in Norwich last year in partnership with mobile marketing and NFC specialist Proxama and transport operator FirstGroup. Exterion has awarded Proxama a contract to continue the partnership for up to three years, with the first phase looking to build on the trial in Norwich.

Proxama has also secured a second grant for £1m from Innovate UK to continue its work in the city, following a grant of close to £100,000 in July last year.

“Our proximity marketing division, which focuses on connecting consumers to retailers and brands via Bluetooth beacon technology, will provide Exterion with a managed service to deliver proximity marketing services to consumers’ smartphones, whilst using public transport,” Proxama explains. “This Exterion partnership represents a significant milestone in Proxama delivering their strategy.

“Exterion has a nationwide portfolio of advertising environments in the largest urban areas in the country. They also own media sites in numerous high footfall locations in London and are the sole providers of advertising space on Transport for London’s bus and Underground services.”

“Consumer engagement is at the heart of what we do and we are excited to embark on a partnership that will help advertisers engage with and inform audiences on the move,” says Jason Cotterrell, managing director of Exterion Media UK.