Poste Italiane's NFC payments service has been rolled out to the cities of Rome and Turin, following its launch in Milan last December. The service is now set to expand across the rest of Italy by the end of 2013.

Customers of Poste Italiane's PosteMobile mobile phone service and its BancoPosta bank service are now able to use their NFC phones to make payments in stores and at post offices across the cities.

NFC SIM cards are available to purchase from post offices. Users need to download the PosteMobile app to conduct payments at POS contactless terminals. There is no need to enter a PIN to verify payments of up to €25.

In addition, postal delivery workers have been issued with handheld devices that can be used to accept contactless payments for both postal charges and a variety of financial services.

Poste Italiane says it is also working with the Italian government to add a range of government services to the NFC platform, including electronic ID applications such as identity cards, health cards, passports and driving licenses.