The new service is available in 64 Coop outlets in central Italy and in pilot stores of other Coop stores in Emilia and Tuscany. Coop says the service is going to be rolled out to almost all Coop outlets. In order to pay their phone bills, customers go to the checkout and present their Telecom Italia bills, which include barcodes, along with the rest of their groceries. The cashiers scan barcodes the same way they proceed with other products and payment is made in cash, by bank card or using other means chosen by the outlet.
Both the store and the customer receive a proof of payment. This service is the result of the agreement between Coop Centro Italia, Coop Italia, Telecom Italia and TSP (SIA-SSB Group), which manages verification of the bill data, payment authorisation and the subsequent account reconciliation. At present, the service is only available for telephone bills, but Coop is working to extend it to other utilities and has already launched experimental trials with other utility companies.
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