Scanbuy launches single mobile barcode solution for three operators at once

Scanbuy has had one hell of a week. On Tuesday we reported on ScanLife coming pre-loaded on Samsung devices in the States. And today Scanbuy has revealed that it is creating a mobile barcode solution for three different mobile operators in Spain. The “Bidi” barcode solution is “interoperable”. So it allows barcodes from Orange, Telefónica Móviles and Vodafone to be read on the other networks handsets.

How does it work?

Basically the three operators will be pooling resources from individual Code Management Platforms (CMPs). That means when the Scanlife app scans a barcode, it will compare that barcode to information from all three operators. So codes from one operator’s CMP can be read by ScanLife on devices on either of the other two operators. The apps has already been preloaded on 3 million Telefonica handsets.

An example of a Bidi barcode for Volkswagen

This is a pretty big step from Scanbuy, so we whisked off a few questions to David Javitch, VP of Marketing, Scanbuy:

Is “Bidi” a global spanish name, the new name for this service, or just what Telefonica is calling it?  Or is it a new identity for the whole solution?

Bidi is the name of the service for all 3 providers in Spain.  There has been no official decision yet if the name will be used in other Spanish speaking markets (like Latin America).

Is this a Scanbuy initiative, or was Bidi already brand name in Spain?

Yes, Telefonica has been using it during their pilot period for the past 6 months or so.  It is short for bidimensionales in Spanish.

Does this lean towards EZ or Datamatrix? And will consumers be able to use any mobile barcode reader, or does it have to be ScanLife?

Subscribers from all operators will use the Scanbuy provided application (Bidi) which will read EZcodes and Datamatrix generated on the carriers’ platforms (per their direction).  So it’s an indirect model, but either code format can be generated.   Since this app will be preloaded into millions of phones, this will be the de facto barcode solution.

What we think?

At first I didn’t think this was the biggest news in the world. Surely the Scanlife app should recognise an EZcode whether it’s on an Orange or a Vodafone handset? But something leapt at me from the release. The interoperable CMP solution is the same type of infrastructure is needed to make SMS work across all handsets. This is true operator-level integration at an unprecedented feat. What this means is that Scanlife is now as intrinsic a function on these three operators as SMS or voice.

I had to laugh at the name, though. “Bidi” sounds the same as Irish slang for an annoying old woman.