Latest News

Turkey’s Top Telco Plans Major NFC Push in 2012, but Faces Challenges

Turkey’s largest mobile operator, Turkcell, is targeting 2012 for a major expansion of its NFC rollout, as it seeks to establish itself as a top-tier telco globally promoting NFC technology.

German Bank to Launch Mobile-Payment Trial with microSDs and iPhone

Jan 12 2012

German bank Landesbank Berlin will trial mobile payments using microSD cards and a contactless attachment for the iPhone, the bank announced today.

Smartrac Purchases UPM RFID; Claims No. 1 Spot for NFC Tag Supply

Dec 23 2011

Netherlands-based contactless inlay manufacturer Smartrac has announced it is acquiring the RFID business of Finland-based UPM, making Smartrac the largest supplier of NFC tags, according to the companies.

Japanese Telcos Form Consortium to Coordinate Move to NFC

Dec 22 2011

Japan’s three major mobile operators, NTT DoCoMo, KDDI and Softbank Mobile, announced today they have formed the Japan NFC Consortium to help them set standards for making the move to NFC from proprietary FeliCa technology.

Australian Bank Launches NFC iPhone Add-on, as Country's Contactless Infrastructure Grows

Dec 21 2011

Commonwealth Bank of Australia Monday launched its “Commbank Kaching” mobile-payment and banking app for iPhone customers, including making an NFC-enabled iPhone attachment available.

South African Bank Uses microSDs for Mobile-Payment Trial

South Africa’s Absa bank is launching what it bills as the country’s first NFC trial this month, but is using contactless microSD cards, not full NFC phones for the pilot.

Intel Licenses NFC Technology; Looks to Build NFC into New Chip Designs

France-based Inside Secure has announced a deal to supply its NFC technology to Intel, as the giant U.S.-based chip maker considers incorporating NFC in its products.

Gemalto Announces Long-Held Isis TSM Deal

France-based Gemalto has announced its long-held agreement to serve as the trusted service manager for the U.S.-based Isis joint venture, which plans to launch its NFC platform next year.

Rumored Q1 Google Wallet Pilot in UK is Unlikely

Reports that Google is planning to launch its Google Wallet in the United Kingdom during the first quarter as a pilot is only a rumor, a source close to Google told NFC Times.

Report: Microsoft Manager Says Windows Phone Already Supports NFC

Dec 14 2011

Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.5 operating system, released in the fall, already supports NFC, a product manager for Microsoft UK has told a UK-based technology Website.

Infineon Confirms H2 Shipments of 20 Million Embedded Chips–Destined for BlackBerrys

Infineon Technologies said it shipped at least 10 million embedded secure chips during both the third and fourth quarters of 2011 and predicts it will continue to sell “double-digit millions” of embedded chips each quarter after that.

Intel Signals Growing Interest in NFC Technology

U.S. based Intel, the world’s largest chip maker by revenue, has raised its membership level in the NFC Forum to take a seat on the board, signaling its growing interest in NFC technology.

UnionPay Moves Forward on NFC microSD launch with Big Chinese Bank, No Telcos

China’s big domestic payment network, China UnionPay, is moving forward with plans to roll out mobile payment on microSD cards in full NFC phones–lining up one of China’s biggest banks and models from at least six handset makers for the initial rollout.

Google Confirms Verizon is Trying to Block Its Wallet, as Wallet War Heats Up

Dec 7 2011

Google has confirmed in statements to the press that Verizon Wireless is trying to block it from offering the Google Wallet on its own Galaxy Nexus smartphone, which Verizon is expected to put on sale later this month.

MasterCard Seeks Spread of PayPass Mobile Payment With mFoundry Deal

MasterCard Worldwide hopes to expand access to PayPass contactless-mobile payment, especially to customers of small banks and credit unions, with its new partnership with mobile-banking software provider mFoundry.

Telefónica Announces Trusted Service Manager Contract

Spain-based Telefónica said it has chosen Germany-based Giesecke & Devrient as its trusted service manager as it gears up to introduce NFC services in Europe “over the next few months.”

Google Wallet Point Man at Citi Leaves for Post at Daily Deal Site

Dickson Chu, who headed the Google Wallet program at U.S.-based Citigroup, has left the bank to take a newly created post as senior vice president for merchant solutions at daily deal site LivingSocial.

Dutch Telcos, Banks Delay NFC Launch Until 2013; T-Mobile Drops Out of Project

Major mobile operators and banks in the Netherlands say they plan to launch their NFC mobile-payment project in early 2013 as they await approval from European regulators for their planned joint venture.

SIM Vendors Promote ‘Open API’ for NFC Phones; Google Not Yet Onboard

Nov 30 2011

NFC phone software from SIM vendor group the SIMalliance that helps phone app developers tie into the secure elements on NFC phones is getting strong support from mobile operators but not from Google, at least not yet.

Vodafone and Bank of New Zealand Launch NFC Trial with Galaxy S II

Vodafone New Zealand and Bank of New Zealand have launched an employee trial of NFC payment using the Samsung Galaxy S II.

Telefónica to Try Out Payment on NFC-Enabled BlackBerrys

Nov 24 2011

Spain-based Telefónica Group and Research In Motion announced today an employee trial at Telefónica’s headquarters that will test up to three NFC-enabled BlackBerry models for payment and physical access control.

Swedish Telcos Form Mobile-Payments Joint Venture

Four Swedish mobile operators announced they have formed a mobile-payments joint venture, the latest telcos to form a company to help them roll out NFC and other services.

Two More Major Cities Approve Contracts for Open-Loop Transit Payment

Open-loop payment of transit fares continued to gain momentum with transit authorities in two large U.S. cities giving the green light to contract awards that will eventually enable riders to pay their fares directly with contactless bank cards and NFC phones.

Vendor Group Forecasts Up to 120 Million NFC Secure Elements for 2012

Smart card association Eurosmart forecasts that vendors will ship 80 million to 120 million secure elements in 2012, as chip and card vendors begin their first significant shipments of NFC-enabled SIMs and embedded secure elements for NFC phones.

Inside Proposes Contactless SIM; Faces Challenges for Commercialization

France-based NFC chip vendor Inside Secure has announced new technology that it says can embed a contactless chip and antenna into SIM cards and communicate with point-of-sale or other contactless readers at a standard 4 centimeters or more.

Deals

California Issues Notice of Intent to Award Contracts to Vendors for Planned Statewide Open-Loop Payments Rollout

California state officials have released a list of seven bidders it intends to award contracts to for the supply of core technology for the state’s ambitious plan to help more than 300 transit agencies roll out open-loop fare payments statewide.

Moscow to Test Mobility-as-a-Service Platform that will Include Use of Contactless Payments

The Moscow Department of Transport has announced it is launching a test of its planned “MultiTransport” mobility-as-a-service platform, which will enable users to plan and pay for rides on the Moscow Metro and other public transit, along with taxis. The city said it is planning to add other transport modes, including car-share and bike and scooter rental.

Vietnam Bus Operator Launches Contactless Open-Loop Payments in Small Rollout; Backers Hope Other Transport Modes Will Follow

A commercial bus company serving Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, has launched contactless open-loop payments on board its new electronic buses, and reports say officials and bankers would like to see contactless EMV payments expanded to other modes of transport.

Moscow Metro Sees Modest Take-Up in Use of Face Pay So Far; Repeats Prediction that Up to 15% of Regular Riders Will Use Service

Moscow Metro has 45,000 users for its Face Pay service since launching its rollout of facial recognition fare-payments in mid-October, the transit agency said today, in releasing more details about how the service works.

Updated: U.S. Transit Agency Seeks to Reduce–Though Not Eliminate–Cash Acceptance with New Fare-Collection System

Updated: The Spokane Transit Authority in Washington state confirmed that its new fare-collection system will include contactless open-loop payments–with a beta test planned for next October, a spokesman told NFC Times' sister publication Mobility Payments.

Australian Transit Agency to Launch Mobility-as-a-Service Trial as It Pursues Long-Term MaaS Strategy

Plans by Transport for New South Wales, Australia’s largest transit agency, to launch a trial enabling users to plan, book and pay for multimodal rides is the next step toward the agency’s long-ter

UK Government Seeks to Bring London-Style Contactless Fare Payments System to Other Regions

The UK government’s plan to equip 700 rail stations over the next three years to accept contactless open-loop payments is a major initiative, as it seeks to replicate the success of London’s contactless pay-as-you go fare payments system elsewhere in the country–a goal that has proved elusive in the past.

More Cities in Finland Expected to Move to Open-Loop Fare Payments

A fourth city in Finland is beginning to roll out contactless open-loop payments, with “more in the pipeline,” according to one supplier on the project, making the Nordic country one of the latest hotspots for the technology.

Moscow Metro Expands Test of ‘Virtual Troika’ in Pays Wallets, as It Continues to Develop Digital-Payments Services

Moscow Metro is recruiting more users to test its “Virtual Troika” card in two NFC wallets, those supporting Google Pay and Samsung Pay, as one of the world’s largest subway operators continues to seek more ways for its customers to pay for rides.

Ohio Transit Agency Expects Significant Revenue Loss as it Builds Equity with Fare Capping

The Central Ohio Transit Authority, or COTA, officially launched its new digital-payments service Monday, including a fare-capping feature that the agency estimates will cost it $1.8 million per year in lost fare revenue, the agency confirmed to Mobility Payments.

Features

Panel: Closed-Loop Payments Expected to Remain an Option for Years to Come Despite Growth of Open Loop

By: 
Dan Balaban

While the trend today is for more transit agencies to introduce open-loop fare payments, closed-loop cards, either in physical form or dematerialized on smartphones and wearables, will be with us for many years to come–though perhaps in a reduced role. That’s according to a recent panel discussion at the Mobility Payments Asia Pacific 2021 conference.

Cubic’s MaaS Point Man: Control of MaaS Apps by VC-Funded Start-Ups Coming to an End; Whim App Chief: Not So Fast

By: 
Dan Balaban

Andy Taylor, senior director, global strategy for Cubic Transportation Systems contended that the MaaS market is at a crossroads and could fail if it doesn’t change course, including putting cities and public agencies firmly in the “driving seat” of MaaS apps.

In-Depth: As Covid-19 Causes Transit Ridership to Plummet, Third-Party Mobile-Ticketing Vendors Hope to Help Bring Riders Back

By: 
Dan Balaban

NFC TIMES Exclusive Insight – As the Covid-19 crisis sows fear among mass transit customers and causes ridership on buses, trains and trams to crash, there is heightened interest in mobile ticketing and other electronic fare payments as a way to ease the concerns and help coax wary riders to return.  

Analysis: Apple Chips Away at Fortress Europe with Another Major Bank Planning to Join Apple Pay

By: 
Dan Balaban

NFC TIMES Exclusive Insight – With Switzerland’s No. 2 bank, Credit Suisse, expected to participate in Apple Pay, the U.S.-based tech giant continues to chip away at resistance among major European banks to joining its digital payments service.

U.S. Football Sees NFC-Enabled E-Tickets as way to Cut Fraud, Market to Fans

By: 
K.N. Smith

NFC TIMES Exclusive Insight – With the National Football League kicking off its season in a few weeks in the U.S., fans will be using NFC, QR codes and perhaps ultrasonic signals on their mobile devices, in addition to tapping contactless-enabled paper tickets, to attend football games and other events at all 31 NFL stadiums.

In-Depth: As U.S. Lags in Contactless Payments, are Issuers Ready to Roll Out Dual-Interface EMV Cards?

By: 
K.N. Smith

NFC TIMES Exclusive Insight – Most issuers in the U.S. have so far held back from rolling out contactless or dual-interface cards, but merchant acceptance has been quietly building over the past few years, despite some large U.S. retailers balking at accepting contactless cards and NFC-enabled devices.

In-Depth: Can Contactless Cards Succeed in U.S. Where NFC Mobile Wallets Have Failed?

By: 
K.N. Smith

NFC TIMES Exclusive Insight – Payments industry backers suggest that U.S. banks could have an incentive to begin contactless rollouts soon, but in the absence of deadlines from the major payments networks, which are rapidly approaching in other markets, there's no guarantee of rollouts in the U.S. on the horizon.

How Mobile Wallets, Payments Wearables, Tokenization Fared the Past Year, and Where They Stand Now

By: 
Dan Balaban

NFC TIMES Exclusive – As the digital payments ecosystem moves into 2018, it is dealing with many of the same unfulfilled promises, works in progress and unfinished business as in 2017.

U.S. Merchant Apps Square Off Against NFC ‘Pays’ Wallets: The Retailer Perspective

By: 
K.N. Smith

NFC TIMES Exclusive – As more U.S. merchants launch their own payments apps, some seem positioned to offer serious competition to Apple Pay and the other NFC “Pays” wallets.

Backers Look to Range of Devices for Contextual Commerce, Though Fragmentation Will Pose Challenges

By: 
K.N. Smith

NFC TIMES Exclusive Insight – Promoters of contextual commerce are looking to a range of connected devices, including smart appliances and such home hubs as Alexa–along with a host of mobile devices–to enable consumers to pay in almost every context. But many challenges remain for what could become a “very disjointed” array of payment options, experts say.