HEADLINE NEWS
U.S.: Dallas Trial Tests One of the First OTA Downloads
Customers of convenience store chain 7-Eleven’s mobile virtual network operator service, Speak Out Wireless, could sign up for the trial and open an “eFinity” prepaid account with a small Texas bank. They could fund this account through their regular banking accounts or with credit cards, then would receive their NFC phones in the mail. They then would download the PayPass debit application over the air onto a secure chip embedded in the handsets. They could pay at any merchant location in the U.S. accepting PayPass.
Only the second NFC trial testing the download of applications over the network. (The first was in Shanghai earlier in 2006). Card vendor Giesecke & Devrient and Nokia earlier in 2006 announced their intention to form a joint venture, Venyon, to offer over-the-air application downloads and other TSM services, but the venture was not up and running before this Dallas trial launched. Venyon opened an office in Dallas, but the TSM later closed it to cut costs, and G&D eventually took over full ownership of the venture.
* Trusted Service Manager: Defined loosely to include companies or other organizations securely distributing, provisioning and managing applications, generally over the air, on secure elements in NFC mobile phones; or licensing their platforms for this purpose.
N/A: Not available or not applicable.
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