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Near Field Communication and all contactless technology

A consortium of major U.S. mobile operators continues to make preparations for launching mobile-payment services to subscribers, although one operator in the group, Sprint, is pulling back from the project, sources told NFC Times.

Colombian processor and acquirer Redeban Multicolor plans to launch an NFC trial early next year with one or two banks and the country’s largest mobile operator, Comcel, NFC Times has learned.

A new attachment that turns iPhones into payment devices is expected to get its first test drive from Visa employees this quarter, with banks to follow.

Chinese bank-card network China UnionPay today announced it has formed a Mobile Payment Industry Alliance that includes 18 national and local banks and supports international contactless standards–as it keeps up the pressure on China Mobile's RF-SIM-based payment scheme.

If all goes according to plan, Sydney, Australia, should finally have a contactless transit-ticketing system in place by the end of 2012, following years of delays.

Inside Contactless today announced it has agreed to purchase U.S.-based Atmel Corp.’s smart card chip unit for an undisclosed price–a move that is expected to triple Inside’s sales and give it much-needed technology to stay competitive with its larger European rivals.

Poland will have more than 2 million Visa payWave cards on issue by the end of the year and more than 12,000 acceptance points, predicted Visa Europe in announcing the first NFC-payment project in the country.

Transit officials in Frankfurt have launched a six-month trial enabling riders to use their mobile phones with either NFC-based tags or 2-D bar codes to quickly get scheduling updates and information on connections and special offers at nearby restaurants, theaters and other venues, while riding on trains.

Mobile operator group Telefónica and Visa Europe have an agreement to promote the rollout of co-branded cards and later mobile payment with NFC phones, according to a Telefónica executive, who said the telco seeks a share of transaction revenue.

U.S.-based Texas Instruments plans to introduce an NFC chip, joining what is becoming a crowded field of suppliers of chips for the short-range wireless technology, NFC Times has learned.

UPDATE: France-based Sagem Wireless said it does not plan to introduce an NFC phone this year running Google’s Android operating system, contrary to press reports and mention of NFC as a feature of the planned Netribe smartphone on Sagem's own Web site.

If recently published patent applications are any indication, Apple wants to put its popular iPhone at the center of the retail-payment experience if it adopts Near Field Communication technology.