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Gemalto Develops Embedded Secure Chip with STMicroelectronics

Published: Mar 21 2011

ORLANDO, FLA.– France-based Gemalto announced today it is working with chip maker STMicroelectronics on an embedded secure chip offer for NFC phones.

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RIM Stays Mum on Plans for Embedded Chips in NFC Phones

Published: Mar 18 2011

Research in Motion is continuing to decline comment on its plans for embedded secure chips in its forthcoming BlackBerry NFC phones.

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R&D Chief for Tesco.com Questions Contactless Security

Published: Mar 18 2011

The head of research and development for the online operation of huge UK-based supermarket and general merchandise chain Tesco has reportedly expressed doubts about the security of contactless payments and maturity of the technology.

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Major Spanish Telcos Announce Standards Agreement

Published: Mar 16 2011

Spain’s three major mobile operators announced today they have signed a cooperation agreement to work on standards and interoperability of NFC services.

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Visa and ANZ Bank Hold microSD Trial in Australia

Published: Mar 15 2011

Fifty employees of Visa Inc. and ANZ bank in Australia are testing microSD cards in Apple’s iPhone, Visa announced today.

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Doubts Growing That Apple Will Adopt NFC in Next iPhone

Published: Mar 14 2011

Doubts are growing that Apple will include NFC in the next iPhone, with sources from some mobile operators reportedly saying Apple has told them it would not adopt the technology this year.

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VeriFone: New NFC Players to Change Point-of-Sale Landscape

Published: Mar 11 2011

About 25% to 30% of merchant locations in the United States will need to be covered by contactless terminals if service providers and mobile operators hope to get consumers interested in tapping their NFC phones for retail transactions, says POS terminal vendor VeriFone.

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Google Expands NFC Tag Service to a Third City

Published: Mar 10 2011

Google has expanded its NFC-enabled ratings and recommendations service to a third U.S. city, Las Vegas, where it has begun to market its Google Places and Hotpot service.

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German Transit Authorities to Launch Joint NFC Ticketing Service

Published: Mar 3 2011

Frankfurt-based regional transit authority RMV said it plans to launch a joint mobile ticketing service with German national rail operator Deutsche Bahn, which could lead to nationwide NFC-based ticketing.

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'Virtually All' BlackBerrys to Support NFC, Says RIM Exec

Published: Mar 1 2011

Research in Motion’s managing director for the United Kingdom has reportedly said that "virtually all" of the company’s BlackBerry devices will support NFC technology.

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Bank of America to Launch Expanded microSD Trial in Three Cities

Published: Feb 28 2011

Bank of America plans to launch an expanded trial of contactless microSD cards–enabling customers in Atlanta, New York and San Francisco to tap to pay with BlackBerry smartphones using both MasterCard PayPass and Visa payWave applications, a bank spokeswoman confirmed to NFC Times.

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French City to Launch NFC Trial with Contactless E-Purse

Published: Feb 25 2011

The city of Bordeaux, France, in March will launch an NFC trial enabling users to pay with a contactless electronic purse, Moneo, along with a few other services.

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Transport for London to Accept Bank Cards on Entire Network in 2012

Published: Feb 24 2011
Apr 25 2014

Transport for London has made it official, announcing its planned move to accept contactless debit and credit cards for fares on buses in time for the Summer Olympics next year, and on the rest of its transit network by the end of 2012.

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Isis Contends Its Platform Will Be 'Open to All'

Published: Feb 24 2011

Seeking to fill the planned Isis mobile wallets with a number of services–and perhaps also to repel an expected line of attack from rivals Visa Inc. and MasterCard Worldwide–representatives of the Isis mobile operator joint venture are emphasizing that their platform will be "open."

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Google Delivers Gingerbread Update–Adding Minor NFC Enhancements

Published: Feb 23 2011

An update to Google’s latest Android operating system, Gingerbread, is now reportedly available, offering some added NFC functionality, though not yet card emulation.

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German Telcos Plan New Payment Scheme Using NFC Phones

Published: Feb 21 2011

Three major German mobile operators plan to launch their own payment scheme, seeking to expand their small Internet payment service, mpass, to shops and restaurants using NFC phones, a source told NFC Times.

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RIM: NFC Will Become Standard Technology in Smartphones

Published: Feb 21 2011

BARCELONA — 2011 will be a "pivotal year for NFC," said the head of handset software for Research in Motion, in confirming that "many" of the company’s BlackBerry models will support NFC this year.

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Mobile Trade Group Calls for More NFC Standards

Published: Feb 21 2011

Mobile trade group the GSMA today announced that major mobile operators "have voiced their commitment" to launch NFC and called for more standards to ensure interoperability of NFC services.

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NFC Forum Searches for New Executive Director

Published: Feb 21 2011
Feb 24 2011

The NFC Forum is looking for a new executive director to replace Paula Berger, who resigned from the standards and trade group last month.

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Orange UK Launches Prepaid Contactless Payment Card

Published: Feb 17 2011

Mobile operator Orange UK has launched one of the first contactless prepaid payment cards–with the application also likely to be available on NFC phones later this year.

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ZTE Chief: No Plans Yet for NFC Rollout

Published: Feb 16 2011

BARCELONA – The head of China-based telecom equipment maker ZTE told NFC Times the company will supply NFC-enabled phones in response to orders from mobile operators, but does not plan to include the technology in phones as a default feature.

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Deutsche Telekom Announces NFC Mobile-Wallet Rollouts

Published: Feb 15 2011

BARCELONA – Large mobile operator group Deutsche Telekom today announced plans to roll out NFC services in four of its European markets starting this year, including launching its own mobile-payment service at the retail point of sale in its home base of Germany.

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Google’s Schmidt: NFC a 'Mega-Scale Opportunity'

Published: Feb 15 2011

BARCELONA – Smartphones that can pinpoint a person’s location, know his interests and tap to pay with NFC should "revolutionize electronic commerce as well as payments," said Google CEO Eri

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Qualcomm to Introduce Wireless Chips Supporting NFC

Published: Feb 14 2011
Feb 15 2011

BARCELONA – U.S.-based Qualcomm today announced that its new generation of combo-wireless chipsets, which could be used for smartphones and tablets, will support NFC.

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Orange Announces First NFC Smartphone for European Markets

Published: Feb 14 2011
Feb 14 2011

BARCELONA – France Telecom-Orange Group today announced plans to introduce its first NFC-enabled smartphone model, the Samsung Wave 578, which Samsung Electronics introduced yesterday.

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Deals

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

Published: Dec 20 2021

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.

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

Published: Dec 20 2021

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.

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

Published: Dec 20 2021

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.

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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

Published: Dec 20 2021

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.

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

Published: Dec 9 2021

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.

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

Published: Dec 9 2021

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

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

Published: Nov 30 2021

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.

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

Published: Nov 16 2021

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.

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

Published: Nov 16 2021

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.

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

Published: Nov 16 2021

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.

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Features

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

Published: Sep 27 2021
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.

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

Published: Aug 8 2021
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.

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

Published: May 18 2020
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.  

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

Published: Apr 24 2019
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.

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

Published: Aug 15 2018
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.

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

Published: Jul 30 2018
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.

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

Published: Jun 19 2018
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.

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

Published: Jan 11 2018
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.

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

Published: Jan 2 2018
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.

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

Published: Dec 1 2017
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.

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