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Oberthur Licenses Mifare from NXP Semiconductors

Published: Feb 13 2011

Despite its membership in a competing transit vendor group, France-based Oberthur Technologies has agreed to license Mifare technology from NXP Semiconductors for use in SIM cards that coul

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Samsung Announces Galaxy Smartphone with NFC Support

Published: Feb 13 2011
Feb 14 2011

BARCELONA – As expected, Samsung Electronics has introduced an NFC-capable follow-up to its popular Galaxy S Android smartphone, the Galaxy S II, which it unveiled at a pre-opening event at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

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Nokia’s Planned Windows Phones Expected to Support NFC

Published: Feb 11 2011

NFC industry sources say they expect new Windows smartphones produced by Nokia to support Near Field Communication, though a Nokia spokesman today declined to comment.

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European Processor Hires Cassis for TSM Platform

Published: Feb 10 2011

France-based transaction processor Atos Worldline announced today that it has hired Cassis International to enable it to offer trusted service management to its customers in Europe.

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French Mobile Operators Plan to Sell a Million NFC Phones in 2011

Published: Feb 9 2011

With more NFC-enabled phones becoming available, including smartphones, French mobile operators today said they were confident they would sell a total of 1 million NFC handsets during 2011.

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Japanese and Korean Telcos Announce NFC Roaming–Rollouts Expected

Published: Feb 9 2011

The major Japanese and South Korean mobile operators in separate announcements today revealed details for planned cross-border NFC services­–signaling the move by the telcos away from domestic contactless-mobile technology to standard NFC.

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U.S. Payment Processor Partners with Cassis for TSM Services

Published: Feb 8 2011

U.S.-based payment processor TSYS has hired trusted service manager Cassis International to offer TSM services to its banking and other customers in the United States and Canada.

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Chip Vendors Still at Odds over Android

Published: Feb 7 2011
Feb 8 2011

NFC chip supplier Inside Secure is again charging that Google’s latest Android operating system, known as Gingerbread, favors chips from rival NXP Semiconductors and continues to pitch its own "Open NFC" software as an alternative.

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Loan Helps Transit Agency in Planned Move to Open-Loop Payment

Published: Feb 7 2011
Feb 8 2011

A planned contactless fare-collection system for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, or SEPTA, will be built to last. It had better be, since the transit agency has borrowed at least a $100 million to fund it.

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UK Telco O2 Prepares For Bigger Push into Payments Business

Published: Feb 4 2011

Telefónica O2 UK plans to launch a number of mobile-wallet services in the second half of this year, as it moves in on banks to enable consumers to shop and pay with their mobile phones.

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Apple Job Openings Add to Speculation it Will Support NFC

Published: Feb 1 2011

Apple has posted two new job openings on its site, adding fuel to rumors that the company is planning to incorporate NFC in its next iPhone and might support payments–though neither of the job postings mentions NFC by name.

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Successor to Galaxy S on Its Way

Published: Feb 1 2011

"Something big is coming." So says–or so hopes–Samsung Electronics. (Korea JoongAng Daily)

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LG Plans European Mobile 'Swipe' Payment System in 2012

Published: Jan 31 2011

LG Electronics plans to launch a "swipe"-payment system for product and service retailers in Europe next year, which would allow consumers to make payments at the check-out using their smartphones. (Reuters)

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Analyst Sees Too Much Emphasis on Payment for NFC Rollouts

Published: Jan 28 2011

While NFC holds great promise, and 2011 is shaping up as a turning point for the technology, the industry is focusing too much on payment as the major application for expected NFC rollouts.

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Telco and Bank Plan First Major UK NFC Rollout by Early Summer

Published: Jan 27 2011

UK mobile operator Everything Everywhere and Barclaycard, the credit card unit of UK-based Barclays bank, plan to launch NFC payment by early summer, ending speculation about the time frame for the long-awaited project launch.

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Visa Europe Moves Forward with Second iPhone Attachment

Published: Jan 25 2011
Jan 26 2011

Visa Europe has announced a precommercial launch in Turkey and an internal trial in the United Kingdom of another iPhone attachment, the iCarte, which it hopes to introduce to enable consumers to tap their iPhones to pay where Visa payWave is accepted.

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MasterCard Confirms Appointment of Orange's Woo as Head of Mobile

Published: Jan 24 2011

MasterCard Worldwide today announced its expected appointment of Mung-Ki Woo, the head of NFC and mobile-money activities at France Telecom-Orange Group, as the card network’s new group executive for mobile.

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McDonald’s UK Embraces Contactless, Adding Momentum to UK Rollout

Published: Jan 19 2011
Jan 21 2011

McDonald’s has announced it will accept contactless payment at its 1,200 restaurants throughout the United Kingdom, one of the first tier-one merchants to embrace the technology in the country.

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Starbucks Rolls Out Bar-Code Mobile Payment Nationwide

Published: Jan 19 2011

The Starbucks coffee chain has announced it is rolling out mobile payment nationwide to its nearly 6,800 company-owned stores in the United States, using 2-D bar-code technology–in what it calls the largest mobile-payment service in the country.

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MasterCard Rides Oyster’s Rails for British Branding Deal

Published: Jan 18 2011

Although it is trailing far behind rival Visa in terms of numbers of contactless cards carrying its brand in the United Kingdom, MasterCard Worldwide has calculated that the contactless game is just beginning in Britain and is willing to spend millions to boost its brand.

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Inside’s Sales Sank as Financial Crisis Took Hold in 2009

Published: Jan 18 2011
Jan 18 2011

As an indication of just how much the financial crisis in 2009 soured orders for contactless smart cards by U.S. banks, recently released financial figures from contactless and NFC vendor Inside Secure showed sales plunged by 28% that year.

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Reports: More NFC-Enabled Smartphones Headed to Market Soon

Published: Jan 14 2011

More reports and rumors are surfacing of new NFC-enabled smartphones headed to market, including a successor to the popular Android-based Galaxy S from Samsung.

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MasterCard Hires Orange Executive to Run Mobile Business

Published: Jan 14 2011

MasterCard Worldwide has hired the executive who heads the NFC and mobile-money transfer programs for France Telecom-Orange group to oversee its mobile business, NFC Times has learned.

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RIM Shares Jump After India Deal; New (NFC) Phone Leaked

Published: Jan 13 2011

Shares in Research In Motion jumped as much as 4% to near an eight-month high on Thursday morning after it reached a deal with India that appeared to protect its secure corporate email service. (Reuters Canada)

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O2 Plans NFC Rollout in Second Half of 2011

Published: Jan 10 2011

A second major UK mobile operator has disclosed plans to commercially launch NFC, with Telefónica O2 UK planning to roll out the technology during the second half of 2011–as it bulks up its O2 Money unit.

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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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