Latest News

U.S. Mobile Operators Announce Planned ‘Isis’ NFC Service

Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile USA announced their joint venture today, with plans to introduce NFC-based mobile payment in selected markets during the next 18 months.

U.S. Mobile Operators Reportedly to Announce Joint Venture, CEO

An announcement by major U.S. mobile carriers of their joint venture to launch NFC-based mobile payment and other services, including the naming of a CEO, is imminent, according to sources and news reports.

Google CEO Schmidt Says NFC to Extend Android Acceptance

Near Field Communication was the talk of Web 2.0 Summit early on, as Google announced that it will be included in a forthcoming phone, and powered by the next version of Android. (InformationWeek) 

Nokia Exec: More Symbian NFC Smartphones to Come in Early 2011

Nokia will add NFC to "some existing (Symbian) devices" early next year, Nokia’s senior vice president for smartphones, Jo Harlow, said in an interview published this week.

DoCoMo Expected to Begin the Move to NFC in 2013

While Japan’s dominant mobile operator, NTT DoCoMo, declined to confirm a press report that it would move to standard NFC phones starting in 2013, most market observers agree the pressure on DoCoMo to adopt NFC will become too strong to resist.

Using NFC to Avoid Hotel Queues: Trial Tests Mobile Door Keys

In one of the first pilots of its kind, guests and employees of the Clarion Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden, will be able to check-in, receive their door keys and enter their rooms, all with their NFC phones.

U.S. Carrier Joint Venture Chooses a Trusted Service Manager

The joint venture formed by U.S. mobile carriers to launch NFC-based mobile payment has chosen a trusted service manager for pilots it plans next year, but the venture still may be looking for a CEO, NFC Times has learned.

Starbucks Manager: 'Fan of NFC'; Keeping Bar Codes for Now

While the head of innovation for the popular Starbucks prepaid payment card declares that he is a "big fan of NFC," the giant coffee-shop chain is not about to wait for NFC phones before introducing mobile payment, the manager told NFC Times.

No Mention of RF-SIM in Recent China Mobile Planning Document

Nov 2 2010

A recent mobile-payment document from China’s largest mobile operator, China Mobile, makes no mention of the proprietary RF-SIM technology the giant telco had been promoting for mobile payment earlier this year, NFC Times has learned.

Virgin Money to Roll Out Contactless Cards

Oct 29 2010

A second credit card issuer in the United Kingdom, Virgin Money, has announced it will roll out contactless across its card base, joining Barclaycard.

UAE Telco Considers Launching NFC Bridge Technologies

Oct 24 2010

United Arab Emirates mobile operator du is weighing options for the possible launch of mobile payment with banks, along with other services, using NFC bridge technologies to try to turn popular smartphones, such as the iPhone, into payment devices. 

Chip Makers: Tens of Millions of NFC Phones Expected in 2011

Major NFC chip makers predict 40 million to 50 million NFC phones or more will be on the market by the end of 2011, along with a smaller number of NFC bridge devices.

Taiwanese Telco Unveils Its NFC-Bluetooth Device

Chunghwa Telecom has unveiled its NFC-Bluetooth "dongle," a large key ring designed to give NFC functionality to certain smartphones via a Bluetooth connection.

KT Announces NFC-equipped Samsung SHW-A170K

South Korea has got its first phone equipped with NFC or Near Field Communication technology. KT today unveiled the SHW-A170K, which sports NFC technology and uses NFC compatible USIM. (Samsung Hub)

Ex-AT&T Manager: Carriers, Card Schemes to 'Fight it Out'

A former AT&T manager involved in mobile payment sees battles ahead between the big U.S. mobile carriers and Visa Inc. and MasterCard Worldwide, as they fight it out for consumers in the emerging mobile-payment market.

Visa Europe Soon to Trial Bridge Technologies

Visa Europe plans to launch trials of mobile payment over the next few months using NFC bridge technologies, with a "view to commercializing" some of the devices, according to Visa Europe’s head of mobile.

Nokia Begins Shipping C7 Smartphone with NFC Chip Inside

Nokia today began shipping its first smartphone with NFC inside, the C7, but the phone requires a software upgrade for the NFC functionality to work, NFC Times has learned.

German Telcos To Launch Trial of Their Own Payment Scheme in 2011

Mobile operators in yet another country are planning to test the waters for a possible future launch of their own mobile-payment scheme at the retail point of sale.

Credit and Debit Card Payment of Transit Fares Rolls Forward

Transit agencies in some of the largest cities in the United States and Europe are moving forward at varying speeds toward accepting credit, debit and prepaid cards to collect fares onboard buses and at metro gates.

Etisalat Defers Deployment of New Mobile Technology

Delays by handset manufacturers have postponed Etisalat's plans to launch Near Field Communication technology, which allows users to make contactless payments using their mobile phones, in the UAE by more than a year, a telecom operator official said. (Gulf News)

UK Telco: 'We Want to Break the Chicken and the Egg'

The United Kingdom’s largest mobile operator is intent on “seeding the market” with new NFC phones by offering longer-term commitments to handset makers, a business development head at the telco said this week.

Former Visa Exec Gauthier Moves to PayPal; MasterCard’s Peirez to D&B

Oct 4 2010

Payments industry veteran Patrick Gauthier has begun work this month as head of market intelligence at PayPal, while ex-MasterCard Worldwide innovation chief Joshua Peirez–who sources said had been up for the job as CEO of the U.S. mobile carrier joint venture–moves to Dun & Bradstreet.

Barclaycard Plans Contactless Stickers and Wristbands

Oct 1 2010

Barclaycard confirmed it is working on contactless stickers and wristbands in addition to its contactless card and planned NFC mobile-payment rollouts.

Spanish Bank and Virtual Operator to Launch NFC Trial

BARCELONA ­– Spanish bank Bankinter plans to launch a small NFC trial within the next month with its mobile virtual network operator, Bankinter Mobile.

Questions Raised about Experience of First Data TSM Partner

Large U.S. payment card processor First Data Corp. hopes to become a major mobile-payments player in the United States and beyond, but there are questions surrounding the experience of the new technology partner First Data has hired to help it bring m-payment services to the market.

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.