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Bangalore Bounce: Card Use Increases in Big NFC Trial

Published: Feb 24 2010

Electronic payments soared among participants in what has been billed as the largest-ever trial of NFC bank payment, held last year in Bangalore, India–though part of the increase can be tied to financial incentives users got to tap their phones to pay, a new report shows.

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Unlocking Doors, Computers, with the iPhone? A New Patent Emerges

Published: Feb 19 2010

Another patent application filed by Apple has emerged, describing how an NFC-enabled iPhone could unlock computers and other personal devices, as well as the physical locks of users’ homes, offices and automobiles.

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Source: China Unicom to Expand NFC Project in Face of Rival's RF-SIM

Published: Feb 18 2010

China’s No. 2 mobile operator plans to expand its NFC project in Shanghai, including adding bank payment to the mobile transit-ticketing service it now offers, a source told NFC Times.

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Barclaycard’s iPhone POS Terminal to Accept Contactless

Published: Feb 17 2010

BARCELONA – Retailers would be able to accept bank-card payment through their iPhones–including contactless payment–under a new service big UK card issuer and acquirer Barclaycard plans to trial.

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Nokia Kills Its First NFC SIM Phone

Published: Feb 16 2010

Nokia has quietly pulled the plug on its 6216 NFC phone, which was to be its first commercial model supporting a standard connection to the SIM card for storing payment and ticketing applications, NFC Times has learned.

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New Samsung NFC Phone Gets First Trial in Spain

Published: Feb 16 2010

BARCELONA – Samsung Electronics has introduced its new NFC phone for its first public trial, lending more than 400 units for a demonstration at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

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Visa to Introduce microSD payWave Card

Published: Feb 15 2010

BARCELONA – Visa Inc. will test contactless microSD cards with one or more banks during the second quarter, as it moves to satisfy what it said is “really high” demand from issuers for mobile-payment devices.

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U.S. Telcos in Talks to Push Contactless-Mobile Payment

Published: Feb 11 2010
Feb 15 2010

The four major mobile operators in the United States are in discussions to possibly launch one or more mobile-payment projects involving Near Field Communication phones and other contactless technologies, NFC Times has learned.

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French Telcos to Bill Low-Value Ticket Purchases

Published: Feb 1 2010

Consumers in the French Mediterranean city of Nice this spring will be able to pay for low-value tickets on the city’s bus and tram network directly on their mobile phone bills as part of a planned multiapplication NFC project.

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Transport for London to Discard Mifare Classic

Published: Jan 21 2010
Feb 2 2010

London transit authority Transport for London is dumping its hack-prone Mifare Classic cards and will start to move its popular Oyster fare-collection program to high-end Mifare DESFire technology by early this year.

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China Mobile to Expand Contactless SIM Project

Published: Jan 21 2010
Feb 2 2010

China’s giant mobile operator, China Mobile, is expanding its contactless-mobile service to Beijing and other markets in China using specially equipped contactless SIM cards it has developed, according to a market researcher.

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Visa Europe Chief Predicts Doubling of payWave in 2010

Published: Jan 20 2010

Visa Europe CEO Peter Ayliffe predicts Visa-branded contactless cards on issue in Europe will double to 12 million by the end of 2010.

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Contactless Shipments to Break 1 Billion by 2014

Published: Jan 11 2010

Contactless smart card shipments for ID, transportation and payment will double by 2014, hitting the one billion mark and will account for 23% of payment cards, according to UK-based IMS Research.

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Contactless Fare Payments Double for Moscow Metro, as Agency Focuses on New Payments Services

Published: Nov 16 2021

Moscow Metro said contactless fare payments have doubled this year, as the large transit agency continues to add acceptance points for a range of contactless bank card brands and NFC wallets.

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Masabi Seeks to Expand Beyond Mobile Ticketing and to Sign Up Large Agencies, Stoking More Competition with Suppliers Like Cubic

Published: Aug 20 2021

UK-based software-as-a-service ticketing provider Masabi said it is targeting large transit agencies in the U.S. and beyond, seeking to sell the agencies on plugging into its SaaS platform rather than building what Masabi contends are expensive and often delayed bespoke fare-collection systems, the vendor told Mobility Payments.

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Your Preview of Apple’s NFC Launch: Yes to SE, No to HCE, Tag Reading Unlikely

Published: Sep 5 2014

NFC Times Exclusive: Apple’s scheduled announcement Tuesday of its next iPhone is expected to make it the last and also the most prominent of the major smartphone makers to adopt NFC.

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Isis and MCX Announce New Brands as Apple's Planned Mobile-Payments Service Looms

Published: Sep 4 2014

The telco-owned joint venture behind the Isis Wallet announced a new name for the wallet, while the merchant-led MCX consortium finally released its consumer-facing brand and a timeframe for a planned rollout, as the U.S. mobile-payments landscape heats up.

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With HCE Threat Looming, Telcos and Their Trade Group Seek to Cut Cost and Complexity of SIM-Based NFC

Published: Jul 31 2014

NFC Times Exclusive: With interest in host-card emulation continuing to grow and SIM-based NFC rollouts in need of a boost, mobile operators and their global trade association, GSMA, are pushing for significant cuts in the cost and complexity of TSMs and lowering other hurdles that have discouraged service providers from provisioning their applications on SIM cards.

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Westpac NZ Product Chief: HCE Offers Bank More Simplicity, Control

Published: Jul 31 2014
Aug 1 2014

NFC Times Exclusive: Westpac New Zealand’s product chief told NFC Times he believes host-card emulation will reduce costs and increase flexibility, while ensuring the bank can use its own branded wallet.

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Australian Credit Union Launches First HCE Service in Asia Pacific

Published: Jul 13 2014
Jul 14 2014

Australia’s largest credit union, CUA, is the first financial institution in Asia-Pacific to commercially launch mobile payments using host-card emulation, announcing the move today in Australia.

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Airlines Continue to Test NFC for Boarding; BLE Piloted for Airport Navigation

Published: Jul 8 2014

France-based telco Orange and Air France, along with airline industry and information technology services provider SITA have launched a trial of an NFC boarding pass application for the airline’s route from Toulouse to Paris, and SITA is also piloting Bluetooth low energy beacons at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

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BBVA’s Pioneering HCE Service: Payments Innovation Head Talks Tokens, Reasons for Shunning SIMs

Published: Jul 3 2014

NFC Times Exclusive: Host-card emulation represents an “inflection point” for driving the rollout of NFC mobile payments and could also help the SIM-based NFC ecosystem to become more efficient and less costly, the head of payments innovation for major Spanish bank BBVA told NFC Times.

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Canada Sees More NFC Commercial Launches with SIMs, but Market Remains Unsettled

Published: Jul 3 2014
Jul 15 2014

NFC Times Exclusive: With its high rate of smartphone ownership, strong contactless-payment infrastructure and well-developed NFC ecosystem, Canada is increasingly seen as a market to watch for NFC commercial deployments.

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Russian Bank Launches Delayed PayPass Service on Embedded Chips in Two Samsung NFC Models

Published: Jun 30 2014
Jul 15 2014

Russian Standard Bank launched its long-planned NFC-payments service on embedded chips in Samsung NFC devices, under an earlier partnership deal between Samsung Electronics and MasterCard Worldwide.

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Next Android Operating System to Support Enhancements to HCE

Published: Jun 29 2014

The next major Android upgrade, code-named Android L, includes changes to the way host-card emulation handles default applications for payment, according to a developer preview.

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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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