U.S: Tiny Trial Tests Transit Ticketing

 

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BostonUnited States
Scope: 
Trial
Status: 
Completed
Launch: 
Feb 2008
Main Application: 
Ticketing (transit), Payment
Service Provider (application): 
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (CharlieCard)
Service Provider (application): 
MasterCard PayPass
Merchants: 
All PayPass-accepting merchants
Users: 
Fewer than 20
NFC Handsets: 
Nokia 6131
TSM*: 
Venyon (PayPass)
Secure Element: 
Embedded
Other Vendors: 
MasterCard Worldwide, Scheidt & Bachmann (changes to automated-fare collection system), NXP Semiconductors (NFC phone chip, secure element)

The roughly five-month small trial enabled internal users to tap their phones to pay with the Mifare-based CharlieCard transit ticketing application. They could also use the application for access control. And they could tap the phones on smart posters to download information. A separate part of the trial let another small group of users tap to pay with MasterCard PayPass at participating merchants.

NFC Times Take: 

With so few users, the trial was largely a technology test.

 

 

* Trusted Service Manager: Defined loosely to include companies or other organizations securely distributing, provisioning and managing applications, generally over the air, on secure elements in NFC mobile phones; or licensing their platforms for this purpose.

N/A: Not available or not applicable.

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