NFC TimesThe premier source for news, analysis and commentary on
Near Field Communication and all contactless technology

MasterCard has announced certifications for 17 NFC phones as well as its own mark that handset makers could display on device packaging, advertisements or even on the devices themselves, showing the phone is able to do contactless payments with MasterCard PayPass.

Telefónica group has announced a partnership and investment in U.S.-based online mobile payments company Boku, a move that could further Telefónica’s plans to introduce NFC-based payment in its planned mobile wallets.

Telco-backed online mobile-payments company Boku is seeking to expand to the physical point of sale using NFC phones, contactless stickers and conventional prepaid cards and is partnering w

U.S.-based Intel, as expected, is planning to incorporate NFC technology into chip designs for future ultrabook computers, the vice president and general manager of the chip maker’s PC group said Monday.

2012 was going to be the year that the new era of NFC-based mobile commerce had finally arrived–with Google Wallet rolling out widely, mobile operators in the U.S. and Europe making significant inroads with their own mobile wallets and big Asian m-commerce players generally commercializing NFC, as well.

Intel and MasterCard Worldwide have announced plans to enable consumers to tap their NFC phones and contactless cards on notebook computers to shop on the Web.

Visa, American Express and Discover Financial Services have agreed to work with Google to enable consumers to put their payment applications into future versions of the Google Wallet, which the Web giant launched today.

MasterCard Worldwide today announced its first partnership with a trusted service manager, Cassis International, to support its “streamlined” system to personalize PayPass contactless applications in NFC phones from various issuers.

Google has unveiled its NFC Google Wallet, which the Web giant hopes will usher in a "new era of commerce," using its Nexus S handset and, later, other Android NFC devices.

Google has confirmed it will be making a “partner announcement” concerning its NFC mobile-commerce initiative, which will be held tomorrow in New York.