All handset makers are readying NFC payments, says MasterCard exec
27 January, 2012
category: NFC
Ed McLaughlin, MasterCard’s head of Emerging Payments, has some good news for those waiting on NFC-enabled phones for contactless payments.
In an interview with Fast Company, McLaughlin said that he didn’t know of a handset maker who wasn’t working on integrating support for PayPass contactless payments.
When pressed by FC about whether this statement included Apple, McLaughlin reiterated that he “didn’t know of a single handset maker out there,” adding that he can say no more due to confidentially.
The last few iPhone installments have been heavily rumored to contain an NFC upgrade, but to no avail. The iPhone 5 is no different, generating even more buzz about mobile payments.
When asked if Apple’s support would make 2012 the “year for NFC,” McLaughlin was again cryptic.
“The timeline is always as rapid as it makes sense for consumers,” he said. “That’s a combination of having a critical mass of the merchants, which is what you’re seeing right now, and getting devices into the hands of consumers.”
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