Swedish mobile operators Telia, Tele2, Telenor and 3 have formed a joint venture to offer a unified mobile wallet service. Operating under the name “4T,” the partners plan to deliver a mobile payments service that can be used on all handsets regardless of the cellular network. Based on technology from Accumulate and PayEx, the service […]

Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy’s largest financial institution, has begun a commercial trial of SIM-based NFC mobile payments, reports NFC World. The service, dubbed “Move and Pay,” is being tested among 600 Intesa Sanpaolo employees and customers in Milan and Turin, as well as by two academic institutions: The Polytechnic Institute of Milan and Turin ISMB. According […]

On Track Innovations has received a U.S. patent for adding contactless capability to existing mobile handsets through contactless SIM technology. U.S. Patent No. 8,090,407, aka “Contactless Smart SIM,” covers the capabilities necessary to turn existing mobile handsets into NFC-enabled devices through the use of a SIM card and a specifically designed antenna, all while keeping […]

Inside Secure has launched a free, open-source NFC protocol stack for Google’s new Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” mobile operating system. According to Inside, Open NFC 4.3.3 is compliant with the Ice Cream Sandwich release Compatibility Definition Document (CDD) for NFC, and supports all the latest Android NFC features, including Android Beam and WiFi Direct […]

Sony has unveiled a new line of NFC Xperia SmartTags that can be used with NFC-enabled phones to perform a variety of functions, according to CNet. Designed to streamline ordinary tasks on smart phones, Sony’s SmartTags can be programmed by the user to automatically launch a particular app or turn on/off WiFi or Bluetooth with […]

Japanese mobile operator KDDI has announced that it will launch NFC-based commercial services with Japan Airlines, credit card issuers, retailers and loyalty program providers, reports NFC World. Set to launch as early as the end of January, KDDI’s NFC technology will enable users to make contactless mobile payments from credit or prepaid accounts, redeem coupons […]

MTN Irancell, one of Iran’s mobile operators, has teamed up with Etick Pars Intelligent Technologies and Bank Pasargad to develop a mobile wallet solution for the Iranian Market. According to Telecompaper, Etick and Irancell plan to test a system that will enable customers to make contactless mobile purchases from a prepaid account that can be […]

Sprint Nextel has announced that it will make NFC a standard feature on Long Term Evolution (LTE) smart phones, reports Light Reading Mobile. Sprint, a launch partner of Google Wallet, told LR Mobile that they will include NFC chips in all LTE smart phones, excluding free phones and low end models, in order to “aggressively […]

Salt Lake City-based Cirque demonstrated a prototype of its NFC-enabled GlidePoint computer track pad at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, according to Engadget. The GlidePoint NFC track pad, which can be built directly into a laptop or attached as a separate unit via USB port, features a built-in NFC antenna that can receive […]

Broadcom announced the release of a new chip that will enable handset makers to offer smart phones with 3G, GPS and NFC for only $100. In addition to Broadcom’s “InConcert connectivity suite,” the BCM21552G baseband features a 1 GHz ARM11 processor, support for an 8 megapixel camera and WVGA screen support, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi 802.11n, […]