Gemalto, Mastercard to pilot new NFC mobile payment device
24 May, 2010
category: NFC
MasterCard and Gemalto have announced a new pilot featuring an NFC-enabled device that can be inserted into a mobile phone to turn it into payment device.
The wafer-thin device, which leverages Gemalto’s Upteq N-Flex Solution and MasterCard’s PayPass, is the first of its kind to function on multiple mobile handsets, which Gemalto says will help provide a path to “ubiquitous” support for NFC.
“This innovation is aimed at accelerating mobile NFC payments in the region. MasterCard’s collaboration with Gemalto marks an important milestone for the contactless payments industry, with mobile services expanding beyond simple payments and fueling economic connections for consumers in the global marketplace,” said Ajay Bhalla, Executive Vice President, South East and South Asia, MasterCard Worldwide.
The initial trial of this mobile payments solution just kicked off in Singapore, with DBS Bank, EZ-Link Pte Ltd, and StarHub providing local support.