SOFTBANK taps Gemalto for NFC payment pilot
18 January, 2011
category: NFC
SOFTBANK MOBILE has chosen Gemalto to provide NFC technology for the latest mobile contactless payment trial in Japan.
The trial will enable some of SOFTBANK’s customers to use their mobile phone for contactless payments in convenience stores, fast-food restaurants and theaters. The program also offers users the option of performing NFC transactions from two credit card issuers, Orient Corporation and Credit Saison, thanks to embedding multiple MasterCard PayPass applications into the secure UICC.
For the pilot, Gemalto will provide SOFTBANK with an NFC solution comprised of its Allynis Trusted Services Management operated services, UICC cards and N-Flex devices, which enable users to turn a conventional handset into an NFC-enabled mobile phone, without any change to the device.
According to SOFTBANK, the trial is the first in Asia to enable secure mobile NFC transactions from a choice of different credit card accounts. The pilot is expected to roll out in the first quarter of 2011.