Wireless Federation

The GSMA has asked handset manufacturers to incorporate NFC functionality into mobile handsets so that consumers can get the benefit of mobile payment services as soon as possible. Chief Marketing Officer, Michael O’Hara, suggested that handset manufacturers must make such phones available in the market by the middle of next year. “This will require device manufacturers to make sure that the vast majority of commercially available handsets incorporate the Single Wire Protocol (SWP) and Near Field Communications (NFC) features as standard,” said GSMA’s CEO Rob Conway.

A number of operator pilots have demonstrated that consumers can safely use the technology. Across eight countries trials have been run involving nine mobile operators. Further pilots are planned across 14 countries by 15 mobile operators. According to a report, it is forecasted that mobile money transfer and NFC transactions may account for 50 percent of the global mobile payment market by 2013. The GSMA has also advised phone makers  to adopt the Single Wire Protocol standard, which involves a direct connection between an embedded NFC chipset and a SIM card. In Japan, making payments through mobile is very popular, where carrier NTT DoCoMo dominates the market.

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Etisalat presented its latest innovations supporting mobile commerce at the Mobile Money Transfer Conference in Dubai (MMT08) .

Rashed Alabbar, Senior Manager, Product Marketing, eBusiness at Etisalat addressed the conference and said: “Mobile commerce has many applications for consumers and businesses alike. The ability to use your mobile device to buy products and services is convenient, secure and simple. Given the number of people who now own a SIM-enabled device, it is clear that the future of many industries will require a mobile commerce channel strategy.”

The latest World Bank figures quantify the current remittances market at $318bn, with informal transactions taking the total to close to $600bn. By 2030, the World Bank estimates the value will grow to a massive $72trillion.

Etisalat is pioneering mobile commerce services in the Middle East and has already announced trials to launch remittance services between the UAE and India and the UAE and the Philippines. Earlier this year, Etisalat introduced a pilot project with Emirates NBD to introduce Near Field Communications (NFC), which enables mobile phones to be used to buy products and services directly, without the need for cash.

For more information you can log on to www.etisalat.ae

About Wireless Federation

Wireless Federation is an industry research conglomerate headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The mandate of the Wireless Federation is to provide its members and customers industry knowledge that can further enhance their understanding of the wireless industry. Wireless Federation conducts bespoke research and produces boxed reports in collabaration with Industry Bodies, Telecom Operators for Issues that revolve around ARPU, CHURN and Loyalty.
They have been associated with more than 225 mobile operators globally to set their Pricing/ Tariff Strategies, Go-To-Market Strategies for Mobile Advertising, Mobile Payments, Cutting VAS among others amongst 59 countries globally.

For more information you can log on to www.wirelessfederation.com

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MasterCard proclaimed a service through which its users can pay for products with their cell phones. The company’s over-the-air provisioning service lets the card issuers transfer a PayPass application onto handsets that are equipped with Near Field Communication technology. After that customer can use this service as their payement account over a mobile network, and then buy products by swiping the phone near specially-equipped terminals.

The NFC technology facilitates contactless payements and it’s already in many mobile phones around the world. It is forecasted that up to one-third of all cell phones will be NFC-equipped in five years.

“At MasterCard, we are dedicated to the development of a sustainable mobile payments eco-system in which all of our customers and every major mobile player can participate,” said Art Kranzley, MasterCard’s chief emerging technology officer. “By managing the device personalization process for our customers from beginning to end, we are offering a service that is consistent with both customer demand for ease of implementation and consumer demand for ease of use,” Kranzley added.

However, Visa, the contender of MasterCard is also heading towards mobile market and it has been piloting mobile banking and payment services. Additionally, Visa partnered with Nokia to roll out a handset with NFC technology. The comapny said, it would develop applications for Google’s Android platform.

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A consumer service, ‘tikitag’ has been launched by Alcatel-Lucent ‘s Ventures programme. Tikitag enables the launching of online applications by touching an NFC device, such as a mobile phone, to an item tagged with an NFC chip. This service will be available from 1st October through e-commerce websites and offered as a  a beta starter package. Package includes:

• A USB-enabled NFC reader and electronic tags

• Provide access to a community website

At the core of the tikitag service is the tikitag Application Correlation Server (ACS), which manages the link between an NFC tag and a corresponding action to be initiated. Price of the beta starter kit, including an NFC reader, 10 NFC tags, and access to the tikitag community site, is USD49.95.

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Near Field Communications (NFC) is on trial for six months which will inturn bring about electronic payments provider for Singaporeans. To make payements using their mobile phones, NETS, working together with SingTel and United Overseas Bank on that note.

According to NETS and SingTel, aim of the trial is to assess how consumers will use and adapt to this technology. “These days, mobile phones are so much more than just a communication device, and extending their use to mobile payments in a logical step forward,” said Mr Quek Peck Leng, Executive Vice President of Consumer, SingTel. Highlight of this trial is the mNETS Coupon initiative. Users simply open the coupon on their phones and flash it on a NETS FlashPay reader for the coupon to be automatically redeemed.

Presently, the patent for this real-time coupon redemption feature by NETS is pending. “The use of mobile phones as a payment device will give people a new perspective and user experience in making payments. This public trial will enable NETS to stay at the forefront of payment technology and create a sustainable eco-system for mobile phone-based payments,” said Ms Poh Mui Hoon, Chief Executive Officer, NETS.

Trial includes:

• Participation in the NFC public trial is free-of-charge.

• SingTel and NETS will loan customers an NFC-enabled Nokia 6131 phone that functions as an mNETS Wallet.

• SingTel-UOB credit card will be the default mode for topping up the stored value in the trial phone.

• There are no transaction fees or surcharges for purchases.

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