Gemalto announces world’s first UICC-embedded software application (Netherlands)
Gemalto has announced the world’s first UICC-embedded software application compliant with Mobile MasterCard PayPass M/Chip 4, the brand new MasterCard payment specification designed for mobile near field communications (NFC). The software application and the UICC have both successfully achieved the compliance assessment and security testing certification in accordance with MasterCard’s highest chip security requirements.
This major breakthrough paves the way for mass commercial rollouts of NFC payment across the world. In the UK, Gemalto is already partnering with a global, first-tier financial institution and a world leading mobile operator, to implement the new MasterCard certified mobile payment application and carry out the solution’s first mass commercial roll out.
Gemalto’s software application embeds the Trusted Service Management interface for PayPass. This feature enables mobile account issuance and over-the-air management. Its user-friendly handset interface makes mobile NFC payment extremely convenient, for example enabling consumers to easily manage the new payment means and check transaction history. It also allows consumers to define their mobile Personal Identification Number (PIN), a code of their choice, through their phone. The mobile PIN is a new cardholder verification method used notably to secure operations such as account top-up from the mobile phone.
The Gemalto mobile NFC payment application can be configured so as to cover all card portfolios including debit, credit and prepaid. In the latter case, the software application enables consumers to top-up their prepaid accounts directly from their mobile phone the utmost convenience for prepaid customers.
Inwi introduces instant messaging service with Gemalto (Morocca)
Gemalto has announced that Moroccan operator Inwi has launched LinqUs SIMessenger, a mobile instant messaging service with the company.
Gemalto’s LinqUs SIMessenger enables mobile chatting through any handset. LinqUs SIMessenger offers an intuitive menu that allows subscribers to access their Windows Live Messenger environment with an experience similar to what they get when accessing it from a PC.
Inwi has already surpassed the 250,000 milestone for passes sold every month since the commercial launch of the messaging service in February 2010.
NetOne to offer mobile money transfers (Zimbabwe)
NetOne has signed a deal with Gemalto to offer a mobile money service. Expanding the possibilities of Mobile Money Transfer, it also enables NetOne’s customers to have their salaries paid directly onto their phones.
According to Philippe Vallee, Executive Vice President, Gemalto, NetOne, with its excellent network coverage and evenly spread agent distribution structure, will bring banking services to even the most remote areas in Zimbabwe. They look forward to supporting NetOne in their efforts to revolutionize Zimbabweans’ everyday lives in this and other future innovative projects.
NetOne also intends to work with the Government of Zimbabwe and Pension Fund schemes to allow the OneWallet to be used for pension payments and thus remove the need for traveling long distances for the purpose of collecting pension payments.
DoCoMo and KT Corp sign cross-border NFC deal (Japan, South Korea)
NTT DoCoMo and KT Corp have announced a joint agreement to develop cross-border services for mobile payments based on NFC technology, which they will launch in their respective markets of Japan and South Korea from around the end of 2012.
With the joint Business & Technology Cooperation Committee, the two companies are developing NFC common specifications that will be incorporated in devices, networks and billing platforms for seamlessly connected mobile NFC services. Customers travelling between South Korea and Japan will be able to access the services using compatible Android handsets embedded with contactless IC chips.
DoCoMo has tied-up with payment technology company brand Visa, NFC chip and mobile handset manufacturer Samsung Electronics and SIM card vendor Gemalto. In addition, DoCoMo will collaborate with Sumitomo Mitsui Card and bitWallet for cross-border services.
Furthermore, DoCoMo and KT will accelerate development of their existing infrastructures, as well as seek the participation of NFC-based service providers in various industries. DoCoMo has been providing NFC-based Osaifu-Keitai mobile-wallet services in Japan since 2004. KT has been operating a post-paid mass transit service in South Korea since 2002.
DoCoMo is also planning to submit an outline of the common specifications to global industry associations and standardization bodies, such as the GSM Association.
Claro Brazil selects Gemalto for Pre-Paid Number allocation
Gemalto has won a supply contract from Brazil’s Claro for its number management platform. The number management solution will remove the requirement for Claro to stock pre-activated subscriber identification modules, enabling instead activation only when the mobile phone is switched on for the first time.
It is primarily targeted at prepaid subscribers and provides them with the option to choose their phone number when buying a new SIM card. The customer is given a choice of three numbers to select from.
According to Winik, Director of operations and consumption, Claro, Gemalto has renowned expertise in digital security solutions, and they knew they could trust them with the sophisticated integration into their system. The company’s main challenge was how to manage prepaid number inventory more effectively and this solution makes it much easier for them to adapt to market demand. They expect significant cost reductions from this deployment.
NXP and Gemalto Sign Licensing Agreement for Adding MIFARE to UICC Cards
NXP Semiconductors N.V and Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, announced a global strategic licensing agreement for NXP’s MIFARE(TM) technology, enabling Gemalto to integrate MIFARE into its UICC cards. This cooperation aims at spurring the usage of NFC mobile devices in the MIFARE infrastructure, therefore accelerating worldwide deployments of mobile contactless services.
The agreement enables Gemalto to complement its existing NFC application portfolio with MIFARE DESFire(TM) and MIFARE Plus(TM) technology for its UICC security solutions. As a result, mobile operators and service providers will be able to offer a broad range of mobile contactless services thanks to the widened availability of UICC cards incorporating MIFARE. This is the most widespread contactless technology worldwide and provides high levels of performance, flexibility and security in public transportation, access management, and event ticketing and customer loyalty programs.
“MIFARE is already at the heart of contactless infrastructures around the world,” said Henri Ardevol, vice president and general manager, secure transactions, NXP Semiconductors. “We are proud to collaborate with Gemalto to offer the convenience of this technology to a new target of 5 billion mobile phone users.”
“Adding the MIFARE capability to Gemalto’s NFC application portfolio is key for the mass deployment of mobile contactless,” added Remi de Fouchier, senior vice president, Trusted Services Management, Gemalto. “We are enthused that more and more consumers around the world will enjoy the simplicity and convenience of waving their mobile phone for couponing and stored value payment and transport services.”
This expansion of the MIFARE licensing program further underscores the leadership of this technology as an open architecture platform for end-to-end solutions in both smart cards and smart devices such as mobile phones. In addition to this latest license for SIM cards, NXP has licensed MIFARE technology to various chip manufacturers, while hundreds of manufacturers supply MIFARE reader terminals and smart cards.
About NXP Semiconductors
NXP Semiconductors N.V. provides High Performance Mixed Signal and Standard Product solutions that leverage its leading RF, Analog, Power Management, Interface, Security and Digital Processing expertise. These innovations are used in a wide range of automotive, identification, wireless infrastructure, lighting, industrial, mobile, consumer and computing applications. Headquartered in Europe, the company has approximately 28,000 employees working in more than 25 countries and posted revenue of US$ 3.8 billion in 2009. For more information, visit www.nxp.com
About Gemalto
Gemalto (Euronext NL 0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security with 2009 annual revenues of EUR1.65 billion, and over 10,000 employees operating out of 75 offices, with research and service centers in 41 countries.
Gemalto is at the heart of our evolving digital society. The freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain, and work–anytime, anywhere–has become an integral part of what people want and expect, in ways that are convenient, enjoyable and secure.
Gemalto delivers on the growing demands of billions of people worldwide for mobile connectivity, identity and data protection, credit card safety, health and transportation services, e-government and national security. We do this by supplying to governments, wireless operators, banks and enterprises a wide range of secure personal devices, such as subscriber identification modules (SIM), Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) in mobile phones, smart banking cards, smart card access badges, electronic passports, and USB tokens for online identity protection. Moreover Gemalto delivers on emerging applications related to the ‘Internet of things’ by supplying wireless modules and machine identification modules (MIM) for machine-to-machine communication. To complete these solutions we also provide software, systems and services to help our customers achieve their goals.
As the use of Gemalto’s software and secure devices increases with the number of people interacting in the digital and wireless world, the company is poised to thrive over the coming years.
Gemalto files patent infringement lawsuit on Android in US
Gemalto, French smart card maker and digital security company NV has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the U.S. against Google Inc., HTC Corp., Motorola Inc. and Samsung Electronics CO., Ltd. and Samsung Telecommunications America LLC.
According to the company’s statement, the lawsuit concerns the use of Gemalto’s innovations in the Android operating system, Dalvik virtual machine and associated development tools and products. The patented technologies in the lawsuit, in particular Gemalto’s Java Card Technology, were developed in the 1990′s at Gemalto’s research and development facilities in Texas.
According to the complaint on the website of the U.S. law firm hired by Gemalto, McKool Smith, the Java Card Technology enables Java applications and applications developed in other high level programming languages to run on resource-constrained devices such as smart cards and mobile phones.
As per the complaint, the Mountain View, California-based Internet search giant Google develops and actively distributes to application developers and device manufacturers what it refers to as the Android Platform, which incorporates Gemalto’s patented Java Card Technology without its permission. Taiwan’s HTC, U.S. telecommunications company Motorola and Korean company Samsung Electronics make, use, sell and offer to sell Android Devices having the Android Operating System and Android Applications, including mobile phones. The Android devices provided by defendants that incorporate the Android Operating System and Android Applications infringe one or more claims of the patents-in-suit.
Tata DoCoMo to offer SIM based service & apps (India)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Mobile banking, mobile chatting, information on demand, wallpapers, games and what not. Tata DoCoMo subscribers can enjoy all these facilities as the telco has partnered digital security firm Gemalto to offer these SIM based services and applications.
The service by DoCoMo will support both Hindi and English and the user will be asked for his preference while activating the service. User preference and choices will also be remembered by the service so that the user gets preferred content as real time updates.
According to the company, if an ongoing cricket series is selected by a user as an option, then he will receive all related content on his mobile without having to stream the news from the menu service tab.
NFC mobile payment service launched in Amsterdam
The Mobile J/Speedy near field communication (NFC) mobile payment pilot service has been launched in Amsterdam, following initial trials in September. Those involved in the trial are JCB, KPN, Gemalto, CCV Holland, NXP Semiconductors, PaySquare and ViVOtech. The pilot service is being deployed to a wider group of JCB customers. This is the first contactless international credit payment scheme using a mobile phone with an NFC chip in Europe. Selected JCB cardholders are provided with a Nokia mobile phone, which is equipped with an NFC chip, developed by NXP and loaded with the JCB payment application specified by JCB and developed by Gemalto. At selected PaySquare merchants, cardholders can securely purchase items by just holding their handsets close to ViVOtech’s contactless NFC reader/writer, which is attached to the payment terminal of CCV. KPN is responsible for installing the application and personalising the mobile phones.
Source- http://www.telecompaper.com
