NFC-enabled Samsung, RIM and LG devices to work with the 175,000 payWave terminals in Europe.
payWave is the consumer-facing brand name for the Visa technology that supports touch-free payments on credit cards, SD cards and special phone 'jackets'.
The next stage is to embed the tech in a secure SIM card. Hence this announcement, which confirms the following certified phones: Samsung Galaxy S II, LG Optimus NET NFC, BlackBerry Bold 9900, BlackBerry Bold 9790, BlackBerry Curve 9360 and BlackBerry Curve 9380.
The announcement guarantees that each device meets payWave performance and interoperability requirements.
There are around 30 million contactless Visa cards across Europe, and over 175,000 contactless terminals. By the end of 2012 there are expected to be more than 50 million contactless Visa cards in circulation across Europe.
"This is an important step for Visa, its financial institution partners and the mobile industry," said Bill Gajda, global head of mobile product at Visa Inc.
Article continues belowAdvertisement
"In addition to issuing plastic magnetic stripe or chip-enabled payment cards, financial institutions can now consider offering their accountholders a way to transform their smartphones into fully functional mobile payment devices."
Many observers expect 2012 to be a breakthrough year for NFC, not least because of the showcase given to the tech by Samsung and Visa at the London Olympics.
Add a new comment
You need to be logged in to post comments. If you do not have an account then please register.
Comments
0 comments
There are no comments yet, be the first to add one!