Research In Motion announced the
BlackBerry Bold 9900 and BlackBerry Curve 9360 smartphones are the first
SIM-based NFC smartphones to be certified by MasterCard Worldwide as
PayPass-approved devices.
The certification was granted on the basis of the
BlackBerry smartphones meeting the functionality, interoperability and security
requirements of MasterCard. With this certification, any MasterCard
PayPass-issuing bank will be able to deploy MasterCard PayPass-enabled accounts
to the SIM card of these smartphones.
The ecosystem to allow customers to take advantage
of the certified BlackBerry smartphones for NFC payments is already growing.
France Telecom – Orange believes that mobile NFC
has the potential to enable a new revolution in mobile by further connecting
people’s mobile digital world with the physical world around them. France
Telecom Orange is the first operator to have commercial NFC launches in two
countries, UK and France, with trials in several European markets.
“We are committed to actively marketing NFC
devices, and these new smartphones will help accelerate the adoption of
mobile NFC services secured by an Orange SIM, including mobile payments,” said
Vincent Barnaud, director of Contactless Services at France Telecom Orange.
“We are working proactively
with our carrier partners, banks, retailers and other industry players and we
are excited to push the boundaries of how NFC can enable new mobile experiences
for BlackBerry smartphone users around the world,” said Andrew Bocking, vice
president, Handheld Software Product Management at RIM.
“MasterCard is proud to be
the first to certify these popular BlackBerry smartphones for mobile payments,
and offer consumers another simple, easy, safe and convenient way to pay.
In card payments, MasterCard has long been a leader in the testing and
certification of products for the benefit of customers, issuers, merchants
and acquirers,” said Mung Ki Woo, group executive, Mobile at MasterCard
Worldwide.
By Telecomlead.com Team
editor@telecomlead.com
