Near Field Communications Handsets and Tags, NFC Pilots and Projects

Etisalat, Emirates NBD, Gemalto and Visa to bring mobile contactless payments to the UAE

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Etisalat, a UAE-based telecommunications services provider, Emirates NBD, a UAE bank, Gemalto and Visa have unveiled plans to offer mobile contactless technology in the region that will enable NBD Visa cardholders to purchase goods and services with their NFC-enabled mobile phones.

Purchases will be charged directly to the customer’s Emirates NBD Visa credit card account. NFC enabled mobile phones will soon be available from handset manufacturers like Samsung and Nokia in the UAE and Etisalat is working to bring these to market.

The plans were announced at Gitex Technology Week 2009, which concludes tomorrow at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center. [end] 

United Arab Emirates-based telecom Etisalat is partnering with MasterCard and Network International to launch nationwide NFC payments.

Scheduled to launch this fall, the service will enable Etisalat customers with Blackberry 9900 smart phones to make contactless purchases at more than 600 retail locations in the UAE that already accept MasterCard PayPass contactless payments. Customers using the mobile application can tap and pay for items up to $50, but must enter a PIN to verify the transaction.

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Visa Europe has announced that NFC-enabled smart phones from Samsung, LG and Research In Motion have been certified for use with Visa payWave, Visa’s mobile application for payments at the point-of-sale.

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Collis has announced the launch of its Visa Mobile Payment Specification (VMCPS) Test Suite, enabling the functional testing of UICC or secure element-based contactless mobile payments applications.

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Etisalat Afghanistan, the country’s fastest growing cellular operator, has announced the launch of its “mHawala” mobile financial services.

Etisalat Afghanistan customers can use mHawala to make contactless mobile transactions at the point of sale, as well as purchase air time, pay bills and transfer funds to family and friends directly from their mobile phone.

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Metro Inc. is partnering with Visa to bring payWave contactless payments to its chain of 600 grocery stores across Ontario and Quebec.

Beginning early next year, shoppers at Metro, Metro Plus, Super C and Food Basics will be able to pay for items with a tap of a contactless Visa credit or debit card against a reader at the point of sale.

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Visa Europe is anticipating a big year for contactless and NFC payments, with issuance projected to leap from 30 million in 2011 to 50 million in 2012.

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