Near Field Communications Handsets and Tags, NFC Pilots and Projects

Plans to release m-payment services raise concerns in the EU

Friday, January 29, 2010

Just as the European Union is ready to unveil mobile payment technology, phone operators and customers are having second thoughts about the product. Mobile payments are drawing concerns from both parties, according to Euractiv.com. Consumers are worried about who will be tracking their purchasing history the level buying history privacy that will be exposed, while phone operators are thinking about how the mobile payment system could generate revenue.

According to Inge Flatraaker, a Norwegian official involved in negotiations to release m-payments, a French trial of the product yielded some response to the use of m-payments on public transport, but little success in shops.


The security measures are also being negotiated. Consideration has been given to the fact that with m payments, a stolen phone could be used for purchase without anyone noticing. As of now, the European Payments Council, the architects of SEPA, and the GSMA are still in the process of writing the security requirements for m-payments.

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Oracle has released a new version of Oracle Retail Point-of-Service that aims to increase security, operational efficiency and functionality in part by integrating biometrics.

Oracle partnered with DigitalPersonal to add integrated biometrics to the POS package. Users of the software will login using their fingerprint, which will replace the need for PINs or passwords. This feature intends to reduce fraud by eliminating the possibility of unauthorized employees using a manager ID or swipe card to access the POS and approve overrides.

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Authentication and access provider DigitalPersona released the results of a survey that found more than half of retailers rely on passwords for point-of-sale system login in, even though they also have great concerns over passwords being shared and misused.

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Identive Group Inc. has announced a deal to acquire a majority stake in Hamburg, Germany-based payment solution AG, a cashless payment system provider for stadiums, arenas and other types of entertainment venues.

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McDonald’s and Barclaycard are gearing up to launch NFC awareness campaigns aimed at spurring the adoption of contactless payment technology, according to MarketingWeek.

Barclaycard, which holds the highest share (71%) of the UK contactless market, reports that contactless transactions have doubled in the last year, but are still “nowhere near” where they want to be, according to Tom Gregory, Barclaycard’s head of digital payments.

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Superdrug, one of Britain’s largest beauty and health retailers, has introduced contactless payment for its in-store customers, according to Retail Gazette.

Created by Streamline and Visa Europe, the contactless system will enable customers to make payments of up to £15 (approx. USD $23) by simply waving their contactless bank card at the more than 50 participating Superdrug stores in London and Liverpool.

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In Europe, the Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS) and EPASOrg has developed a new global standard to help accommodate changes in new payment technologies, according to SupermarketNews.com

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