The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and the Curve 9360 are now officially certified by MasterCard as PayPass-approved devices, according to Research in Motion (RIM).
RIM claims the handsets are the first SIM-based near field communication (NFC) smartphones to be PayPass approved. The PayPass device is MasterCard's contactless point of sale terminal.
“With this certification, any MasterCard PayPass-issuing bank globally will be able to deploy MasterCard PayPass-enabled accounts to the SIM card of these smartphones,” says RIM.
In order to be approved, the handsets have had to meet the functionality, interoperability and security requirements of MasterCard.
The new BlackBerry Bold smartphones, unveiled by RIM in May this year, were the first BlackBerry devices to be equipped with the much-hyped NFC technology.
NFC is short-range wireless technology that enables mobile devices in close proximity to exchange data, and has been punted by many analysts as the technology most likely to drive growth of mobile commerce.
RIM says it has been working on partnerships with banks and credit card companies in order to offer mobile wallet and mobile payment functionalities. The company, however, says it is waiting on its operator partners to flesh out their NFC plans before it will begin supporting contactless mobile payments.
VP of handheld software product management at RIM Andrew Bocking says: “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.”
Secure element
MasterCard is also a key partner in the Google Wallet project, which has already gone live for select Nexus S users, and also allows for payments to be made by tapping their handsets at PayPass terminals.
International contactless and NFC payment software company VivoTech has been involved with MasterCard and BlackBerry in several roll-outs over the world, and also powers the reading devices of the Google Wallet.
Director of business development of local VivoTech reseller Qmuzik Mobile, Hansie du Plessis, says RIM is very aggressive in putting NFC capability in their handsets.
Du Plessis explains that the SIM is just one of a possible four NFC configurations for handsets.
“The configurations control where the so called secure element (SE) presides. The secure element is an electronic vault that will house your credit/debit card details in the case of MasterCard,” says Du Plessis, adding that the SE is extremely important for payments.
“People may be aware that we often use a so-called chip-based credit card. You can see a SIM-like module on the card. It is exactly the same as your SIM card in your phone. Therefore, the SIM as a position to place the SE makes perfect sense.”
Not if, but when
Regarding NFC in SA and the readiness of local banks, Du Plessis says: “We are all very aware of mobile network operators partnering with banks. Absa has recently announced its partnership with Vodacom and the MTN/Standard Bank partnership is also well known.”
Du Plessis says three major things need to be in place for a bank to deliver a customer's credit card on their phone: an NFC-enabled handset, the relevant bank needs to have set up trusted service manager software, and the point of sale needs to be equipped with a capable reading device.
“It's simple and powerful, but an effort that requires a few areas or parties to come together,” says Du Plessis.
“South African banks are leaders in technology and innovation and we expect NFC to be available in small controlled environments in 2012. The question now is who will be first.”
Du Plessis says the NFC Forum, which controls NFC standards across the world, has projected that 20% of handsets will be NFC-enabled by 2014.
“So it is not a question of if, it is a question of when,” concludes Du Plessis.
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