Amsterdam, Netherlands – Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, has announced that its Up Teq NFC SIM embedded software and product has been selected by Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) to secure its NFC payment programme.
CHT is Taiwan’s largest mobile network operator with 10 million subscribers. The initiative, using the SIM as the secure element to safeguard mobile NFC transactions, was approved by the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan, and is supported by leading Taiwanese banks Cathay United, Chinatrust Commercial, E.Sun, Taishin, as well as handset makers HTC Corp., Samsung and Sony.
CHT subscribers will be able to use their mobile phone for contactless payments at over 20,000 MasterCard® PayPass™ point of sale readers across Taiwan, including supermarkets, department stores and a fleet of taxis. The pilot also supports additional NFC services such as multiple credit and prepaid cards, loyalty cards, coupons and ticketing.
Gemalto’s UpTeq NFC SIM is the tamper-proof secure element that provides banking-grade security for mobile contactless transactions. It also enables CHT to easily deploy and manage additional NFC services after the card has been issued to subscribers in the field. This unique flexibility is key to attracting more service providers looking to harness NFC technologies while ensuring successful deployment and adoption of a broad range of mobile NFC services.
“The strong support of the Gemalto local team helped us achieve first-to-market advantage in using the SIM to secure mobile payments,” said by Joseph Kuo, Director of Value Added Services at CHT. “It is part of our strategy to ‘seed the market’ by equipping all of our subscribers with the UpTeq NFC SIM so we are ready for mass deployment of mobile contactless services.”
“MasterCard continues to lead the demands in Taiwan market by providing consumers with the most innovative payment technology and creating new opportunities for financial services,” said Julie Yang, Head of Taiwan, MasterCard. “Gemalto’s UpTeq NFC SIM solution provides EMV-payment level of protection for mobile contactless transactions and also opens the door to a wealth of innovative NFC services beyond payments for the benefits of the consumers as well as business stakeholders in the value chain.”
“With leading partner banks bringing significant clout to the programme, CHT is poised to play a leading role in the swift deployment of mobile NFC services,” added Michael Au, Senior Vice-President of Telecommunications at Gemalto Asia. “This will also spur new service providers to onboard the NFC ecosystem to offer a wide array of NFC services such as mass transit, access control and information download from smart posters.”
Meanwhile in Korea, FIME Korea, a leading laboratory in consulting and testing services for mobile devices and secure-chip applications, has achieved test bench qualification for EMVCo Contactless Card Level 1, authorising the advanced testing provider to offer contactless card level 1 testing services. This status allows FIME Korea’s NFC Mobile Test Centre to verify that locally developed and manufactured NFC enabled handsets meet the requirements of the mobile payments industry before market launch.
EMVCo is the EMV standard body for credit and debit payment cards based on chip card technology. It has an established certification programme to confirm products meet the requirements outlined in the EMV Specifications. This promotes increased levels of confidence that EMV products will perform as intended and ensures interoperability between payment devices.
Myung-Hwa Calais, Operation Director of FIME Korea, comments: “This is an exciting time for the high-technology community in South Korea. The mobile device marketplace is growing exponentially, driving innovation across all areas of smartphone functionality. The ability to facilitate mobile NFC payments is a key priority and we are pleased to offer laboratory certification services in close proximity to internationally recognised mobile and payment brands. This local service will reduce product time to market for Korean world leading mobile manufacturers.”
“As markets converge to deliver secure mobile services, we are noting that there is a global demand for testing services within the mobile industry,” adds Pascal Le Ray, General Manager of FIME. “The key aim of this activity is to confirm that NFC enabled handsets are fully interoperable and compliant with industry standards and payment specifications prior to market release. FIME is committed to not only expanding its services and capacity offering to support advancing industry needs, but doing so through local operations that can advise on regional variations and provide on-the-ground support.”
FIME Korea works with mobile device manufacturers and network operators to provide consulting, laboratory testing and certification services for a range of secure-chip solutions such as transit ticketing, electronic-identity and secure-chip banking applications. The FIME Korea regional operation is part of a global network of accredited laboratories and R&D centres across America, Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and India which serve FIME’s international customer base.
