Visa banks to field test DeviceFidelity’s microSD-based NFC solution

The first trials of a Visa-backed NFC add-on will begin during the second quarter of 2010.

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VISA: The trial 'will pave the way for the global deployment of NFC-enabled devices'

Visa has announced plans to field test DeviceFidelity‘s In2Pay technology, a microSD-based NFC solution that enables mobile phones with a memory card slot to be used as a mobile payment device.

Leading technology providers including CPI Card Group, Inside Contactless, Monitise and NXP Semiconductors have signed up to work with Visa and DeviceFidelity to bring the product to market and field trials are scheduled to begin during the second quarter of 2010.

In2Pay includes both an antenna and an industry standard dual interface contactless smart card chip that can be loaded with a certified payment application, such as those from Visa or MasterCard, using standard bank card personalisation and card issuing systems, enabling banks and other service providers to offer NFC services to their customers with minimum amendments to their existing infrastructure.

Once an In2Pay microSD card has been personalised with a cardholder’s details it can be inserted into one end of a specially designed plastic ‘card’ which can then be distributed to customers using a standard bank card mailer.

When the customer receives his new device in the mail, he simply detaches the card from the carrier, removes the NFC microSD device from the card and inserts it into his mobile phone. Software then installs and a prompt appears on the phone’s screen instructing the customer to enter a password on the mobile phone’s keypad. Once that has been done, the customer’s phone is NFC-enabled for whatever applications the bank has chosen to install on the In2Pay device.

The first version of In2Pay, launched in November 2009, was designed to work only with applications that are pre-loaded onto the device during the issuing process. Multiple applications such as a combined bank and transit card or a payments plus access control application are possible, however, and DeviceFidelity said during the launch that it planned to add over-the-air provisioning of additional applications during 2010, enabling In2Pay devices  to be upgraded with additional applications over-the-air.

“This collaboration aligns with Visa’s mobile strategy to extend the reach of its global network to bring mobile payments and related services to consumers around the globe,” says the payments network. “With more than 4 billion mobile devices in market today, Visa, in partnership with financial institutions, mobile network operators and handset manufacturers, is working to deliver the benefits of mobile financial services to consumers worldwide.”

“Visa’s goal is to develop innovative ways to bring the value of Visa digital currency to mobile users around the globe,” explains Dave Wentker, head of mobile contactless payments at Visa. “Through our collaboration with DeviceFidelity, Visa is helping to accelerate the adoption of mobile contactless payments and pave the way for the global deployment of NFC-enabled devices.”

“Visa’s global transactions processing network, VisaNet, and its contactless payment technology play a critical role in securely processing transactions initiated with the In2Pay solution, providing real-time fraud monitoring and encryption technology that work in concert to prevent counterfeit fraud and ensure that mobile initiated Visa transactions are as secure as all Visa payments,” the company adds.

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