Author archive: Sarah Clark

Spanish rail operator Renfe has begun an NFC ticketing trial on Madrid's suburban commuter network, in conjunction with Vodafone. "We are convinced that NFC technology will be the global benchmark and want to be pioneers in providing our customers with the benefit of a more convenient and flexible system," says Renfe president Teofilo Serrano.

An NFC-based mobile wallet that "will work with not just Visa cards from multiple banks, but other cards like American Express," is set to be introduced in August or September next year, Visa Europe commercial director Steve Perry told delegates at the payments network's security summit in Frankfurt last week, reports Pocket-Lint.

The out-of-home advertising giant has picked Singapore as the location for its first NFC-enabled smart poster network and plans to use it as a test bed and case study for the rest of Clear Channel International. More

An additional Nokia NFC phone may be about to launch, according to images obtained by Symbian Tweet. The leaked details suggest that the Nokia 603 will run Symbian Belle, has a 1GHz ARM processor and a 5MP camera as well as NFC.

Regional government workers in France are taking part in a pilot test of NFC car key technology. Twelve Renault Twingo cars shared by staff in Toulouse have been equipped to allow the vehicles to be booked and located via a mobile phone. The car doors and ignition are also operated via NFC.

Signbox has officially launched its Enlighten smart poster range at the Saatchi Gallery in London. The backlit smart posters, first announced in January, use Avery Dennison's N-Zone NFC tag technology.

The launch of the next Google NFC phone, expected to be called the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, has been postponed, This Is My Next reports. The Android handset, codenamed Nexus Prime, was due to be unveiled at a press event in California on 11 October.

Seven thousand Subway restaurants in the US are to be equipped to accept payments via contactless cards and NFC phones by the end of the first quarter of 2012, MasterCard has announced.

Hungary's three mobile network operators — Magyar Telekom, Telenor Magyarország and Vodafone Magyarország — have held a press event to jointly promote the benefits of NFC payments, reports the Budapest Business Journal. The mobile companies should team up with banks, Magyar Telekom boss Christopher Mattheisen told those attending the meeting.

American Express is to make an API available for its Serve digital wallet platform, Harshul Sanghi, the new VP of the company's enterprise growth group has told Techcrunch. "The wallet that has the most brand partnerships is what customers are going to gravitate to," says Sanghi.

BlackBerry Tag will let RIM NFC phone users add each other as BBM contacts and share multimedia content via NFC. More

Watchdata has demonstrated its NFC products and services at the Fifth Islamic Banking Exhibition in Tehran, in conjunction with local firm Padisar Informatics. The two companies are to work together to run mobile payment projects in Iran and will co-promote solutions based on the latest payment technologies.

The next Google phone, expected to be unveiled on 11 October, will be called the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, BGR reports. It will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, includes NFC and will be available in the US exclusively on Verizon Wireless.

A 12 month pilot of the first open loop payment card to be issued by a transportation operator is now underway in the Philadelphia/New Jersey region of the USA. The Patco Wave & Pay Anywhere Visa prepaid cards can be used to make payments at any Visa merchant as well as to purchase tickets to travel on Patco's transport network.

Gavin Krugel has become the latest GSM Association staff member to join Visa. Krugel, formerly a senior director at the GSMA, will be responsible for accelerating the activation of mobile money programs in developing economies.

The Olympics-branded NFC phone announced by Visa and Samsung in March is to be available worldwide, Pocket-Lint reports.

Taiwan Mobile is placing smart posters in its Myfone stores that let customers call a Taiwan Taxi Corp cab using a Nokia NFC phone. The system automatically books a taxi for customers who tap the poster and sends them a text to let them know the cab number and their waiting time.

Smart meters equipped with NFC will allow utility companies to save money and increase convenience, say the partners. More

Korean mobile network operator KT is adding smart posters to bus stops across Gyeonggi Province. Travellers will be able to use the posters to download real-time bus service information via NFC tags or QR codes. More

NFC payments could arrive in Australia as soon as the new year. According to The Australian, "Visa country manager Vipin Kalra said private negotiations between mobile carriers, banks and handset makers had reached a sufficient level of consensus to pave the way for a commercial service in Australia within a few months."