NFC news in brief

Clear2Pay has received NFC Forum certification for the latest release of its NFC Forum conformance test suite. "The test solution enables chip and device manufacturers to verify the digital conformance of NFC devices to the latest NFC Forum device requirements," the testing specialist explains. "The solution will be used in authorized test laboratories for official certification testing of NFC products worldwide. The tool will also be available for the device vendor community's debugging and pre-certification needs."

Citibank has introduced contactless payment stickers in Singapore with its Quick Pay Tag service. The stickers, which can be used for payments of up to S$100 (US$80), are available for all customers of Citibank Singapore to link with any Citibank Visa credit card. For added security, users can switch their tag on and off with an SMS message.

Mobile payments services will only start to take off once consumers are using them two to five times a day, Peter Hazlehurst, director of product management at Google, has told delegates at Mobile World congress 2013. At that point usage "moves into habit", Mobile World Live reports.

Think&Go NFC has picked up first prize in the GSMA's NFC Challenge at Mobile World Congress 2013 for its Dynamic NFC-Screen, a display technology that enables NFC phone users to interact with video promotions, collect coupons, download content, navigate through advertising media and add products to a mobile shopping basket. "GSMA judges described it as a real wow effect for NFC", says Think&Go's Tim Baker.

Watchdata Technologies has announced the commercial availability of SIMpass SC, an all-in-one NFC SIM solution that incorporates an NFC antenna within a SIM card form factor. The product was unveiled at the 2012 Mobile World Congress. "This allows any mobile handset to be transformed into a contactless NFC payment device by simply changing the SIM card," the company says.

Sony is demonstrating a media centre that includes NFC functionality at Mobile World Congress 2013. The Personal Content Station PCS LLS-201 enables media to be transferred from a phone to the device with one touch of an Android NFC phone. The 1TB device was unveiled at the CES in January.

Accumulate has launched the Mobile Payment Fast Track Pack, an update of its its Mobile Everywhere (ME) platform that supports NFC, QR codes, P2P, online and in-store payments. "Accumulate's solution is technology independent and supports all major mobile platforms, all mobile networks, all mobile network operators and all pairing technologies," the company says.

UAE-based carrier Etisalat has picked up the gong for 'Best NFC/Mobile Money Product or Service' at the GSMA's Global Mobile Awards. Flous is an NFC-based mobile commerce service, unveiled at Gitex in Dubai.

Nokia NFC Writer for Windows Phone 8 devices is now available from the Windows Phone app store, allowing users to read and write to any standard NFC tag with their mobile phone.

Russia's "Big Three" mobile network operators — MTS, Vimpelcom and MegaFon — are in discussions to create a joint venture company for the rollout of NFC services, Alexander Popovskiof, vice president of operations at MTS, has told Vedomosti.

Gemalto is demonstrating a proof-of-concept NFC enterprise ID service at Mobile World Congress 2013. "Utilizing the company's proven UpTeq NFC SIM, Gemalto's experimentation enables secure and fast entry to buildings as well as [providing] strong authentication on PCs, laptops, IT networks and other company services with nothing more than a tap of the phone," the company says.

China Unicom is to to use Gemalto's UpTeq NFC SIM to secure the Unicom Merchants' Bank mobile wallet it is rolling out in conjuction with China Merchants Bank (CMB). The NFC wallet enables consumers to make purchases at merchants who accept China UnionPay's QuickPass contactless payments service. Gemalto's UpTeq NFC SIM has now been chosen by mobile operators for 25 NFC projects around the world, the supplier says.

Testing specialist Fime has been awarded additional secure element accreditation by EMVCo. Fime can now verify that a secure element meets the payments standards body's Application Activation User Interface (AAUI) and Proximity Payment System Environment (PPSE) requirements for providing the security and functionality needed to enable an end-user to select their preferred payment application in a contactless environment.

Orange has signed a strategic agreement with MasterCard "to enhance and accelerate" the delivery of innovative mobile payment services in Spain. "This is a decisive step for Orange in our commitment to offer to our private and business customers the most innovative mobile payment solutions using several technologies for the different scenarios of electronic payments," says Alicia Calvo, innovation director for Orange Spain.

Fifteen PVR cinemas in India have implemented an NFC payments service that works with BlackBerry 10 phones. The PVR wallet app lets moviegoers pay for both tickets and refreshments via NFC and is provided by NEC India, which has developed a cloud-based payment system called NFC e-Money server.

ManageEngine has added a range of mobile device management (MDM) services to its Desktop Central service, designed to make it easier for IT departments to manage the move towards 'bring your own device' (BYOD) and 'bring your own application' (BYOA). The addition of NFC support means that IT admins can now get an alert if the system detects that an employee's mobile device has been NFC enabled. They can then turn the NFC functionality on or off, as required.

Gemalto is demonstrating a new NFC mobile wallet at Mobile World Congress 2013. LinqUs "enables financial service providers and retailers to rapidly deploy a breadth of services that can be customized to their specific needs," the company says, and includes a secure application framework, dedicated mobile wallet server and pre-integrated connectivity with Gemalto's TSM and mobile payment platforms.

A Windows Phone 8 app that can control household lighting has added support for NFC tags. Oni: Light Control works with Philips Hue Connected Bulbs and allows the user to set lighting moods that can be recalled later by tapping their NFC phone to a tag. A video shows the app in action.

Boloro Kuwait has completed a contactless payments pilot on public transit in Kuwait City. The trial, in partnership with mobile network Zain, saw customers use contactless stickers attached to their phones to pay for journeys on buses operated by Kuwait Public Transport Company (KPTC) and CityGroup. A 16 digit code links the Boloro sticker to the customer's prepaid mobile account, and a receipt delivered by SMS confirms each transaction. "The pilot has been a success on all counts," says the company.

US startup Scanther is raising funds on Indiegogo for a combined mobile website plus NFC tag package for independent retailers. The service is designed to enable small merchants to market their businesses via QR, SMS and NFC-enabled counter signs, window decals and table top signs that link directly to a custom mobile-optimized website.