Smart starts small-scale Pay-Buy-Mobile trial in the Philippines

The Philippines’ largest mobile operator has started a small scale NFC trial using equipment that meets the latest GSMA technical specifications.

<b>SMART MOVE</b> "We are paving the way for our customers to enjoy the benefits of NFC"
SMART MOVE 'We are paving the way for our customers to enjoy the benefits of NFC'

Smart Communications, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) company with 34.2m subscribers, has announced that its planned NFC test, part of the GSMA‘s on-going Pay-Buy-Mobile trials, has now begun.

The suppliers for the small-scale trial are:

  • Nokia, providing modified Nokia 6131 NFC phones
  • Giesecke & Devrient, providing ProxSIM NFC-enabled SIMs which communicate with the NFC controller in the Nokia phones using the Single Wire Protocol (SWP).
  • MasterCard, providing PayPass transaction functionality
  • Venyon, providing management of the secure downloading and administration of NFC applications over the mobile network.

“By launching trials of this mobile payment system we are paving the way for our customers to enjoy the benefits of NFC technology in the near future, especially because NFC-enabled cards guarantee a high level of security required for cash-equivalent transactions. With this innovative project, we are preparing for a technology that can simplify payment transactions and, in the long run, further spur the growth of mobile commerce in the country,” explained Smart’s Jojo M Malolos.

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