Gemalto’s NFC SIM First to Earn Approval from Amex, MC, Visa (Dec. 4, 2012)
Dec. 4, 2012
Amsterdam-based digital payment security provider Gemalto has achieved a milestone in its UpTeq NFC payment system for mobile SIM cards, landing certifications from payment card networks American Express, MasterCard and Visa, making UpTeq the first SIM to earn certification from all three networks, according to Gemalto.
Unveiled last February, the UpTeq NFC SIM supports contactless payment and other secure services for American Express ExpressPay, MasterCard PayPass and Visa payWave, and also can be used for mobile identification, coupon redemption and loyalty programs. In August, Gemalto brought UpTeq to Singapore, where it is now being used by the nation’s three mobile phone operators—M1, SingTel and StarHub—along with supporting CEPAS, a local payment standard for small-value purchases. Gemalto also said mobile carriers in Japan, Canada and France are in the process of deploying UpTeq.
Late last month, Gemalto was retained by leading Italian mobile operator Telecom Italia to power a new, NFC-based mobile wallet, which would incorporate Gemalto’s LinqUs Trusted Services platform for NFC application management and its LinqUs mobile payment platform for transaction management.
