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United States-based Citigroup Inc. Tuesday formally announced the launch of a Near Field Communication test in India. As CardLine Global reported earlier, the test will take place in Bangalore and will enable users to make contactless credit card payments with NFC-equipped mobile phones loaded with MasterCard Worldwide's PayPass application (CardLine Global, 22 June). The trial also involves the local Vodafone Group mobile operator in India and United States-based contactless vendor VivoTech Inc. Test participants will use Nokia 6212 "classic" phones, Citi says in a release. Immediate comment from Citi was unavailable, and the statement did not specify how many consumers would participate in the test, nor did it state how long it would last, though some reports indicated six months. A VivoTech spokesperson tells CardLine Global the test will involve 3,000 to 5,000 consumers. Among other goals, the bank hopes the trial will help it work out business-case issues for NFC, a technology that embeds contactless chips in phones and other devices, according to CardLine Global sister publication Cards&Payments.
