IMGCAP(1)]
Two European companies say they have completed tests that move the firms closer to rolling out Near Field Communication technology, which enables consumers to use mobile phones to make contactless payments and to exchange information between their phones and other devices or objects containing NFC chips. The tests involve NFC technology from Germany-based card vendor Giesecke & Devrient and Venyon, the NFC joint venture G&D established with Finland-based handset maker Nokia. The companies tested the interoperability of G&D's NFC-enabled ProxSIM cards for mobile phones and Venyon's "trusted service manager" technology that enables mobile operators and service providers "to securely issue their applications and services on NFC-enabled mobile phones via the mobile network," according to a release from Venyon and G&D. The tests showed the two technologies can work together and conform to industry standards, including those from the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, the two companies say. Testing took place over the past three months, spokespeople for the two firms tell CardLine Global. Mobile-phone operators, financial institutions and other payment-related organizations are testing NFC around the world, but no large-scale rollouts of the technology have occurred.
