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There is a sudden surge of attention around Host Card Emulation, a technology that enables Near Field Communication contactless payments without requiring access to the phone's secure element (a chip that carriers control). Several mobile wallets are either in testing or fully live with the technology. (Image: ShutterStock)
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An employee displays the interface for the Visa payWave contactless payment system using a Samsung Galaxy SIII smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013. The Mobile World Congress, where 1,500 exhibitors converge to discuss the future of wireless communication, is a global showcase for the mobile technology industry and runs from Feb. 25 through Feb. 28. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg
Simon Dawson/Bloomberg

Visa

Visa is testing Host Card Emulation (HCE) for contactless Visa payWave payments made from smartphones. The card network says several issuers are already piloting this technology. (Image: Bloomberg News)
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MasterCard logos appear on credit and debit cards arranged for a photograph in New York, U.S., on Thursday, July 30, 2009. MasterCard Inc., the world's second-biggest payment-card network, posted profit that beat analysts' estimates as the company raised fees and processed more transactions. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
ANDREW HARRER/BLOOMBERG

MasterCard

MasterCard has also gotten behind HCE, with plans to publish an HCE specification it developed over the past year with Capital One and Banco Sabadell. (Image: Bloomberg News)
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A sign hangs from a Bankinter office in Barcelona, Spain, on Friday, Jan. 22, 2010. Bankinter SA, a Spanish bank with two-thirds of its loan book in mortgages, said fourth-quarter profit declined 1.9 percent on higher costs and a drop in lending revenue. Photographer: Xabier Mikel Laburu
Xabier Mikel Laburu/Bloomberg

Bankinter

Bankinter has plans to use HCE to support mobile payments for its customers in Spain. It tested a mobile virtual card last year with technology provider Seglan. (Image: Bloomberg News)
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A jogger passes Google Inc. sign at the headquarters in Mountain View, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2010. Google, owner of the world's most popular search engine, said third-quarter profit increased as businesses spent more on advertising for online consumers. Photographer: Tony Avelar/Bloomberg
Tony Avelar/Bloomberg

Google

When Google added HCE to the latest version of its Android smartphone software, Google Wallet was the first mobile app to benefit. As soon as the phones installed the new operating system, they prompted users to start making contactless payments. (Image: Bloomberg News)
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A newly launched BlackBerry Z30 smartphone, produced by BlackBerry Ltd., sits with a presentation box in this arranged photograph taken in London, U.K., on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013. BlackBerry, the smartphone maker looking to go private in a $4.7 billion deal, is seeing support from suppliers, customers and partners wobble amid speculation the company may shut down its handset business. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg
Simon Dawson/Bloomberg

BlackBerry

Android may be getting all of the attention today, but NFC card emulation was already a feature of BlackBerry phones. Some smartphone models can even support NFC transactions after the phone's battery dies. (Image: Bloomberg News)
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Tim Hortons Inc. signage is seen on the door of a restaurant in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013. Tim Hortons Inc. Chief Executive Officer Marc Caira said Canada’s largest coffee and doughnuts chain must succeed in the U.S. as competition brings slower growth at home. Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg
Brent Lewin/Bloomberg

Tim Hortons

Just after Google added HCE to Android phones, the Tim Hortons coffee chain updated its mobile app to use HCE for contactless payments. (Image: Bloomberg News)
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The Google Inc. Android character stands at the front desk during a media tour for the grand opening of Google Inc.'s new office in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012. The office space encompasses five color-coded floors and features amenities such as a pool table, video games, mini-golf putting greens and a camping lounge where employees can hold meetings in a tent. Photographer: Brett Gundlock/Bloomberg
Brett Gundlock/Bloomberg

SimplyTapp

Before Google made HCE a built-in feature of Android 4.4, the technology was placed on modified versions of Android by SimplyTapp, an Austin-based tech developer. Pictured: Google Android mascot (Image: Bloomberg News)
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Is Isis Next?

All of these efforts seem like an attack on the carriers' Isis wallet, an NFC-based payment system that enjoyed a home-field advantage on the AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile networks. But Isis could possibly make use of HCE as well, extending its own reach to the remaining U.S. carriers. (Image: ShutterStock)

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