SOURCE: ViVOtech
SANTA CLARA, CA and CENTURION GAUTENG, SOUTH AFRICA--(Marketwire - Nov 7, 2011) - ViVOtech, the NFC (near field communication) software and systems company, and African software supplier, Qmuzik Technologies, today announced that they have entered into an agreement whereby Qmuzik will resell, implement and support ViVOtech's NFC Trusted Service Manager (TSM) software suite in Africa. Qmuzik has extensive experience in RFID and telecommunications implementations in the aerospace and defense sectors, as well as prepaid airtime and voucher distribution in Africa. Qmuzik's broad African footprint and local expertise make it an ideal partner to bring ViVOtech's proven NFC technology to the region.
NFC is best known for making mobile payments possible with the simple wave or tap of an NFC-enabled smartphone. But the possibilities go way beyond mobile payments -- NFC is ushering in an era of mobile commerce, enabling a wide range of uses from making payments and redeeming coupons to controlling access to secure office complexes or even sharing photos, business cards or other digital content with the wave of a cell phone.
"Qmuzik implemented the first NFC pilot project in the region in conjunction with MTN and the North-West University in 2008," said managing director of Qmuzik, Jan Small. The pilot involved working with 20 students on the North-West University's Potchefstroom campus and substituting their MiFare student cards with NFC handsets. The students could use the handsets to gain access to the campus and residences, and make purchases from the cafeteria and surrounding providers.
VISA South Africa's country manager, Mandy Lamb, said, "VISA is supportive of the adoption of NFC in South Africa. In order for NFC to be successful, there is a need to ensure that a significant number of mobile phone handsets that support the technology are available. To bridge the technology gap between NFC-enabled phones and non-NFC phones, VISA supports a micro SD card-based solution, which will enable faster rollout of NFC in South Africa. Our support for this technology is in line with our vision to be the best way to pay and be paid in Africa. ViVOtech brings substantial global experience to South Africa and VISA is excited to see Qmuzik offering the solution locally."
The South African government recently began accepting contactless cards, including NFC-enabled phone handsets, as the standard for public transportation fare collection. This new development is encouraging the major banks to fast-track NFC deployments in South Africa.
Patrick le Roux, who heads up the Southern Africa Near Field Initiative (SANFI), recently presented NFC technology at the Retail Africa conference in Cape Town and said, "Retailers that want to remain relevant will need to seriously consider the impact of NFC."
Michael (Mick) Mullagh, ViVOtech's CEO, said, "ViVOtech has been leading NFC innovation for more than 10 years and has participated in more than 20 NFC mobile payment and marketing projects around the world. The African market will benefit significantly from NFC, as the recent success of closed loop payments and mobile money demonstrated. Qmuzik has the experience and expertise to bring this important technology to the region."
Qmuzik has a team of 130 staff ready to roll out ViVOtech's software. It has also received strong support from mobile phone manufacturers, such as Nokia, that recognize the tremendous opportunity of NFC in the African market.
"We have collaborated with ViVOtech on a number of NFC projects around the globe and we have recently been working with Qmuzik to identify NFC projects and partnerships on a local level. We are excited about the potential of NFC within Southern Africa and look forward to collaborating on commercial campaigns within both Open and Secure NFC environments," commented Adam Birchall, Nokia's head of NFC partnerships and development, MEA.
