Wednesday, May 18, 2011

NFC Mobile Weekly News



NFC news in brief • 17 May 2011

By Christopher Brown | May 17th, 2011
News in brief from the NFC world and beyond: US files lawsuit against Verifone/Hypercom deal • iPhone 5 unlikely to support NFC payments, says analyst • 'Paper' phone unveiled • Vivotech adds NFC to mag stripe terminals • Hashable adds NFC to contacts app • Sequent raises funds • Connecthings invests in Lifera • and more...
US files lawsuit against Verifone/Hypercom deal: The US Department of Justice has filed a civil antitrust lawsuit to block VeriFonefrom buying Hypercom, saying the proposed deal would hurt competition in the market for point-of-sale terminals in the US. As part of the deal Verifone had agreed an immediate sale of Hypercom's US business to French terminal maker Ingenico, but the DoJ says the move does not adequately resolve their competitive concerns. Meanwhile, Vivotechhas renewed its approach to Verifone to buy Hypercom's US business, with Vivotech CEO Michael Mullagh saying he hoped the firm's offer would provide a path to resolve Justice Department concerns.
iPhone 5 unlikely to support NFC payments, says analyst: Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi has said he believes Apple will forgo supporting NFC on its iOS devices until consumer adoption is certain and it has reached a critical mass with merchants. "We do not expect the iPhone 5 to feature an NFC-based payments solution, and instead expect Apple will evaluate and come to market with partners or a complete solution later, perhaps when NFC infrastructure is more established," he said.
Paper phone
PAPER PHONE: Researchers in Canada have shown off a flexible mobile phone
'Paper' phone unveiled:Researchers in Canada have shown off a prototype "paper phone". The team from Queen's University Human Media Lab have produced a paper-thin computer, which users will bend and flex to input commands. The device uses a technology described as “a flexible version of e-ink", the low-power digital ink screen found in e-readers such as the Kindle.
Oberthur looking to sell 60% of its smartcard business? French smartcard and security technologies group Oberthur Technologies is looking to sell a 60% share of its smartcard business, valued at €1bn, according to anonymous sources speaking to Les Echos. Oberthur will contact potential investors next week, with a first round expected in the first half of June. If the sale goes ahead, the company will hold a minority stake but its partner will be a financial rather than an industrial one, so it will retain a high level of operational control. Oberthur would not comment on the story.
Vivotech adds NFC to mag stripe terminals: NFC specialist Vivotechhas introduced an add-on device that lets merchants equipped with magnetic stripe card point-of-sale terminals begin accepting payments via contactless cards, contactless stickers attached to existing phones or NFC-enabled mobile phones. The Vivopay 4800 can also be used to deliver real-time in-store personal marketing offers, merchandising campaigns and loyalty programs.
Sequent raises funds: US-based NFC specialist Sequent Software has closed a series A financing round led by Opus Capital and SK Telecom Ventures. "We are the only company whose sole focus is being a neutral, pervasive administrator of individuals' personal identification and credentials between the payments world, retailers, smartphone providers and mobile network operators," says Sequent CEO Drew Weinstein.
Hashable adds NFC to contacts app: Android contacts app developer Hashable has added NFC support to allow users to swap contact info and check into the same activity with someone. "If you meet someone else with an NFC-powered phone, you can just hold the phones next to each other and contact info will be exchanged via the app," Techcrunch reports. "If the other person is a new contact, Hashable will add that person as one. If it is an existing contact, it will trigger the check-in feature, which on Hashable allows you to check into people instead of to places. It's a way of noting that you are doing an activity with someone to remember later or broadcast it out to your network."
Levi's tests AmEx coupons: American Express and LevelUp, developed by Google-backed start-up Scvngr, are running a multi-city couponless loyalty pilot with Levi's. The new service uses American Express' Smart Offer APIs to let cardholders earn and redeem LevelUp deals when they use their AmEx card to pay. "After purchasing an initial offer, consumers unlock progressive deal levels that get better each time, creating incentive to return to the business and loyalty to the merchant along the way," the companies explain. "When a cardmember uses his or her enrolled card at a merchant, the LevelUp savings will be automatically delivered via a statement credit to the card account."
New members appointed to EMVCo advisory board: EMVCo has announced the expansion of its board of advisors. Ingenico, Inside Secure, the Smart Payment Association and Walmart join spaces reserved for elected EMVCo technical associates and will serve a one-year term.
Identive Group buys e-security firm idOnDemand: Smart identification provider idOnDemand has been bought by Identive Group. Ayman S Ashour, chairman and chief executive officer of Identive, said idOnDemand enhanced his firm's ability to provide electronic security credentials, while strengthening its position in the NFC market.
PayPal buys mobile payment developer: PayPal has bought Fig Card, as it further develops its move into what it describes as the "new retail landscape". Fig Card has developed a USB device that plugs into POS terminals — all the consumer needs is the Fig app on his or her smartphone to make payments. PayPal has not said how the partnership will work, but Max Metral and Hasty Granbery from Fig Card will join the online payments giant.
OSPT appoints Laurent Cremer to push Cipurse: The Open Standard for Public Transport (OSPT) Alliance has announced the appointment of Laurent Cremer as the organisation's first executive director. Cremer joins from his role as international business developer at Arkadin and will lead OSPT's push to establish Cipurse as the primary e-ticketing system for transport operators.
Asia Pacific becomes largest smartphone market: The Asia Pacific region has become the world's largest smartphone market, with year-on-year growth of 98% to 37.3 million units, putting it ahead of Europe, the Middle East and Africa for the first time since 2007, according to research from analysts Canalys. Mainland China, South Korea and India delivered strong volumes and registered triple-digit growth. Android led the global smartphone market for the second quarter running, increasing its share to 35%.
Connecthings invests in Lifera: NFC marketing services provider Connecthings has bought shares in Silicon Valley-based Lifera. Laetitia Gazel Anthoine, CEO of Connecthings, will join the Lifera board. The companies aim to roll out an NFC trial in California this summer involving retail, hospitality and entertainment.
Solacia certified NFC USIM: Solacia, a Korean mobile embedded software developer, has achieved Common Criteria certification for its NFC-enabled universal subscriber identity module (USIM), according to Etnews.co.kr.
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NFC Opens a Lot of Doors

Most people have heard of NFC but usually associate it with mobile payments.  But NFC can and does so much more.  Smart Posters, instant location based offers/coupons, heck it can even get you in out of the rain...


If you have an NFC enabled phone or better yet, a PIN encrypted/protected "key fob" from NFC Data, (pictured below) you can lock or unlock your Lockitron enabled door simply by waving your phone over an NFC tag with the pending release of their native Android app. 

NFC is more secure than traditional RFID cards because authentication is handled between the phone and the Lockitron service. Where a cloned RFID card represents as much of a risk as a copied key, a cloned NFC tag is useless without an authorized user’s phone.


NFC Data's NFC Key Fob Keeps Your Doors Closed to Intruders
with an encrypted Personal Identification Number (PIN) 
Lockitron works by sending a signal from your phone through servers to a small device that plugs into your internet router. This in turn talks to your door telling it to lock or unlock.

Lockitron is compatible with the most popular lock styles. Check if your door is compatible with a Lockitron Self-Install Kit

Replace your keys with your phone

Use your phone to unlock your home, business or rental from anywhere in the world. Instantly share virtual keys with family, friends and guests. Watch our 1 minute demo.

  or 
Get Lockitron
  starting at $295

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Michaels Breach Arms Banks and CU's for New Attack on Durbin Amendment


The Durbin Amendment would cap debit fees at .12 cents for large banks and, frankly, they don't like it.

By ROBIN SIDEL and VICTORIA MCGRANE for the Wall Street Journal

"Banks and credit unions are using a recent debit-card scam at Michaels Stores Inc. as fresh ammunition in their fight against a federal proposal to reduce the amount they can charge merchants for processing such payments. The new attack is aimed at part of the Dodd-Frank financial-overhaul law enacted last year that limits the fees banks can charge retailers each time a consumer swipes a debit card. The measure has pitted banks against merchants and has been one of the most contested provisions of the financial overhaul law on Capitol Hill."  <>
fraud_jp
Getty Images
A data breach at Michaels Stores, whose logo on a shopping-cart child's seat is seen here, is the latest flash point over debit-card fees.


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Big Announcement Coming from Square?

What’s the announcement? I don’t know, but according to Michael Arrington at TechCrunch, founder Jack Dorsey says it’s a big one. Does it relate to the Visa investment in Twitter, I mean Square?  Are they going to announce that they will actually "encrypt" the card holder data?  Oh it says "exciting news"...stay tuned...


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ISIS Mobile Wallet Likely to "Officially Launch" in 2012


by Elizabeth Woyke - Forbes, cross posted from Near Field Communications
May. 17 2011 – 7:06 pm
If ISIS, the mobile payments joint venture established by AT&T, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless late last year, achieves its goals, it will be the way most Americans pay for purchases with their cellphones. So, just how will this service work?

How ISIS mobile transactions will work, on the phone
Forbes recently got a preview of the ISIS “mobile wallet” application, which will likely officially launch in 2012. The app will come preloaded on compatible phones, either as part of their removable “SIM” cards or elsewhere in the phone’s hardware. The handsets need to be equipped with chips that support the wireless communication technology Near Field Communication (NFC). For now, the app only works with phones that run on AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon’s networks though ISIS says it would welcome the inclusion of other U.S. carriers, including Sprint Nextel.
As its name implies, the ISIS app functions like a digital version of a wallet. It stores credit and debit card information in the form of digital card images that can be sorted and swiped with a finger. Tapping on a card calls up relevant data, such as the amount of money available, current balance and credit line information. Users can also view the transaction history related to that card.
Since ISIS also aims to be a full mobile commerce platform, capable of serving up mobile coupons and storing loyalty program information, the ISIS app also keeps track of retail reward cards. In the app’s current permutation, loyalty cards are stored at the bottom of the app’s screen while credit and debit cards inhabit the top. ISIS Chief Executive Michael Abbott says the firm plans to install NFC readers near store doors so consumers can scan their phones (and loyalty cards) as soon as they enter shops. That would allow shoppers to receive coupons targeted to their interests on their handsets while they browse.
The app also includes one-touch shortcuts for adding and enabling new cards, deleting cards and accessing a “help” directory. To make a purchase, shoppers will need to select a card to use, then wave their phones near NFC readers.
Though the app is considered (and called) the ISIS mobile wallet, ISIS will not handle payment transactions. Instead, payments will be routed over a bank or credit card company’s network, depending on the card being used. ISIS simply provides a “top-level, secure container” for the card data, says Abbott.
The ISIS wallet will also be a container for various widgets that will be able to deliver offers, coupons and other messages to users. Abbott says each financial institution and merchant that signs on to ISIS’ system will be able to host its own widget or app within the wallet. The three carriers backing ISIS (AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon) can also host widgets/apps in the ISIS wallet, but Abbott says the operators will not get preferential treatment or placement. Independent companies like Groupon could also have a widget.
The structure has some interesting ramifications. One is that ISIS — and, by extension, the carriers behind ISIS – won’t know what its users are buying. Once a consumer taps on a card in the wallet, the app shifts to the corresponding bank’s “space.” “That information is routed to the banks,” says Abbott. “We’re not trying to intercept it.”
That should bode well for the security of ISIS mobile wallet transactions but it appears to shut the carriers out of the lucrative business of mining purchase data to direct personalized marketing and advertising offers to users. Abbott concedes that ISIS would have liked to own that information but says users may have objected to the practice and banks certainly would have. “Banks do not want outside people to have that information,” says Abbott. “They consider it proprietary.”
The upshot is that even though ISIS is supported by companies that are big brands and have direct relationships with millions of consumers, ISIS itself is a “B2B2C” company, i.e. a company that supports companies which in turn work with consumers. “We support other people’s consumers; we don’t own the consumer ourselves,” notes Abbott.
ISIS considered other options that would have allowed it to play a different role, such as condensing credit cards down to their 16 digits and redirecting those numbers “to the cloud”, where they could be routed around the card issuers. The firm also debated developing a new technology protocol that would let a user save all of his card data with ISIS and sidestep bank security. ISIS also thought about employing NFC stickers similar to California startup Bling Nation. But since each of those ideas presented security or cost hurdles, ISIS ultimately decided to pursue an open platform model.
The model, naturally, still bakes in some advantages for ISIS and its investors. Any business – bank, merchant or otherwise – that wants to be part of the mobile wallet will need to pay for inclusion. Abbott declined to share the exact revenue structure but contends that ISIS’ system “creates a substantial amount of value” for its partners that they, in turn, will be happy to pay for. “If you don’t try to hijack the card data, you can really build a [mobile commerce] ecosystem,” says Abbott. “And that’s what the merchants and banks really want.”

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Woolworths Selects FIS for Prepaid Card Processing

May 17, 2011 09:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time 
CORRECTION...by FIS
Fidelity National Information ServicesJACKSONVILLE, Fla. & SYDNEY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FIS™ (NYSE: FIS), the world’s largest provider of banking and payments technology, today announced Woolworths Ltd. has selected FIS as its premier provider for prepaid card processing, including card acquisition and transaction processing services.
Woolworths’ desire to deliver innovative new products quickly and cost effectively was a key factor in its choice to team with FIS for prepaid card processing. The FIS Card Processing Services platform, which supports both consumer and commercial accounts, currently processes more than 250,000 prepaid cards for Woolworths. With real-time access to payment information and the ability to customize the system, FIS provides Woolworths with the resources to provide better service to its customers.
Since 1924, Woolworths has been a well-regarded merchant in both Australia and New Zealand. As Australia’s largest retailer, Woolworths operates through different brands across a range of businesses including supermarkets, petrol, liquor, general merchandise, hardware, consumer electronics, hotels and pubs. Since 2007, Woolworths has embarked on an ambitious financial services program offering credit cards, ATMs, gift cards and general-purpose prepaid cards.
A recognized leader in the prepaid industry, FIS processes 180 million prepaid cards annually. FIS supports prepaid cards in 34 countries and 16 currencies, accounting for 775 million transactions annually.
When evaluating service providers for its EFT payments functionality, FIS’ expertise and service to its customers was the differentiator. In deploying an entirely new infrastructure – and in an area that was foreign to Woolworths – its ability to rely on FIS for expert assistance and support was crucial.
“The ability to rely on our technology partner to assist not only during the development and deployment stage, but long after, is of paramount importance to us,” said Dhun Karai, Head of Group Financial Services, Woolworths Ltd. “FIS continues to be instrumental in our success; its staff provide knowledge and expertise in areas where we have little experience, ensuring that we operate efficiently and serve our customers well.”
“Our relationship with Woolworths continues to grow and strengthen. It recently honoured FIS with two awards – Software Supplier of the Year and IT Supplier of the Year − which are a testament to its level of satisfaction with FIS’ solutions and service levels,” said Richard Palmer, managing director, FIS Australasia. “With the longest tenure in the prepaid industry – encompassing nearly 30 years – FIS will help Woolworths create a better customer experience that drives growth and strengthens its customer relationships.”
FIS (NYSE: FIS) is the world’s largest global provider dedicated to banking and payments technologies. With a long history deeply rooted in the financial services sector, FIS serves more than 14,000 institutions in over 100 countries. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., FIS employs more than 32,000 people worldwide and holds leadership positions in payment processing and banking solutions, providing software, services and outsourcing of the technology that drives financial institutions. FIS is ranked 426 on the Fortune 500, is a member of Standard & Poor’s 500® Index and consistently holds a leading ranking in the annual FinTech 100 list. For more information about FIS, visit www.fisglobal.com.
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Thales payShield 9000 Awarded Best Secure Transaction Solution by SC Magazine


May 17, 2011 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time 
WESTON, Fla. & CAMBRIDGE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Thales, leader in information systems and communications security, announces its payShield 9000 Hardware Security Module (HSM) has won SC Magazine’s award for Best Secure Transaction Solution. The magazine’s annual awards for the European information security industry recognise those vendors at the forefront of innovative security technology delivery.
http://www.thalesgroup.com/iss
“For more than 20 years Thales has been at the forefront of security and payments technology. payShield 9000 further demonstrates our commitment to delivering innovative and high quality security solutions and this has been recognized with this SC Magazine award.”
Thales’s payShield 9000 was acknowledged for its world-leading cryptographic performance and resiliency. Designed specifically to secure card payment systems, Thales’s next generation HSM for payment security systems is a high-performance tamper-resistant security platform that protects cryptographic keys and other sensitive information such as customer PINs and cardholder data.
“Growing transaction volumes, an increase in the amount of data that needs to be protected with the introduction of PCI DSS, and a move from static to dynamic authentication (SDA to DDA) EMV cards require a huge increase in cryptographic processing power, resulting in a massive change in the need for payments card HSMs,” says Franck Greverie, Thales vice president in charge of information technology security activities. “For more than 20 years Thales has been at the forefront of security and payments technology. payShield 9000 further demonstrates our commitment to delivering innovative and high quality security solutions and this has been recognized with this SC Magazine award.”
Thales payment HSMs protect more than 70% of the world’s card payments. payShield 9000 is the first payment HSM to meet the resilience needs of modern data centres with dual power supplies, and once installed can be managed entirely remotely reducing operational costs and the inconvenience of on site management . Its superior cryptographic processing at 1500 transactions per second (TPS) satisfies the ever increasing demand for performance, and its software packages are configured specifically for card issuers or transaction processors meaning they can purchase exactly what they require.
For more information on Thales e-Security, visit www.thales-esecurity.com and our digital media centers www.keymanagementinsights.com and www.paymentssecurity.com
Notes to editors
The Information Technology Security activities of Thales
Thales e-Security is a leading global provider of data encryption solutions to the financial services, high technology manufacturing, government and technology sectors. With a 40-year track record of protecting corporate and government information, Thales solutions are used by four of the five largest energy and aerospace companies, 22 NATO countries, and they secure more than 70 percent of worldwide payment transactions. Thales e-Security has offices in France, Hong Kong, Norway, United States and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.thales-esecurity.com
About Thales
Thales is a global technology leader for the defence & security and the aerospace & transport markets. In 2010 the company generated revenues of €13.1 billion, with 68,000 employees in 50 countries. With its 22,500 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design, develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the most complex security requirements. Thales has an exceptional international footprint, with operations around the world working with customers as local partners. www.thalesgroup.com

Contacts

Thales e-Security
Liz Harris
+44 (0)1223 723612
liz.harris@thales-esecurity.com
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