Barclaycard and wireless-network operator Everything Everywhere Ltd. this summer plan to launch the United Kingdom’s first contactless mobile-payment system, the companies announced Jan. 27.
Both parties are working with an unidentified handset manufacturer to place SIM cards inside mobile devices that would enable consumers to conduct payments at terminals with compatible readers. The companies are using the SIM card to support the contactless function because they claim it protects consumers’ transaction and personal data better than using a separate Near Field Communication chip.
The card will feature MasterCard Worldwide’s PayPass contactless-payment product, and Gemalto NV will be responsible for Barclaycard’s trusted service management operated services, which enable the secure deployment and management of mobile contactless payments, according to a press release.
Neither Barclaycard nor Everything Everywhere was available for comment.
Everything Everywhere is a partnership between France-based mobile-network operator Orange and German operator T-Mobile, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG. Barclaycard and Orange entered into a strategic partnership in 2009 (see story).
The companies are positioning the launch as “the beginning of a revolution in how we pay for things on the high street,” Gerry McQuade, Everything Everywhere chief development officer, said in a press release. “It’s a cultural shift that is as important as the launch of the personal credit card or ATMs.”
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