Collaboration key for successful contactless mobile payments

As with cards, contactless mobile payments raise a number of issues such as merchant service charges for retailers, points of interaction for customers and security risk. However, the biggest stumbling block in ensuring the long-term success of NFC technology is building and maintaining cross-industry relationships. The involvement of mobile operators means that the mix of relationships required for NFC is even further complicated than the transit-bank relationships evidenced in scenarios such as OnePulse. It is an unbalanced business ecosystem with many more banks in Europe than telcos, transit companies and handset manufacturers. This complexity is compounded by the fact that banks and their potential partners have very different views on the level of security required for payment applications residing on a mobile phone. Finding a viable commercial model that fits all parties' requirements and that is affordable and convenient for consumers is the priority.