Placard Pty Ltd, Australia's leading supplier of card production and personalisation services, has selected Bell ID's trusted service manager (TSM) software solutions to enable it to provision and manage mobile near field communication (NFC)-based applications for its customer base.
Placard can now assume the role of a TSM, using Bell ID's software platform to support mobile network operators (MNOs) and service providers such as banks and transit operators to deploy mobile NFC services. Through its TSM services, Placard provides the personalisation of NFC secure elements and the secure provisioning of applications - such as payment, loyalty and transit - 'over the air' to an NFC enabled mobile handset pre- and post-issuance.
"Bell ID's software solutions enable Placard to offer services and support to the emerging NFC industry. We recognised a need within the region for services of this nature and have extended our personalisation capabilities to include NFC-enabled mobile devices. Additionally, having the facilities to offer traditional TSM services combined with support for all form factors of secure element, including Secure Element in the Cloud, has put Placard at the forefront of the NFC ecosystem," said Chris Nunis, CEO of Placard.
Pat Curran, Executive Chairman of Bell ID, adds: "2014 is the year when value added NFC services will come to consumer devices. We are already seeing services launching to consumers in markets such as Canada so it is pleasing to see Placard taking the initiative in Australia and using our technology to capitalise on the mobile NFC opportunity."