In the future, Norwegian consumers will be able to use mobile phones just as easily as payment cards to pay for goods in shops.
DnB NOR and Telenor are now testing the first contactless mobile phone payment solution.
The testing in Oslo is the first of its kind in the Nordic region and takes place in cooperation with MasterCard Worldwide, Giesecke & Devrient, BBS (the Banks' Central Clearing House), EDB and Teller in the café at the trade centre Telenor Expo Fornebu. A NFC enabled mobile phone capable of making contactless payments is used, together with a new type of SIM card from Giesecke & Devrient for secure storage of the payment program.
DnB NOR and Telenor are cooperating on future payment solutions. Since September 2007, DnB NOR and Telenor have been cooperating with MasterCard Worldwide to facilitate contactless payments with mobile phones using MasterCard® PayPassTM technology.
"We will use this technology when making mobile phone payments in the café at Telenor Expo, and now we have finally come so far that we can test how this functions in practice," says Bent Bentsen, project manager for DnB NOR's new payment solutions.
Soon in the Oslo city centre
The aim is to test the solution in shops in strategic places in Oslo in the fall of 2009.
"We wish to learn more about what Norwegian banking and mobile phone customers think about this type of mobile phone payment solution," says Bentsen.
All-encompassing mobile
Lars Ingvard Hoff, head of the FutureSIM initiative in Telenor Research & Innovation, strongly believes that much of what we have in our wallets will gradually be incorporated in SIM cards.
"For example, you may have payment cards, tickets and keys in your mobile phone. This is the first step on the way to reach this vision. The project demonstrates that cooperation with companies in other industries enables us to offer our customers new, innovative services," he says.
International trend
Payment solutions based on contactless technology are rapidly being launched in markets throughout the world, especially in the US and Asia. The solutions are promoted by the large payment networks, such as MasterCard, and major mobile network stakeholders like GSM Association.
Carlos Rodriguez, General Manager, Nordic Region, MasterCard Europe, said: "MasterCard pioneered the development of contactless technology. Across the world, there are now over 50 million MasterCard PayPass cards and devices that can be used at nearly 41,000 retailers in 28 countries. We're proud to be the first payment brand to extend that innovation to the Nordics and hope that Nordic consumers embrace the speed, convenience and security of contactless payments in the same way their European neighbours have."