Created in response to market demand, the group will focus initial activity on specifying a standard language to facilitate communication between TSMs operating within the banking sector and mobile network operators (MNO).

As independent trusted third parties, TSMs facilitate the secure management and provisioning of mobile contactless services within a mobile near field communication (NFC) ecosystem, and must be capable of interacting with all mobile network operators and service providers. Using its cross-industry expertise, GlobalPlatform's TSM Working Group will analyze the interfaces between TSMs and MNOs to define a common and secure messaging specification.

The specification will detail how TSMs can communicate with MNOs to interact with the secure element on a mobile handset to deliver convenient and creative services directly to the end user. The specification will be reusable across different market sectors, for instance for deploying mobile contactless payment or contactless services for public transportation.

Eric Le Saint, Chair of the GlobalPlatform Systems Committee and Director of Security, IP and Standards Engagement at ActivIdentity, comments: "Acknowledging a real demand from the market, GlobalPlatform released a white paper last year which outlined the management of applications in a range of NFC usage scenarios, and the roles and responsibilities of each player within the ecosystem. Creating the GlobalPlatform TSM Working Group and addressing in a messaging specification some of the challenges in the white paper is a logical next step for the organization. The TSM working group has the capability and expertise to effectively progress this activity."

Marc Kekicheff, Vice Chair of GlobalPlatform and leader of the Mobile Task Force, and Senior Business Leader at Visa Inc., adds: "It is vital that a common language is defined to ensure efficient communication between the key players within the NFC ecosystem to enabo enable contactless payment services to be deployed and managed on a mass market scale. There has already been significant interest and contributions from GlobalPlatform members, which represents the entire NFC landscape, as well as new members eager to participate."

In addition to working with the GlobalPlatform Systems Committee, the TSM Working Group will also benefit from the market experience of GlobalPlatform's Mobile Task Force. This group has established links with associations such as Association Européenne Payez Mobile, EMVCo, European Payments Council, European Telecommunications Standards Institute, GSM Association, Mobey Forum and StoLPaN, and will provide invaluable contributions to the activity.