Fime Korea, a leading laboratory in consulting and testing services for mobile devices and secure-chip applications, has achieved test bench qualification for EMVCo Contactless Card Level 1 in Korea, authorising the advanced testing provider to offer contactless card level 1 testing services.
This status allows FIME Korea's NFC Mobile Test Centre to verify that locally developed and manufactured near field communication (NFC) enabled handsets meet the requirements of the mobile payments industry before market launch.
EMVCo is the EMV standard body for credit and debit payment cards based on chip card technology. It has an established certification programme to confirm products meet the requirements outlined in the EMV Specifications. This promotes increased levels of confidence that EMV products will perform as intended and ensures interoperability between payment devices.
FIME Korea opened in 2012 to serve the testing and certification needs of the thriving South Korean mobile device marketplace. This qualification confirms FIME Korea's ability to perform EMVCo Level 1 Contactless PICC analog and protocol tests, and allows FIME Korea to offer certification testing on behalf of payment networks for mobile handsets to the EMVCo Contactless Communication Protocol specification defined by EMVCo. FIME Korea is also equipped to provide Isis certification services which include American Express, MasterCard and Discover interoperability testing.
Myung-Hwa Calais, Operation Director of FIME Korea, comments: "This is an exciting time for the high-technology community in South Korea. The mobile device marketplace is growing exponentially, driving innovation across all areas of smartphone functionality. The ability to facilitate mobile NFC payments is a key priority and we are pleased to offer laboratory certification services in close proximity to internationally recognised mobile and payment brands. This local service will reduce product time to market for Korean world leading mobile manufacturers."
"As markets converge to deliver secure mobile services, we are noting that there is a global demand for testing services within the mobile industry," adds Pascal Le Ray, General Manager of FIME. "The key aim of this activity is to coonfirm that NFC-enabled handsets are fully interoperable and compliant with industry standards and payment specifications prior to market release. FIME is committed to not only expanding its services and capacity offering to support advancing industry needs, but doing so through local operations that can advise on regional variations and provide on-the-ground support."
FIME Korea works with mobile device manufacturers and network operators to provide consulting, laboratory testing and certification services for a range of secure-chip solutions such as transit ticketing, electronic-identity and secure-chip banking applications. The FIME Korea regional operation is part of a global network of accredited laboratories and R&D centres across America, Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and India which serve FIME's international customer base.