RSSNear Field phones come one step closer to replacing cashiers
By Tim Conneally | Published March 3, 2008, 4:10 PM
Imagine if your cell phone represented your bank account. Rather than a "smart card," you could wave your smart phone in front of a payment kiosk. Today, the standard to bring that about worldwide took a huge leap forward.
Today, "wallet phones" took one step closer to becoming a reality with the European Telecommunications Standards Institute's (ETSI) approval of another Near Field Communications (NFC) standard.
Near field wallet phones (or Osaifu-Keitai, as NTT DoCoMo calls them) were first put to use in Japan around 2004. There, a properly-equipped handset could authenticate purchases merely by having its user hold it up to a reader -- very much like a Mobil SpeedPass dongle.
Near Field Communication is similar to RFID in that it utilizes inductive coupling to send data, but it differs because it is capable of two-way conversation between device and reader. Instead of passively offering the user's information, NFC devices can exchange more complex instructions.
The GSMA began an initiative called Pay-Buy-Mobile which has been advancing this technology's standardization through regional trials to eventually bring it to a wider market.
| A demonstration of a cell phone-triggered payment system using the HCI interface standards announced today. |
In October, the first major portion of this project was approved, when the ETSI adopted the Single Wire Protocol (PDF available here). The SWP, in short, links the user's Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC/SIM) to the near field communications chip.
Today's announcement approves the software layer that runs atop the SWP, allowing a single menu, secure interface that controls the user data.
Fine as long as they keep the usual methods of payment for those of us who don't want to nuke our brains so don't have mobile phones.
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|Yup, it does everything but authenticate!
Can we say I anticipate a slight bump in stolen phones?!
But gee, NO ONE loses a phone, and complete with easy access into your financial accounts!
Whoopee! It sure ure beats buying raffle tickets!
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|Because, as we all know, they couldn't tie this in with, say, a fingerprint scanner on the phone or anything, right?
I mean, what we're going to end up with is *exactly* the same kind of phones we have today, but just with added bank-account thievery, right?
*shakes head*
If you think it will be as easy as stealing a phone, you haven't actually given it any real thought...
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|Didn't they try this in Europe a number of years ago as well?
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|Pretty cool, but in the video why do they have to hold the card up there for 5 seconds? Should be immediate. Would be nice to have for vending machines when all I've got are twenty's and I really dont want $18.75 in coins.
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|I can use text mesaging to pay for parking, movie tickets, soft drinks from vending machines, etc. in NZ and it works well, it all gets added on to my phone bill at the end of the month.(I have a company paid for phone)
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