The advent of mobile point of sales transactions

I had in an earlier post covered the topic of mobile phone payments and phones that act as your wallet through the NFC (Near Field communications technology). http://technologyandtelecom.blogspot.com/2009/03/of-wallet-phones-and-mobile-payments.html

A significant development in this context was achioeved by the credit card major, VISA who have enabled the first mobile payment for a Point of Sale transaction, thus enabling the consumer to purchase an NFC enabled mobile device of the shelf and use that device to make the VISA pay wave enabled transaction at the point of sale instead of using their credit cards.This service waas launched in Malaysia early April 2009. Maxis Malaysia, Nokia, Maybank have collborated with VISA to offer its pay wave services on mobile devices. Initially this service is enabled in the Nokia 6212 handset and 1800 outlets in Malaysia.

The contactless chip embedded in the device will also power a number of additional functions, including a contactless transit application that enables Malaysian commuters to pay for charges while using metropolitan transit systems, bus terminals, highway toll gates and car park facilities at more than 3,000 contactless payment touch points throughout Malaysia. Maxis has branded these mobile payment services under the name Maxis FastTap.

Momentum for Visa Mobile Payments Continues to Grow

Visa is driving the convergence of two of the world’s most ubiquitous consumer products, 1.7 billion Visa cards and 4 billion mobile phones, by bringing its expertise in payments to the mobile industry. Over the last two years, Visa has worked closely with mobile network operators, handset manufacturers and financial institutions, merchants and technology provider to develop and commercialize mobile payments and related services. Recent Visa mobile payment activities include:

Visa announced last week that it is extending mobile payments to Singapore in partnership with Citibank Singapore Limited and MobileOne (M1). The Citi M1 Visa payWave payment trial on mobile devices marks the first program in Singapore where a mobile device will be used for payments at the point-of-sale. More than 750 merchant locations across Singapore are participating in the three-month pilot, which begins in May 2009. Up to 300 selected Citi M1 Visa Platinum account holders will be invited to join. Participating account holders will be provided a Nokia 6212 classic, the same NFC-enabled handset used in the commercial launch in Malaysia. Participating Citi M1 Visa Platinum account holders will be able to purchase an item at a Visa payWave merchant in Singapore simply by waving the mobile phone in front of a contactless reader at the point of sale.

In Canada, Visa, RBC, and Rogers Wireless have come together for the next phase of a mobile payment pilot, which will ultimately allow Canadians the flexibility to make purchases securely at the point of sale with a wave of their mobile phone. Designed to be a fast and convenient way for customers to pay for small purchases, pilot participants will be issued specially-equipped mobile phones that can simply be waved at Visa payWave-enabled checkout readers at select retail stores and quick-service restaurants in Toronto’s downtown core.

Of Wallet Phones and Mobile Payments

Wallet phones are mobile phones equiped to include bank cards, credit cards, house keys, company access control IDs, electronic cash, train tickets and many more functions. Wallet phones in principle can take over all functions which our wallet has.Wallet phones enable mobile operators to enter new industries, especially the payment and credit card industries. For this reason wallet phones represent innovation and disruption for established industries, such as credit cards.

Payments through mobile phones is a fundamental shift of paradigm occuring in the wireless communication industry. It originated in Japan. Due to declining ARPU Japanese mobile operators are creating new streams of income independent of voice or data traffic. This paradigm shift led DoCoMo to invest in financial institutions, create a credit brand, and make a series of other investments including brick-and-mortar business, while competing operators follow different strategies.

The NFC (near Field Communications) technology has been there on the horizon for sometime now. Currently, local mPayment transactions, also known as proximity mPayments or Near Field Communication (NFC), do not have much scope as only 1 percent of mobiles sold in 2008 were allegedly NFC-enabled and there is no widespread, popular recipient technology to complete an NFC payment. NFC is a technology that enables devices to wirelessly exchange data without physical contact within a range of 4 inches. It eliminates the need for all types of plastic transaction cards and, therefore, contributes towards saving the environment. It works in the 13.56 MHz radio frequency band, has a bandwidth of 2 MHz and can support 848 kbits per second exchange of data.

However, 2008 turned out to be the first big year of reckoning. In 2008, approximately $72 billion mobile initiated business was accrued via an estimated 25 billion transactions made by nearly 40 million consumers, which included roughly $24 billion for purchasing games, music and ringtones. 18% of US households wired to the internet have made sometype of mobile payment in 2008 including online bill payment, money transfers to individuals, online loan payments and online purchases. 

A new analysis by Juniper Research in mobile payments opportunity forecasts that, by 2013, the figures could jump exponentially to $860 billion generated made by close to 450 million consumers with 285 billion transactions, dedicated towards the purchase of physical goods (typically gifts and books) and services other than mobile content on- demand/digital goods (such as music, tickets and games). mMoneyTransfer is expected to generate more than $200 billion in 2013.

Highlights from the report include:

• Global annual gross transaction value will grow over 5 times by 2013

• The ticketing segment will be driven by consumer usage on rail, air and bus networks as well as sports and entertainment events This will represent over 40% of the global transaction value by 2013

• The top 2 regions (Far East and W. Europe) will represent over 60% of the $300bn p.a. global mobile payment gross transaction value by 2013 for digital and physical goods. Western Europe is currently dominated by digital goods and services sold via SMS, whereas the Far East & China region (specifically Japan) is already well established in physical goods sales over the mobile web, and has been for a number of years.

Informa estimates that by 2013 more than 10 percent of all mobiles in use will be NFC- enabled, technology support to receive NFC payment will be common, and these factors should facilitate close to 180 million users to pay restaurant bills, buy tickets, pay toll fees, and buy groceries, apparel and home equipment.

In 2008, only 67 million mobile phone users accessed mBanking services, whereas in 2013 the figure could reach one billion.

Amongst banks, mobile manufacturers and technology vendors, the buzz about Mobile payments is discernable. Recently Visa (the world's largest electronic payments network), demonstrated its mobile payment solution at Dubai. With a network across 170 countries, it will not be too long before Visa takes the mobile payments technology to the mass.

The stumbling block in large scale adaption would do with threat perception of transaction security. An NFC survey by ABI research indicates the transaction security to be the concern amongst users. It is only a little time and the convenience factor, which will sway the users towards use of the m-Payment platform.