Isis join forces with Gemalto digital security:
Yes the world of buying and selling is about to change dramatically, and we are surely soon going to be entering a totally cashless society. Are you scared, intrigued or ecstatic?
In a move that may give some indication as to why the Samsung Galaxy Nexus has still not arrived in the US, the joint venture called Isis sees AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless join partners with mobile security company Gemalto to improve the NFC (Near Field Technology) payment security to Isis based NFC enabled mobile devices.
It is rumoured that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus Release delay was down to Google Wallet (an alternative NFC technology) already being installed and enabled on the Samsung Nexus smartphone, this was apparently causing the last minute jitters in the US for Verizon, after the 9th of December release date was postponed at the last minute.
Obviously this makes a lot of sense when Verizon want to push their own NFC technology, though is far from fully corroborated.
The carriers behind Isis, AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless have stated that they brought Gemalto on board as they liked the look of the Allynis Trusted Service Manager (TSM) solution.
NFC needs to be fully secure from the go:
With the potentially revolutionary new methods of paying for good and services about to roll out globally in the next few years. Technology like NFC has to be secure, it is of paramount importance that any large corporation that wants to be recognised as a leader in the field and trusted to deliver and process payments over mobile devices, must ensure that the technology partner they choose at the formative stages of a working model is the right one.
Isis wants to provide:
“an open and secure mobile commerce platform that will revolutionize how consumers shop, pay and save.”
And when talking about the choice of Gemalto as security partners to Isis’s NFC desires, Ryan Hughes, Chief Marketing Officer of Isis states:
“We selected Gemalto for their long-standing relationships with financial institutions and mobile operators, which includes experience in securely provisioning services over the air and issuing sensitive financial information to the consumer. Gemalto’s dedication to security is unmatched in the industry and will provide the Isis Mobile Commerce Platform with the necessary infrastructure to ensure consumer and merchant confidence in the Isis Mobile Wallet.”
Were will Isis based NFC mobile payments work?
Isis NFC will provide mobile device owners who have NFC technology enabled, with the ability to make payments in retail outlets such as cinemas, restaurants, and pretty much any other retailer who wanted to be part of the system, and the mechanism would allow for easy management of coupon programmes, loyalty cards, and other useful areas, such as mass control, though I am not fully aware what this is right now.
Sébastien Cano, Senior Vice-President of Gemalto North America ha said this about the new partnership between Isis and themselves:
“Gemalto is thrilled to support Isis in delivering the speed, security and convenience of mobile contactless payment. Using our extensive experience with worldwide commercial deployments Gemalto has designed a solution for Isis to support mobile payment and a host of NFC services like digital coupons and loyalty programs, access control and mass transit.”
*Update on Google Wallet Security.
Anthony Munns