Mobile money roundup: NFC, SMS and Nokia

Nokia has partnered with another mobile payments firm. Three major companies have joined in Africa for a major mobile payment trial. Ericsson is pushing SMS as the medium for micro-payments for content producers… and more.

Ericsson drives SMS payments for media

Ericsson has opened part of its Internet Payment Exchange program to the mobile industry. The service is aimed at mobile content producers who want to use micropayments to charge for each individual piece of content - although it can be used as a subscription deal as well. It works by asking the user to input their phone number - and then it sends a PIN to that user. The charge for that goes onto the users bill, and they can use the PIN to access the content.

Contactless mobile payment initiative from INSIDE Contactless

INSIDE Contactless specialises in open-standard contactless chip technologies - which is a bit of a mouthful. In simple terms, the company creates stickers with short-range radio chips that attach to your phone - for more details, read our earlier article on INSIDE. It has launched an initiative to try to bring mobile/contactless payment services to market as soon as possible. The company has a lot of deals in place with other companies in the contactless industry, and is in a good position to drive mobile payments. It is inviting technology companies, banks, brands, retailers and transit agencies to get involved.

Nokia partners with second mobile payments firm

Nokia has signed a 5 year agreement with Tanla, an Indian telecoms firm that specialises in mobile payments and license management. The firms software already comes pre-loaded on Symbian devices (so there are literally millions of devices with Tanla tech on them) - but now Nokia will be offering in-app billing, try before you buy and other payment models from Tanla. This is part of a drive from Nokia towards mobile payments this year, after the earlier deal with mobile money firm Obopay.

Three major companies join forces for NFC mobile payment trial in Kuwait

Three companies have come together for a contactless mobile payment trial in Kuwait. Global payment company Visa has teamed with massive African mobile operator Zain and The National Bank of Kuwait. The trial will last six months, using payment software from ViVOtech on Nokia 6212 phones. 500 owners of this model of phone will be able to use their phone to pay for goods at check-out, as if it were their Zain Visa credit card. The trial will also include “smart posters” that allow the phone owners to take actions simply by tapping their device against the poster.