29 May 2012

FIME certifies Qatar's first NFC payments initiative

Test consultancy, FIME, has tested and certified Qatar National Bank's (QNBs) contactless mobile payments solution for its compliance to MasterCard PayPass Specifications.

The pilot project, which began roll-out in March this year, is Qatar's first near field communication (NFC) payments initiative.

The contactless mobile payments programme provides QNB customers and merchants with a convenient and quick way to make and accept payments through the use of NFC-enabled handsets and point-of-sale (POS) contactless terminals.

The mobile payments project is part of a phased implementation plan where QNB will work closely with project participants to deploy contactless POS terminals in Qatar's leading NFC cities.

FIME's ISO 17025 accredited laboratories performed on and off-site test evaluations on mobile handsets, Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) and POS contactless terminals to confirm compliance with MasterCard PayPass Specifications and provide the necessary certification.

Abdulla Nasser Al Khalifa, Assistant General Manager Retail at QNB, commented: "Developing and launching a nationwide contactless mobile payment pilot required a multidisciplinary approach due to the various stakeholders involved. Testing and certification was therefore vital in ensuring interoperability and standardisation."

Pascal le Ray, General Manager at FIME, added: "When developing a mobile contactless payments ecosystem, it is important that each technology element fully integrates to create a secure and interoperable payment environment for the customer. We are looking forward to... providing local support to domestic payment schemes and migration to mobile and contactless payments."

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