Wave your mobile phone for the ultimate freedom to purchase
TORONTO, Oct. 30 /CNW/ - RBC, Visa and Rogers Wireless have come together
for the next phase of the mobile phone 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. The customer phase of the mobile phone
payment pilot is expected to launch in mid-2009, following a brief employee
pilot.
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.
"As Canada's largest wireless provider, Rogers Wireless is continually
seeking ways to provide our customers with new and innovative services that
will add value to their lives," said David Robinson, Vice-President, New
Business Planning, Rogers Wireless. "This pilot is the first step to making
our customers' mobile phones as indispensable as their wallets and we are
excited to be working with Visa and RBC on this new wireless payment service."
As part of the pilot, Motorola mobile phones outfitted with Near Field
Communication (NFC) contactless chips will enable customers to make purchases
using the Visa payWave feature just as they would with a contactless RBC Visa
card. The functions tested in the pilot will include the secure delivery and
storage of account information to the mobile phone and the security of mobile
payments at retailers.
The pilot will be the first in Canada to test secure over-the-air (OTA)
delivery of mobile payment software and credit card information to a
customer's mobile phone. Gemalto, a world leader in digital security, is
providing this capability by acting as the Trusted Service Manager and
securely bridging banking with mobile phones. Gemalto, who currently produce
RBC Visa chip cards, will manage the transfer of credit card information from
RBC to the secure SIM card in the Rogers Wireless NFC-enabled mobile phone,
using the same high level of security and encryption used to issue RBC Visa
chip cards.
"We're delighted to have Rogers Wireless on board to move our payment
pilot with Visa forward," said Anne Koski, head, Payments Innovation, RBC
Global Cards. "Our clients will definitely appreciate the convenience of
making purchases using their mobile phones and we look forward to their
feedback on this pilot."
RBC was the first Canadian financial institution to offer a credit card
with chip technology nationwide and was the first to announce its intentions
to offer the Visa payWave feature on its cards. Mobile payments are yet
another extension of RBC's commitment to offer clients convenient and secure
payment options.
Supported by Visa's mobile payment platform, pilot activities will allow
RBC, Rogers and Visa to better understand customer behaviours and their
perceptions of the payment experience before the service is provided to
consumers.
"Visa aims to be the best way to pay and our approach to innovation
reflects this goal," said Mike Bradley, Head of Products, Visa Canada.
"Allowing consumers to use their mobile phones to pay with Visa is an
innovative new service, and also adds value to retailers, financial
institutions and mobile operators."
About Visa
Visa operates the world's largest retail electronic payments network
providing processing services and payment product platforms. This includes
consumer credit, debit, prepaid and commercial payments, which are offered
under the Visa, Visa Electron, Interlink and PLUS brands. Visa enjoys
acceptance around the world and Visa/PLUS is one of the world's largest global
ATM networks, offering cash access in local currency in more than 170
countries. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.
About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) and its subsidiaries operate
under the master brand name of RBC. We are Canada's largest bank as measured
by assets and market capitalization, and one of North America's leading
diversified financial services companies. We provide personal and commercial
banking, wealth management services, insurance, corporate and investment
banking, and transaction processing services on a global basis. We employ
approximately 75,000 full and part-time employees who serve more than
17 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through
offices in Canada, the U.S. and 46 other countries. For more information,
please visit rbc.com.
About Rogers Wireless
Rogers Wireless provides wireless voice and data communications services
across Canada to more than 7.7 million customers under both the Rogers
Wireless and Fido brands. Proven to operate Canada's most reliable wireless
voice and data communications network, Rogers Wireless is Canada's largest
wireless provider and the only national carrier operating on the global
standard GSM and highly advanced HSPA technology platforms. In addition to
providing seamless roaming in more than 200 countries/areas with its GSM based
services, Rogers Wireless also provides wireless broadband services across
Canada utilizing its 2.5GHz fixed wireless spectrum. Rogers Wireless is a
subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX: RCI; NYSE: RCI), a diversified
Canadian communications and media company. For further information, please
visit: www.rogers.com.