Nokia, Nordea and Visa International to pilot the world's first Electronic Mobile Payment Services based on dual chip technology

The first customers in the Helsinki area have received mobile phones that can be used for making mobile payments with an inserted Open Platform chip card issued by Nordea

Nokia, Nordea and Visa International have today announced that they have started a pioneering pilot to test and verify how real life electronic commerce can be conducted by using mobile phones. The Electronic Mobile Payment Services (EMPS) project is distributing 150 specially designed mobile phones to customers in the Helsinki metropolitan area. Customers can make purchases through their mobile phones and pay using a Nordea issued plug-in size chip card which resides on a special chip card reader inside the phone. Visa Electron transactions can be done by using this additional chip with WIM (Wireless Identity module) application.

The main goal for this joint initiative is to develop rugged and functional technology for mobile commerce business. The project tests the viability of the dual chip concept in this real life pilot. In the beginning of the pilot phase, the EMPS initiative will involve two Finnish merchants, the Internet-based grocery store Ruoka.net, and the movie theatre Kinopalatsi. Based on the outcome of the pilot, the project will be able to submit valuable information to various mobile commerce fora and standardization bodies, such as the MET consortium and the Mobey Forum.

The mobile commerce concept tested in this project, is called dual chip. The dual chip concept consists of a chip card that can be issued by a bank and a GSM SIM card. In the pilot, the chip card which accommodates WIM application, is inserted into the WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) enabled mobile phone, providing the customer with an integrated payment functionality. WAP is used as a transport layer, and the wireless authentication and signature method is based on WAP and WIM specifications. The dual chip concept is compatible with the recently announced preferred payment architecture by the financial industry-driven forum, the Mobey Forum.

"We are excited to see how the EMPS pilot will be received by real consumers. This pilot has global signifigance because we can now for the first time receive first hand experience and feedback from both consumers and financial institutions responsible for issuing and administering the payment functionality. For Nokia, the dual chip concept piloted in this project is one of the mobile payment options that we are working on and which we will be supporting in our future mobile terminals," said Martti Granberg, Director, Nokia Mobile Phones.

"This launch of the pilot is a proof of Nordea's innovative role in driving developments in m-financial services, and it also highlights the part of Nordea's strategy aimed at promoting e-habits for a broader public. Dual chip is ideally suited for consumers who wish to use banking services and pay in a secure and convenient way," said Bo Harald, Head of Nordea's Electronic Banking.

"As part of our continued collaboration with Nokia, we are very pleased to see a real mobile commerce solution being used by Nordea Visa cardholders. Our involvement in the first dual chip pilot in the world demonstrates our commitment to adapt our products to any environment ensuring convenience and security regardless of the channel used to shop. Our ability to fit a standard multi-application Visa Open Platform card into a Nokia mobile phone is a clear indication that Visa, together with its partners, is leading the development of future payments systems," said Jon Prideaux, Executive Vice President, Visa International EU.


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