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Tap &
Go Press Release
Citigroup,
MasterCard, Cingular and Nokia Team to Pilot Next Generation Mobile
Phone with "Tap & Go™" Payment in New York City
NEW YORK - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Citigroup, MasterCard
Worldwide, Cingular Wireless and Nokia today announced a consumer
technology trial of Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled mobile
phones with MasterCard PayPass™ contactless payment capability
in New York City. The goal of this trial is to evaluate the speed
and convenience that "tap and go" payments made through
mobile phones can provide to Citi credit cards and Cingular customers
in the New York City area. The trial is expected to run three to
six months.
Pre-selected Citi MasterCard cardholders with Cingular Wireless
accounts are participating in the trial and will receive Nokia NFC-enabled
mobile phones with MasterCard PayPass payment functionality. MasterCard
PayPass is a "contactless" payment program that provides
consumers with a fast and convenient way to pay.
With
their NFC-enabled phone, trial participants can pay for purchases
at any merchant that accepts MasterCard PayPass by simply holding
their phone near a secure PayPass payment terminal. If they choose,
participants will be permitted to enable the PayPass functionality
only at the point of sale and to disable it at all other times.
The contactless payment transaction is automatically charged to
the user through the same secure MasterCard payment network that
processes traditional credit card transactions.
"As a leader in innovative products and services, Citigroup
continually looks for ways to make the lives of our customers easier,"
said Amy Radin, Chief Innovation Officer, Global Consumer Group,
Citigroup. "We are confident that mobile phone technology with
contactless payment will appeal to our customers' increasing demands
for speed, convenience and security."
"This
trial offers Citi customers a new payment experience and, in fact,
the first step in the convergence of the wallet with the mobile
phone," said Ed Garofalo, Executive Vice President, Citi Cards.
"Carrying a mobile phone has become almost as common as carrying
a wallet," said Scott McElroy, vice president technology realization
for Cingular Wireless. "This trial will continue to help us
learn more about how NFC technologies work and how customers will
want to use their phones as part of their real-world transaction
process."
"Most
people have their mobile phone with them wherever they go to stay
in touch. The simplicity of conducting everyday transactions, such
as low cost purchases with their phone, adds high value and convenience
for consumers," said Dieter May, Vice President and Head of
Nokia Emerging Business Unit. "Nokia NFC-enabled phones used
in this trial support over-the-air downloading of cardholder information,
which is necessary for commercial rollout of NFC based mobile services.
We believe NFC creates new and exciting opportunities for mobile
operators, credit card associations, banks and other stakeholders,
and we will be closely involved in the creation of the emerging
NFC ecosystem bringing benefits to all parties."
"MasterCard
has long believed that the mobile phone represents a ubiquitous
payment device, in large part because consumers continue to grow
more comfortable using them for a range of activites beyond making
and receiving calls," said Art Kranzley, Executive Vice President
and Group Executive, Advanced Payments, MasterCard Worldwide. "We
also believe New York City makes an ideal backdrop for a technology
built on speed and convenience. We are excited to team up with industry
leaders such as Citi, Cingular and Nokia to test the promise of
NFC in one of the world's fastest-paced environments."
Trial participants can also take part in the New York City Subway
contactless transit fare payment trial sponsored by Citigroup, MasterCard
Worldwide, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and MTA New
York City Transit. All the customer has to do is activate the phone
in order to tap for entry at participating 4, 5 and 6 subway locations
along the Lexington Avenue Line.
NXP Semiconductors (formerly Philips Semiconductors) developed the
NFC technology and chips for the NFC-enabled mobile phones in the
New York City trial to facilitate secure, contactless communication
between two devices. Giesecke & Devrient developed the Over
the Air (OTA) personalization software that allows for the process
of initializing your mobile phone with the information it needs
to conduct secure transactions. ViVOtech provided NFC software and
services to enable the trial working in concert with the partners.
To request to participate in the New York City area mobile phone
trial, please visit www.nyctrial.com by December 20, 2006. Trial
participation is limited and certain criteria must be met in order
to participate.
About
Cingular Wireless
Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United
States, serving 58.7 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture
of AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and BellSouth Corporation (NYSE: BLS),
has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation --
the ALLOVER™ network -- and the largest mobile-to-mobile community
of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is a leader in third
generation wireless technology. Its 3G network is the first widely
available service in the world to use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink
Packet Access) technology. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier
to offer Rollover(R), the wireless plan that lets customers keep
their unused monthly minutes. Details of the company are available
at http://www.cingular.com/.
About Citigroup
Citigroup (NYSE: C), the leading global financial services company,
has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more
than 100 countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments
and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services,
including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment
banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Major brand
names under Citigroup's trademark red umbrella include Citibank,
Citi Cards, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Smith Barney and Banamex.
Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com.
About
MasterCard Worldwide
MasterCard Worldwide advances global commerce by providing a critical
economic link between financial institutions, businesses, cardholders
and merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor and advisor,
MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes more
than 16 billion payments each year, and provides industry-leading
analysis and consulting services to financial institution customers
and merchants. Through its family of brands, including MasterCard(R),
Maestro(R) and Cirrus(R), MasterCard Worldwide serves consumers
and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more
information go to www.mastercardworldwide.com.
About
Nokia
Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth
and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia connects
people to each other and the information that matters to them with
easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, devices
and solutions for imaging, games, media and businesses. Nokia provides
equipment, solutions and services for network operators and corporations.
www.nokia.com.
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