Rogers Communications customers with select Android or BlackBerry smartphones will now be able to use the company’s Suretap payment service.
The company said Wednesday that its Suretap service has been certified for the Android and BlackBerry 10 operating systems. This will allow credentials issuers, including banks, loyalty and reward programs, to develop mobile payment solutions that leverage the secure SIM card in an NFC-enabled device. Suretap lets smartphone users make secure payments and is accepted at MasterCard PayPass and Visa payWave contactless terminals.
“To continue driving adoption and growth of mobile payments in Canada, it is essential that a strong ecosystem is established to include multiple devices, operating systems and payment networks,” said Jeppe Dorff, vice-president of transaction services at Rogers, in a statement. “We know our customers have strong affinity to the Android platform and we are thrilled to include Android devices amongst smartphones ready to support mobile payment applications built for Suretap.”
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As of today, three Android NFC-enabled smartphones and four BlackBerry smartphones support Suretap: the BlackBerry Bold 9900, BlackBerry Curve 9360, BlackBerry Bold 9790 and BlackBerry Z10 models, and on the Android side the LG Optimus G, and the Samsung Galaxy S III and Note II.
While mobile payments are gaining in hype as the technology advances, a report last year by Oakville, Ont.-based analyst firm Technology Strategy International (TSI) said it will probably be at least 2016 before there is a sufficient critical mass of NFC-enabled handsets in the market to allow it to really take off.