[May 03, 2012]

MasterCard Certifies NFC Phones from HTC, Intel, LG Electronics, Nokia, RIM, Samsung Electronics and Sony

MasterCard (News - Alert) Worldwide today announced several near field communications (NFC) enabled smartphones have been certified for use with MasterCard PayPass® technology, providing consumers with devices capable of making fast, secure contactless payments at hundreds of thousands of PayPass merchant locations around the globe. The new MasterCard-certified devices include the BlackBerry (News - Alert)® Bold™ 9900 / 9790 and BlackBerry® Curve™ 9360 / 9380, HTC One X, Intel® Smartphone Reference Device, LG Viper™ 4G LTE, LG Optimus Elite, Nokia 603, Nokia Lumia 610 NFC, Samsung (News - Alert) Wave Y, Samsung Galaxy mini 2, Samsung Galaxy S Advance, Samsung Galaxy Nexus (GT-i9250), Sony Xperia S, Sony Xperia P and Sony Xperia sola.

MasterCard also unveiled a new brand identifier - "MasterCard PayPass® Ready" - now available to device manufacturers to use with NFC-enabled smartphones that have been tested and certified by MasterCard for use with PayPass technology. The MasterCard PayPass Ready identifier will signify a device is available for commercial deployment of PayPass, and can be included as a sticker on the approved device, and in an approved device's packaging, marketing collateral and advertisements. Nokia (News - Alert) and BlackBerry-maker RIM are among the first handset manufacturers committed to supporting this brand mark.

"Nokia is honored that the Nokia Lumia 610 NFC will be one the world's first smartphones to include MasterCard's PayPass Ready brand mark," said Andrea Bacioccola, NFC Lead Program Manager, Nokia. "This sends a clear message to operatrs, banks and other service providers that Nokia is able to quickly enable their payment services on this smartphone."

"We are pleased to support the MasterCard PayPass Ready brand mark as it provides consumers with a visual confirmation that an NFC-enabled BlackBerry smartphone can easily be enabled with a MasterCard account for tap-and-go payments," said Andrew Bocking, SVP Software Product Management, RIM.

By working closely with standards bodies including EMVCo and the NFC Forum, MasterCard continues to lead the industry in testing and certification processes for mobile payment devices. Devices certified by MasterCard go through a rigorous testing process by a MasterCard-accredited laboratory to ensure devices are functionally reliable and interoperable.

"In the near future, millions of phones will ship with NFC technology embedded within them. The new PayPass Ready identifier will help consumers make informed device purchasing decisions by providing a visual mark that indicates devices are certified to make simple, smart and secure payments via the MasterCard PayPass network," said Mung Ki Woo, group executive, Mobile at MasterCard.

About MasterCard

MasterCard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a global payments and technology company. It operates the world's fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard's products and solutions make everyday commerce activities - such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances - easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @MasterCardNews, join the discussion on the Cashless Conversations Blog and subscribe for the latest news.

The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited.

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