Increasingly, contactless payments are gaining popularity through the launch of services such as Google Wallet, which can turn Android-powered smartphone devices into a transaction method.

Using technology known as NFC (near-field communication), payment is made possible.

NFC allows simple transactions, as well as data, to be exchanged between two devices that are in very close proximity to each other.

ABI research has found that complete adoption of NFC technology could radically reduce queuing times for consumers at retail outlets.

In the USA, four major credit card companies are already working with companies to install payment security applications on NFC-compatible smartphones.

Visa has already developed its own software called PayWave which allows consumers in the UK to make purchases up to the value of £15 through their devices.

The UK public will not have to wait too long to see the benefits of contactless payments as London 2012 Olympic venues will incorporate the technology including Transport for London’s 8,000 buses, tube network and rail networks.

Related blog posts include:
NFC enabled mobile wallet is launched in the UK.
NFC to benefit 500 million people worldwide by 2015.
Near Field Communication to be trialled in shops this Summer.
NFC is high on the agenda at MWC.

Jamie Stokes is Marketing Assistant at Total Ltd – a business to business service provider, delivering genuine solutions across all core telecommunication services, based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Total Ltd is a business that brings together and unifies all the component parts. For up to the minute business telecommunications news, please view the Total Ltd blog

Across the UK thousands of shops are preparing to trial a new technology which could allow shoppers to purchase items using their mobile phones.

Near Field Communication (NFC) technology is set to appear in many high street shops this Summer.

Interestingly, large companies such as Orange and Mastercard are in favour of the move, jointly launching a NFC-ready handset between April and June with a partnership between Visa and O2 expected to do the same later this summer.

So, how does NFC technology work?

• An NFC chip is placed inside a mobile handset
• The chip is then linked to a credit or debit card account
• Shoppers swipe their mobile phones over contactless pay points
• The credit or debit card is then charged
• Shoppers are currently able to spend up to £15 per transaction
• It is as secure as any credit or debit card transaction today

Whilst this technology is set to transform the shopping experience in the future, some critics are concerned that the move will affect small business and independent retailers.

It remains to be seen whether NFC technology takes off.

Jamie Stokes is Marketing Assistant at Total Ltd – a business to business service provider, delivering genuine solutions across all core telecommunication services, based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Total Ltd is a business that brings together and unifies all the component parts. For up to the minute business telecommunications news, please view the Total Ltd blog

The programme, championed by Cherie Blair, the wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton aims to provide 150 million women worldwide with access to mobile phone technology and services.

Research has shown that a woman living in sub-Saharan Africa is 23% less likely than a man to own a mobile phone.

In the Middle East, this figure grows to 24% and in South Asia it rises again to 37%, according to the study by the GSM Association.

Overall, the results showed that 300 million fewer women than men in developing countries owned a mobile phone.

Both Blair and Clinton hope that the initiative will halve the mobile phone ‘gender gap’ that is currently seen.

As part of the programme, specially created tariffs for women will be introduced alongside a female-specific handset.

A survey undertaken by the GSMA has revealed that more than half of all female business owners in poor countries report earning more money due to their mobile phone.

It is hoped that by introducing more women to the benefits of mobile phone technology, the positive results will have a ripple effect on families and the wider community.

As more women develop small businesses and gain financial independence, these women will then reinvest in their families and within the local communities, creating the potential for transformation in developing countries.

Seventeen global mobile phone operators have already signed up to the mWomen programme, each contributing to a combined pledge of £6.2 million.