Articles
Payment Processing: Mobile Commerce And The M-Wallet: A Market Brief
May 10, 2007
Today's cellular phones go far beyond their original purpose of voice communication. They now support text messaging, Internet access, entertainment packages, photography and more. First Data believes the probability for even greater functionality is high, driven by three related forces:
- Consumer demand – Users are expecting more from their mobile phones than ever before, and are receptive to new concepts.
- Market competition – Wireless carriers are eager to add more services to differentiate themselves from their competitors, and to increase profitability by offering more valueadded services.
- Mobile infrastructure improvements – Mobile network upgrades, improvements in network reliability and coverage, and advances in mobile handset technology enable new, advanced solutions for mobile users.
First Data's position in the payments industry provides the company visibility into the drivers behind continued growth in electronic payments. Ongoing advancements in mobile payments technologies, such as RFID, Near Field Communications (NFC) and Short Message Service (SMS) have helped spark the growth of contactless payments. MasterCard's PayPass® is an example of one company exploring the use of NFC technology, while PayPal Mobile, a text-topay company, employs SMS.
For additional information on mobile commerce from First Data, visit their Web site.

