As the wireless industry gathered this week at CTIA in New Orleans, we saw an emerging part of our business – mobile payments – take center-stage. This truly is an exciting time as MasterCard and other technology providers converge and collaborate with the best and brightest in the wireless world. Your mobile phone is poised to become a powerful commerce tool that fundamentally changes the way you shop and pay for goods.
At CTIA, we unveiled PayPass Wallet Services, a suite of services that gives people a safe, simple way to pay for goods whether in-store or online. (You can watch the announcement here). We introduced the Mobile Payments Readiness Index (MPRI), highlighting the challenges we face in creating a world where mobile payments is a reality for more people. We’re all going to have to work together to bring this technology to consumers.
On a related note, we also just opened up a slew of APIs that will foster collaboration by giving developers access to the MasterCard network to create their very own innovative apps. These announcements and others made us stand out. LAPTOP gave us the “Best of CTIA Wireless 2012″ award for “Best Mobile Payment Technology.”
But this is just the beginning for mCommerce. As Gary Flood, President of Global Products and Solutions, outlined in his CTIA keynote address, we’ve started down a path that takes us from a world beyond cash into a world beyond plastic (watch the highlights here). For years, we’ve been known as the brand behind the plastic card. We’re about to be known as the tech company making payments happen seamlessly through computers, tablets and smart phones.
As we evolve our business, our end objectives remain much the same – making the buying experience safe, simple and smart for consumers. So stay tuned and keep the ideas coming. CTIA was just a sneak-peek for what’s to come. For more detail, visit our CTIA Digital Press Kit.
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