Rogers Wireless is joining forces with Visa and RBC for a mobile phone payment pilot. Once launched, customers will be able to make payments simply by waving their specially-equipped mobile phones at Visa payWave-enabled checkout readers. A number of retail stores and quick-service restaurants will participate in the pilot.
Like a similar program already underway from Bell and MasterCard, the mobile phones (in this case provided by Motorola) use Near Field Communication (NFC) contactless chips to securely exchange information over a short range (no more than a few centimeters) and Over the Air delivery of mobile payment software and credit card information.
The pilot will start with an employee-only program before a customer phase begins in mid-2009.