FIME And 7LAYERS Simplify NFC Certification

NFC handset manufacturers can draw on combined telecom and NFC transactions expertise

 

7Layers and FIME today announce the signing of a partnership and the launch of a comprehensive testing and certification offering for the near field communication (NFC) enabled handset market. The collaboration provides consultancy, test tools, certification and laboratory services. It covers the full range of standards that devices must comply with before secure NFC services like mobile payments can be deployed.

7Layers offers expertise, test systems, as well as test and certification services,  for a large variety of wireless specifications including schemes such as GCF,  PTCRB, Bluetooth® etc. ; while FIME covers GCF, GSMA, GlobalPlatform, EMVCo and the global payment schemes.

“Collaboration is the key to the success of any technology,” comments Stephanie El Rhomri, NFC & Payment Business Line Manager at FIME. “By working together with 7Layers, we can test any NFC mobile handset to any of the required specifications; a proposition that is unique in the market. With two out of every three smartphones set to feature NFC by 2018*, the ability to confirm that they work as intended, interoperate with the market and are compliant is essential. FIME has worked with NFC and payments for many years, and is delighted to combine our expertise with the 7Layers experience to support the launch of any NFC handset globally.”

Thomas Jaeger, Director of Global Business Development at 7Layers, adds:“With 85% of all global payment transactions  still based on cash or check, digital payment has the potential to become a growing trend. The 7Layers group is proud of working closely together with FIME, a global leader in digital payment service assessments. 7Layers achieved leadership in cellular device certification and adding Smart Services test and certification capabilities fit perfectly to our global strategy.”

It is mandatory for NFC devices to be compliant to the GSMA NFC Handset Test Book PRD TS27, as referenced by Global Certification Forum (GCF). Additionally, for the launch of mobile contactless payment services, devices need to be validated against a range of payment specifications.

For further information on how this partnership can benefit your device and payment services approval process, please contact FIME and 7Layers.

Both companies also offer test tools that cover both network dependent and network independent NFC test requirements for device and services pre-certification and certification purposes.

For FIME media information, please contact Rob Peryer or Laura Cavanagh at iseepr:
[email protected] / [email protected] or + 44 (0) 1943 468007
For 7Layers media information, please contact Brigitte Lewis
[email protected] or +49 (0)2101 749 152
Notes to editors
*IHS Technology, 2014

About FIME

FIME is a trusted provider of consulting services, certification and tools. It enables customers to bring seamless card and mobile transactions services to market effectively and confidently using secure chip or cloud-based solutions.

Working with the payment, telecom, transit and identity sectors, FIME is an implementation services partner for customers using contact and contactless EMV, Near Field Communication (NFC), trusted service manager (TSM), trusted execution environment (TEE) and host card emulation (HCE) technologies. FIME supports customers from project initiation to completion by advising on technical requirements, consulting on industry regulations certification authority implementation and streamlining testing and certification activity.

With 12 offices around the world, serving more than 3,000 clients in 13 languages, FIME’s customers benefit from a combination of global expertise and local knowledge through a single point of contact. FIME’s dedicated team uses its expertise to create and actively contribute to the advancement and simplification of certification processes.  Its service capacity also provides resource scalability to adapt to individual customer needs.

FIME currently has operations across America (Canada and the United States), Asia (Japan, South Korea and Taiwan), Europe (France), India and the Middle East (Dubai).

FIME partners with leading payment schemes and industry bodies to provide consultancy and certification services for: American Express, Calypso Networks Association, China UnionPay, Discover, eftpos, EMVCo, EMV Migration Forum, First Data, Global Certification Forum (GCF), GlobalPlatform, GSMA, Interac, JCB, MasterCard, Network for Electronic Transfers (NETS), NFC Forum, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), National Standard for Chip Card Specification (NSICC), OSCar Consortium, Softcard and Visa.

About 7Layers

7Layers, an international group of engineering & test centers, supports industries employing wireless technologies such as LTE, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, CDMA, WiFi, GPS, TETRA, W-CDMA, Bluetooth etc. End-product manufacturers, component manufacturers and network operators benefit from working with 7Layers. 7Layers runs accredited Test Houses in the USA, Germany and Asia offering conformance & interoperability testing, certification & global type approval. Our Systems House offers product development and integration support, development of test specifications and test cases, as well as InterLab test solutions and test management systems. The 7Layers’Software House provides the InterLab Software System, for the validation of complex high-tech products.

7Layers belongs to the Bureau Veritas Group, a global leader in testing, inspection and certification, serving a large variety of industries.
More information at  www.7Layers.com or www.bureauveritas.com/cps.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article/press release are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the approved policy or position of the GSMA or its subsidiaries.

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