RIM to Release First NFC BlackBerry Models Later This Month

Aug 3 2011

Research in Motion today confirmed shipping dates for its first NFC-enabled phones, the Bold 9900 and closely related 9930 models, which RIM said would begin to become available from mobile carriers worldwide later this month.

RIM first announced the phones three months ago and executives had indicated they would be out before the end of August. RIM is touting the phones as the thinnest BlackBerry models yet. Both support the phone maker’s upgraded BlackBerry 7 operating system.

RIM announced three other models today, also supporting the BlackBerry 7 OS, though not NFC, as it seeks to recapture sagging market share in the United States and attempts to continue to expand globally.

The Canada-based phone maker said the five phones represented its largest single launch, and RIM noted that it has deals with at least 225 mobile operators to sell one or more of the new models. Of course, the 9900 and 9930 are practically the same phone, with the 9900 supporting tri-band cellular radio frequencies, which the 9930 doesn’t. Two of the other non-NFC devices that RIM announced today, part of its Torch series, are also similar.

Update: A spokeswoman for RIM told NFC Times that the Bold NFC models, or at least the 9900, would be the first of the phones announced today to be released–by the end of August. End update.

RIM, in its announcement today, like the one in early May first disclosing plans for the two NFC-enabled Bold models, did not mention the ability of the phones to support payment or other secure applications in its press material. That is despite the fact that the new Bold models are expected to pack embedded secure chips and also support applications on SIM cards, via a standard single-wire protocol connection. 

Instead, RIM mentioned tag-reading and device-pairing applications that the NFC chips inside the phones could offer in its press release. Update: But the spokeswoman said RIM plans to support contactless payment with its NFC phones. End update.

Sources have told NFC Times that RIM has been working on its own mobile wallet and may have plans to try to earn revenue from service providers putting their applications on the embedded secure elements. RIM could offer its own applications, as well, such as physical access control to complement its network-authentication services.

If true, RIM would need to control the embedded secure chip in the phones, and this could make for some tension with carriers, which RIM is counting on to buy the phones. RIM executives speaking at conferences earlier this year have not denied they would have embedded secure elements in their NFC phones, but have stayed mum when asked what they would use the chips for. 

It’s little surprise then that in its announcement today, RIM only mentioned the benefits of NFC as a way to “pair accessories or read smart-poster tags with a simple tap of the smartphone.”

There was no mention by RIM of mobile wallets or the phones working in card-emulation mode, which most payment services would use. But among telcos expected to introduce the phone for NFC are those in Europe, which have been anticipating the shipment date for the models. And these telcos definitely plan to offer payment and ticketing applications that would use card emulation on the phones.  

France-based Inside Secure is supplying the NFC chips for the two models. Inside is working on its own secure element design, but is expected to have used an embedded secure chip provided by Germany-based Infineon Technologies for the new RIM phones. The Infineon secure chip is stacked with Inside’s NFC radio chip.

Since the NFC chips for the new Bold models also are expected to allow for applications to be stored on SIM cards via the single-wire protocol, or SWP, there could be at least two secure elements in the phone.  

It remains unclear how many more NFC-enabled BlackBerrys RIM will release this year. Executives have said earlier this year that many if not most of its phones would support NFC, though have been vague on release dates. RIM did not mention that the three other handsets it announced today, additions to its Torch series, the Torch 9810, 9850 and 9860, support NFC.

A source has told NFC Times that he expected RIM to introduce one to two more NFC-enabled BlackBerrys this year.

HEADLINE NEWS

Australian Transit Agency to Launch Mobility-as-a-Service Trial as It Pursues Long-Term MaaS Strategy

Plans by Transport for New South Wales, Australia’s largest transit agency, to launch a trial enabling users to plan, book and pay for multimodal rides is the next step toward the agency’s long-ter

Updated: U.S. Transit Agency Seeks to Reduce–Though Not Eliminate–Cash Acceptance with New Fare-Collection System

Updated: The Spokane Transit Authority in Washington state confirmed that its new fare-collection system will include contactless open-loop payments–with a beta test planned for next October, a spokesman told NFC Times' sister publication Mobility Payments.

UK Government Seeks to Bring London-Style Contactless Fare Payments System to Other Regions

The UK government’s plan to equip 700 rail stations over the next three years to accept contactless open-loop payments is a major initiative, as it seeks to replicate the success of London’s contactless pay-as-you go fare payments system elsewhere in the country–a goal that has proved elusive in the past.

More Cities in Finland Expected to Move to Open-Loop Fare Payments

A fourth city in Finland is beginning to roll out contactless open-loop payments, with “more in the pipeline,” according to one supplier on the project, making the Nordic country one of the latest hotspots for the technology.

Moscow Metro Expands Test of ‘Virtual Troika’ in Pays Wallets, as It Continues to Develop Digital-Payments Services

Moscow Metro is recruiting more users to test its “Virtual Troika” card in two NFC wallets, those supporting Google Pay and Samsung Pay, as one of the world’s largest subway operators continues to seek more ways for its customers to pay for rides.

Ohio Transit Agency Expects Significant Revenue Loss as it Builds Equity with Fare Capping

The Central Ohio Transit Authority, or COTA, officially launched its new digital-payments service Monday, including a fare-capping feature that the agency estimates will cost it $1.8 million per year in lost fare revenue, the agency confirmed to Mobility Payments.

Special Report: Interest Grows in ‘White-Label EMV’ for Closed-Loop Transit Cards

As more transit agencies introduce open-loop fare payments, interest is starting to grow in use of white-label EMV cards that agencies can issue in place of proprietary closed-loop cards for riders who don’t have bank cards or don’t want to use them to pay fares.

Swedish Transit Agency Launches Express Mode Feature for Apple Pay, though Most Ticketing Still with Barcode-Based App

Skånetrafiken, the transit agency serving one of Sweden’s largest counties, announced today it has expanded its contactless open-loop payments service to include the Express Mode feature for Apple Pay.

Major Bus Operators in Hong Kong Now Accepting Open-Loop Payments–Adding More Competition for Octopus

Two more bus operators in Hong Kong on Saturday launched acceptance of open-loop contactless fare payments, with both also accepting QR code-based mobile ticketing–as the near ubiquitous closed-loop Octopus card continues to see more competition.

Moscow Metro Launches Full Rollout of ‘Face Pay;’ Largest Biometric Payments Service of Its Kind

Touting it as the largest rollout of biometric payments in the world, Moscow Metro launched its high-profile “Face Pay” service Friday, as expected, and predicted that 10% to 15% would regularly us

Indonesian Capital Seeks to Expand to Multimodal Fare Collection and MaaS

Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, whose metropolitan area is home to more than 30 million people, is notorious for its stifling traffic congestion. In response, the government metro and light-rail networks and now it is funding an expansion of the fare-collection system to enable more multimodal payments and to build a mobility-as-a-service platform.

Exclusive: NFC Wallets Grow as Share of Contactless Fare Payments and Not Only Because of Covid

Transit agencies that have rolled out open-loop contactless payments are seeing growing use of NFC wallets to pay fares, as Covid-wary passengers see convenience in tapping their phones or wearables to pay.