Beijing-based mobile network operator, China mobile is reportedly interested in investing in Africa to boost services in rural areas. Though the company has not specified neither the region, nor its potential acquisition targets on the continent, it has an ambitious goal to “push business for mobile payments” as stated by Jianzhou Wang Chairman of company.

It would be recalled that recently, the operator concluded a deal that enabled it to acquire a 20% stake in Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, a move expected to help boost its wireless payment and finance operations.

According to Dataxis Intelligence, China mobile is the world’s largest mobile operator with its 539 Million subscriber base of which 7.6 million using 3 G services at the end of March 2010.

The market for NFC (Near Field Communication) mobile payments in the U.S. is in the nascent stage with an adoption rate of only 1.7%; this represents a huge opportunity for early movers offering the same. Adopting NFC mobile payment will open new revenue channels for banks as well as mobile operators as more than 94% of the U.S. population owns a mobile phone, and 60% of these have a card slot in their mobile phone. With the help of NFC technology, banks will be able to tap micro transactions made by cash, representing around 20% of the total transactions in the U.S. This will also help banks to capture the growing GEN Y population as well as the huge underbanked and unbanked population.

Mobile commerce (m-commerce) is basically an extension of e-commerce on the mobile phone which enables consumers to make payments for goods and services directly from their mobile phones. This gives the consumer the benefit of making payments from anywhere without the hassle of physically being present at a store, standing in a line or turning on a PC to transact online.

Motorola, Inc. has broadened its enterprise mobility portfolio to better enable retailers to streamline operations, increase sales, improve customer loyalty and gain competitive advantage. With new mobile computing, voice and RFID solutions, Motorola is empowering store associates with access to better information to make better decisions – ultimately transforming the customer experience.

“Motorola is committed to delivering the future of retail today by helping retailers forge new connections with customers,” said Frank Riso, senior director of retail, Motorola Enterprise Mobility Solutions. “With our diverse portfolio of enterprise solutions, Motorola enables retail associates to work smarter, improve productivity, stay connected and give customers the shopping experience they want.”

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Donations Via Mobile Phone See Massive Growth, Single Touch Now Powers a New Way to Donate to Charities – Following the disaster in Haiti, mobile donation programs are seeing a dramatic increase in usage. Donations via text message continue to be popular and now donations via voice calls to Mobile Dialing Codes (MDCs) are seeing tremendous growth due to their ease of use and convenience. Single Touch Systems (OTC Bulletin Board: SITO) provides the platform for mobile giving via Charity Call™, where AT&T subscribers dial #505 and select a charity or cause of their choice and simply make a one-time donation of $25.  Callers can select the cause ‘International Humanitarian Relief’ to make a donation.

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Obopay Introduces New iPhone Application – Now Sending Money and Staying Connected to Family is Easier Than Ever – Obopay announced that its Obopay Mobile Payments application for the iPhone will be available from the Apple App Store beginning today. The free download will enable iPhone users to send money to friends and family more quickly and easier than ever with Obopay’s application.

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Fortumo Mobile Payments Start Covering The Whole East- Service Launched in Russia – Fortumo.com the leading Mobile Payment Provider for SME-s in Eastern Europe and Asia announced today its expansion to Russia. According to the company, Fortumo is planning to cover all the major Ex Soviet Union countries soon. Ukraine and Belarus will be made available shortly after New Years Eve.

“Easter European and Ex Soviet Union countries are still difficult to access for most of the western internet companies “, – says CEO Fortumo Martin Koppel. “Fortumo sees itself as a gateway, which helps those companies monetize their user base in region without risks and costs”, – adds Koppel.

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VeriFone Holdings, Inc., (NYSE: PAY) today announced PAYware Mobile, a complete payment solution for the Apple iPhone that provides small businesses with simple and secure card processing capabilities on the popular smartphone platform.

VeriFone’s payment solution for the iPhone (www.paywaremobile.com) puts mainstream payment processing capabilities in the hands of small business merchants who need a mobile card acceptance solution for enterprises such as home repair, small cafes, door-to-door sales, or virtually any other type of business. The hardware and software solution will begin shipping January 15 and is available free to those who sign up for a PAYware Mobile secure gateway service agreement.

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Twitter creator Jack Dorsey talks about his new project, Square, and we see it in action
Square – Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey presents new way to accept payments – a hardware software combination for mobile devices that allows vendors to easily accept and process credit card payments

BMO Bank of Montreal and Research In Motion, MasterCard Canada is bringing mobile payments to BlackBerry smartphones through its MasterCard(R) PayPass(TM) ‘tap and go’ contactless payment technology. The four-month trial brings contactless payments via mobile devices a step closer to Canadians.

In this trial, participants will use PayPass(TM) Mobile Tag-equipped BlackBerry smartphones to make secure purchases at any of the 8,500 merchant locations in Canada that accept MasterCard PayPass.

For the first time, the mobile payment will integrate with the device, with a confirmation email of each transaction sent to the BlackBerry smartphone, including purchase details such as the amount, retailer and date of transaction.

How it Works

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