Qatar National Bank (QNB) and local telco Qtel have launched a contactless mobile payments service, offering customers the choice of MasterCard PayPass-enabled SIM cards or stickers.
After running a trial with delegates at the recent Qitcom conference, QNB and Qtel is now opening up the programme to their customers, allowing them to make payments with a tap of NFC-enabled mobile phones.
MasterCard PayPass POS terminals that can accept the payments are being rolled out across Qatar, at locations such as cinemas, coffee shops and food corners within large malls.
Customers can use their existing NFC PayPass-capable mobile phones and sign up for a special Qtel SIM card or upgrade to a new BlackBerry model. In a Middle East and Africa first, users without NFC-capable phones will be offered PayPass stickers that can be affixed to their handsets.
Oberthur Technologies, which provides QNB's chip personalisation service, helped to develop the payments application on the SIM and sticker.
Ali Rashid Al Mohannadi, CO, QNB, says: "This mobile NFC program is part of our commitment to enhancing the customer experience and supporting Qatar's vision of becoming a digital economy. We are delighted to spearhead the advancement of the payments landscape in Qatar together with Qtel and MasterCard."
Michael Miebach, president, Middle East and Africa, MasterCard Worldwide, adds: "We're quickly moving into a world beyond plastic, where consumers will shop and pay in a way that best fits their needs and lifestyles with a simple tap, click or touch in-store, online or on a mobile device."