MasterCard has rolled out its over-the-air provisioning service, allowing issuers to implement PayPass on mobile programs more quickly and with reduced up-front investment. Mobile MasterCard PayPass enables mobile devices to perform payment transactions at merchant locations with PayPass-enabled point-of-sale terminals.
MasterCard is banking on a Juniper study that shows global annual mobile phone payments are expected to grow more than tenfold between 2008 and 2013. The service allows issuers "to move more aggressively" into the mobile payments space.
Accountholders need to have a mobile phone equipped with near field communications capabilities and a mobile data subscription. Issuers can enable their accountholders to do the over-the-air process themselves through a service that will be made available to consumers through their issuing banks' websites.