Bell ID, PPC Card Systems & ViVOtech Team Up to Launch Turnkey TSM Services to Support Mass Market Rollout of NFC Mobile Payment Solutions in Europe

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Anticipating the rapid adoption of mobile payment technologies expected next year, three payment technology powerhouses have teamed up to launch a collaborative program to enable the mass market rollout of Near Field Communication (NFC) mobile solutions in Europe.

Bell ID, the leader in token and application lifecycle management and ViVOtech, the leader in NFC, mobile payments, loyalty and marketing applications and contactless NFC readers have joined forces with PPC Card Systems (PPC), a well-established and respected EMV-certified card personalization bureau, to enable hosted and certified provisioning and management services for EMV credit and debit cards, merchant prepaid, gift and loyalty cards, tickets and transit cards applications to NFC mobile handsets.

Through this collaboration, mobile network operators, banks and service providers can deliver mobile application provisioning and/or Trusted Service Manager (TSM) services for payments, ticketing and marketing applications to their client base.

"We are confident that combining the strength of Bell ID's and ViVOtech's software solutions with PPC will allow us to provide an unsurpassed offering to  institutions that wish to look beyond pilots to mass rollout,"  said Michael Mullagh, CEO of ViVOtech.

The joint solution leverages Bell ID's market-proven, high-volume token and application lifecycle and key management systems alongside ViVOtech's award-winning mobile wallet software, patented over-the-air (OTA) provisioning solution and coupon issuance/redemption software with the certified and secure operations environment managed by PPC to provide a feature-rich, complete NFC/TSM offering.

"The collaboration between PPC, ViVOtech and Bell ID means we can provide banks, mobile operators and consortia from both of these sectors with a broader set of solution delivery options, further encouraging mass market adoption of NFC based mobile contactless applications," said David Orme, CEO of Bell ID.

Bell ID's software is ideal for organizations that wish to issue and manage companion cards, alongside their mobile offerings. Through ViVOtech's offerings, the solution provides value-added service options allowing consumers to download merchants' loyalty, gift, transit and prepaid cards and customize these cards to automatically redeem loyalty points and take advantage of discounts.

PPC, a member of the AEM Technologies Group (Switzerland), personalizes and distributes smart cards for many European financial organizations and brings significant operational expertise to the partnership.

"With the combined expertise of Bell ID and ViVOtech, we can now offer several new best-of-breed services to our customers that need secure personalization services, mobile payment, loyalty and marketing solutions  and sophisticated token life-cycle management," said Jos van der Linden, Managing Director at PPC Card Systems.

About Bell ID

Bell ID (www.bellid.com) is a worldwide technology leader in the field of token management, with the largest team in the industry dedicated exclusively to developing software that manages token life-cycles, token applications and cryptographic keys. Bell ID is a true token management expert having operated for 20 years in this highly specialized field, providing unparalleled knowledge, experience and products to an unrivalled portfolio of customers. Bell ID has individual customers who alone have in excess of 15M tokens under management. Bell ID's software has been used in finance, identity and mobile solutions worldwide.

About ViVOtech

ViVOtech (www.vivotech.com) is the leading end-to-end enabler of next-generation mobile payments, loyalty and marketing solutions. ViVOtech provides mobile payment solutions, mobile marketing and loyalty applications software for existing mobile devices, as well as Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled mobile handsets, Over-The-Air (OTA) provisioning infrastructure (e.g., TSM) software, NFC smart posters and contactless terminals. ViVOtech's products are used by most prominent retailers all over the globe; the company has shipped more than 770,000 contactless and NFC payment terminals to more than 35 countries. In 2009, ViVOtech received the prestigious Frost and Sullivan North American Smart Cards Product Line Strategy of the Year Award. In 2010, ViVOtech received the 2010 Mobility Award for its NFC mobile ViVOwallet software, Smart Card Alliance Award "Outstanding Smart Card Achievement" (OSCA) Award for Innovation in Payments Technology and the Contactless Intelligence "Monkey" Awards for Competitive Advantage through Technology used by Citi Tap and Pay NFC Pilot. ViVOtech's investors include Citi, First Data Corporation, Motorola Ventures, NCR and Nokia Growth Partners.

About PPC Card Systems

PPC Card Systems b.v. (www.ppc.nl) is a personalisation bureau with a track record of more than 25 years. PPC is specialised in the field of secure personalisation services and is certified for personalisation of products from VISA, MasterCard and domestic payment schemes such as PIN and Chipknip. PPC was one of the first organisations to do large scale roll-out of contactless tokens for payment applications.

About AEM Technologies Holding AG

The Swiss company AEM Technologies Holding AG is the leading provider of products and solutions for auto ID and electronic components and systems. Its portfolio ranges from smart cards all the way to complex electronic modules and systems.

The individual companies of AEM Group currently serve customers in the access, medical systems, payment services, industrial automation, healthcare, avionics, customer loyalty, data communication and public services industries with a combined staff of over 600.

SOURCE ViVOtech