ViVOtech Software for NFC Mobile Phones Named Finalist for SESAMES Awards

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- ViVOtech, the leader in Near Field Communication (NFC) mobile payments, loyalty and marketing applications and contactless NFC readers, today announced that its end-to-end NFC mobile phone solution for mobile payments and promotions has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious SESAMES Award in the Banking/Retail/Loyalty Application Category. The 15th annual awards presentation is set for Monday, December 6 at the 25th Annual Cartes IDentification 2010 event in Paris.

The company was chosen from a field of 396 applicants by a jury of international experts and journalists in the smart card industry as one of the most innovative products across 10 categories including hardware, software and applications.

"We are excited to be selected as a finalist for the SESAMES Awards for our innovation, development and deployment of our end-to-end NFC payment and promotional solutions just as tens of millions of NFC mobile phones are about to hit the market in 2011," said Michael Mullagh, CEO of ViVOtech. "This recognition validates our vision for this powerful and convenient system that is now gaining tremendous traction with the expected proliferation of NFC-capable smartphones around the world."

ViVOtech has been a pioneer in the mobile payments space since 2001, preparing the market through the deployment of contactless readers in hundreds of thousands of merchant locations worldwide and its rollout of NFC mobile payment infrastructure and applications to enable this capability. ViVOtech's system offers a loyalty, marketing and shopping experience that merchants, banks and mobile service providers can deliver easily and affordably to consumers through their NFC-capable phones.

The company's end-to-end NFC mobile phone solution containing mobile wallet, patented Over-The-Air (OTA) provisioning, NFC touch point (smart poster) management and coupon management software has been field-tested through more than 20 pilots in 12 countries, including one of the largest NFC field trials ever conducted through a partnership with Citi, Vodafone, Nokia and MasterCard in Banglore, India. ViVOtech's NFC solution not only works with emerging NFC-enabled smartphones, but also with multiple existing mobile handset models, including BlackBerry (8520, 8530, 9000, 9630, 9650, 9700, 9800), iPhone 3G/3Gs, iPhone 4G, Android, Samsung and Nokia with add-on NFC accessories.

This year, ViVOtech has also announced various partnerships to support multiple Trusted Service Manager (TSM) services to enable mobile payments, loyalty and marketing applications for NFC mobile phones using ViVOtech software in a number of countries.

As the global leader in the deployment of NFC readers worldwide for branded contactless payment programs, ViVOtech commands an 85 percent share of the estimated 650,000 NFC readers installed in leading brand name merchants, stadiums, gas stations, vending machines, parking facilities and Laundromats in more than 35 countries, including the United States. For example, almost all yellow cabs in New York City are equipped with ViVOtech contactless NFC reader technology.

Founded in 2001 with the sole purpose of bringing mobile into the payment and retail industry, ViVOtech has led the industry, pioneering a continuum of end-to-end solutions for NFC mobile payments and promotions, including:

• the ViVOwallet® is a NFC mobile phone application that allows consumers to securely download and store credit, debit, prepaid and loyalty cards and coupons and use them for shopping at retailers;
• the ViVOnfc® Over-the-Air (OTA) provisioning servers that enable card issuers and services to provision their cards into their customers'' NFC mobile wallet
• ViVOapps®, which allow retailers, card issuers, and CPGs to deliver personalized marketing, location-based promotions, couponing and other applications in conjunction with Smart Posters to mobile consumer's handsets for future redemption; and
• the ViVOpay® line of best-selling contactless NFC readers with more than 770,000 shipped to 35 countries.

ViVOtech will be demonstrating its end-to-end NFC Mobile Payments and Promotions solutions at the CARTES IDentification 2010 show in Paris, December 7-9 at booth # 4 N 036.

The SESAMES Awards are presented annually as part of the CARTES IDentification and IT Security exhibition and conference and are widely regarded as the highest accolade in the industry. For more information, visit www.cartes.com.

For more information about ViVOtech's complete line of mobile payment, loyalty and marketing solutions, visit www.vivotech.com.

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 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.

SOURCE ViVOtech