Making RFID Payments Ubiquitous

Lynn DeRocco reports in RFID Journal on last week's announcement by Philips and Visa International.

Reinhard Kalla, VP and general manager of identification at Philips Semiconductors, sees contactless Visa payments using Philips technology as a big opportunity for both companies. He says the process will be not only convenient, but also private and safe for consumers and merchants. "Philips has been working for years in RFID with tags and labels, and contactless applications are also based on RFID," Kalla says, "You would use this technology as if it were a smart card." He adds that consumers will see "new and more exciting applications and content" resulting from the relationship with Visa in about a year.