Proxama, ARM unveil ultra-secure mobile payment system

The two companies, which announced their collaboration earlier this month, have been working on a number of developments to bring mobile payments to the mass market. Proxama's Mobile Wallet has been integrated with ARM TrustZone technology to create one of the world's most secure mobile payments systems.

To be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week, the new technology will enable a payment transaction to be launched directly from a merchant's website. The transaction is authorised by the customer typing in their passcode, the entry of which is protected by TrustZone technology. The result is a transaction as secure and convenient as using a credit or debit card at a Chip&PIN terminal.

The benefits of this new solution are claimed to be:

• It's a faster, neater and much more convenient user experience for the customer, resulting in fewer abandoned transactions;
  
• It's consistent with a Chip&PIN user experience and easy for users to grasp;
  
• It's a cheaper transaction for the retailer as it's the equivalent of a 'card present' transaction;
  
• Reduced levels of fraud for the card issuer;
  
• Integration of TrustZone into the Proxama Mobile Wallet broadens the commercial opportunities for handset manufacturers;
  
• Offers consumers peace of mind that transactions are secure.

TrustZone technology is integrated into the core processor of a smartphone and creates a secure 'walled-garden' environment that operates independently of the phone's operating system. Proxama's Mobile Wallet utilises specially developed code installed within the 'walled-garden' which creates a hardware protected zone for the user to enter their passcode, thus securely authorising the transaction.

Miles Quiann, managing director of Proxama said: "The growth of mCommerce has been accelerating in recent years to the point where many consumers now prefer to use their handsets to buy online. Our collaboration with ARM offers consumers a highly secure and convenient way to transact with online merchants. We will continue to work with ARM to develop further solutions utilising secure environments, especially around mobile payments."

For more about Proxama go to www.proxama.com.