CellTrust SecureSMS® to Configure NFC Devices Over-the-Air (OTA)

CellTrust SecureSMS® to configure NFC devices OTA (over-the-air)

Designed to make life much easier for the end-user, provisioning mobile devices with Near Field Communication or NFC will allow carriers and mobile operators to send sensitive and confidential information to the mobile subscriber's handset. While a few methods exist to provision NFC, CellTrust believes SMS is the optimal choice because it uses the mobile communications control channel, which is separate from voice and data, and is already designed for carriers to send specific commands and instructions to the handset. Provisioning NFC with CellTrust's SecureSMS APIs provides end-to-end privacy on the mobile device via a government-grade, highly encrypted, tamper-proof process, while enabling message sizes up to 5,000 characters.

NFC has the potential to be a significant, pervasive technology, but the lack of NFC chips in existing handsets and security concerns have held the industry back from wide-scale integration of mobile payments on NFC-equipped devices. CellTrust's NFC solution could be a key driver in finally bringing mobile payments to NFC devices and unlocking the market potential for this technology.

SecureSMS® NFC APIs use the Short Message Service Center (SMSC) and allow carriers to use their existing investment in SMS infrastructure while provisioning NFC, thereby eliminating the need for a new NFC platform. Carriers can easily integrate with the SecureSMS APIs to send secure commands and instructions to the handset in order to provision and configure NFC for all types of transactions, including adding and deleting credit cards. CellTrust's technology addresses the security gaps that exist with basic SMS, paving the way for NFC-enabled mobile devices to be securely used as an electronic wallet.

SecureSMS® also gives mobile network operators an added level of security for OTA. The configuration and provisioning of mobile devices is protected as compared to regular SMS, which is not encrypted and is at risk of eavesdropping or spoofing.