On
Track Innovations (OTI), a contactless smart card solutions, announced that
MTS, Russia’s communications group, has selected OTI’s COPNI mobile payment
solution for its near field communication (NFC) projects.

OTI
is working with SITRONICS Smart Technology as its technological partner in
Russia. MTS’s NFC program first retail application to be launched later this
month will be mobile payment and loyalty program at LUKOIL gas stations.

With
the new program, LUKOIL retail customers use their mobile phone to pay for fuel
transactions at the dispenser using a COPNI-enabled cell phone and accruing
loyalty points for LUKOIL’s loyalty program.

“COPNI
is the ultimate solution for operators, providing them maximum flexibility. It
is cost-effective and it allows the MNO to provide solutions to a large
existing customer base regardless of the handset type and model, bringing
contactless payments and NFC into real life program quickly,” said Oded
Bashan, chairman and CEO of OTI.

OTI’s
COPNI (Contactless Payment and NFC Add-On) was selected after testing which represents
the first commercial NFC project in Russia based on SIM-cards with
SWP/HCI-protocol. A COPNI-enabled mobile phone is a platform that enables
mobile network operators (MNOs) to provide a true after-market solution to
existing subscribers, filling the gap between the demand and lack of handsets
with embedded NFC.

Simply
tapped near a contactless reader, the COPNI-enabled mobile phone can be used in
a broad range of payment transactions including prepaid, credit and debit, as
well as loyalty programs and other NFC related applications.

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