Credit card-enabled Wap phone launched

A mobile phone that lets users make secure credit card payments for goods and services offered on mobile internet sites has been launched in France.

Motorola and France Telecom have developed the Wap-enabled mobile phone, which will allow users to make secure payments with a Carte Bancaire (CB) card.

The service will enable France Telecom Mobiles subscribers using a Motorola Timeport handset with a CB card inserted to order and pay for goods and services from a Wap merchant site.

France Telecom Mobiles customers will be able to access the internet and make secure purchases while roaming in Europe, Asia and some parts of the US. Consumers will need to enter their CB card into the second slot of the Timeport P7389e handset.

Motorola said the system is designed to support future banking cards that adhere to the EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) specification. Countries that have adopted the EMV cards will be able to introduce payment methods using dual slot phones.

Joachim Hoffman, director of mobile commerce business at Motorola, said the introduction of the new service will turn the mobile phone into a "mobile internet access and payment device".