Following an industry trend toward the consolidation or combination of standards groups, PayCircle and Parlay Group announced they together created an application programming interface to promote interoperable payment services over third-generation wireless networks.
The move comes shortly after the Parlay Group merged with the PAM Forum and follows the precedent set by the Open Mobile Alliance, which is working as an umbrella standards group for the wireless industry. Indeed, Parlay Group and PayCircle even addressed the issue in their joint release, stating: “For the mobile market, the cooperation of PayCircle and Parlay is an important sign of de-fragmentation since several industry consortia are working in the field of m-commerce.”
PayCircle and Parlay Group released a co-branded specification called Parlay X Web Services APIs. The groups said the specification creates a common set of interfaces that developers can use to offer mobile-commerce services across all 3G wireless networks. For example, developers could use the same programming code to offer electronic goods like MP3 files, video clips, subscription-based online magazines, streaming video/radio channels or on-demand gaming, as well as for interaction with point-of-sale terminals or vending/ticketing machines.
The groups said they will submit their specifications to other unnamed standards bodies.
As mobile-commerce payment groups like PayCircle and the Mobile Payment Forum continue to work out standards issues, industry players continue to march along to the beat of progress.
Royal Philips Electronics said it will team with credit card giant Visa International to promote and develop the application of contactless chip technology for payment transactions. The companies said the technology would allow for a variety of applications and would allow mobile-phone and other handheld electronics users to use their devices to pay for services, such as gaming, ticketing, music, mass transit, and home shopping.
