GlobalPlatform is an international standards body that seeks to create an interoperable smart card infrastructure, which could lead to widespread adoption of things like contact-less payments systems in phones. The eBay-owned PayPal will participate on the advisory council, and it will contribute technical knowledge in the mobile and card areas.
"Membership in GlobalPlatform is a logical step for PayPal," said Eric Duprat, general manager of PayPal's mobile unit, in a statement. "We recognize the value of sharing knowledge in a way that will benefit the industry as a whole through robust technical standards, greater interoperability, and ultimately the wider adoption of online and mobile payments around the world."
This is just the latest move by PayPal to establish a larger role in the mobile payment market. The company already has a client for cell phones that enables users to check their balances, send and receive money requests, and buy things with eBay Mobile. PayPal also is expected to receive a boost in the mobile market by being the payment system for Research In Motion's BlackBerry App World.
PayPal also is working on a program that lets customers use their handsets to buy products. The system would have merchants put special codes on ads or in-store displays, and the buyer could then get the merchandise by text messaging the product code to a number in the advertisement. The product would then be shipped to the address associated with the buyer's PayPal account.
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