FIME’s ISO 17025 testing environment fully accredited to conduct contactless debugging and type approval testing in conformity with Discover Network requirements for contactless cards and terminals

FIME, a leading provider of testing solutions for the contactless market, today announced that Discover Network, a business unit of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS), a leading payments company in the United States, has accredited FIME’s laboratory for full contactless functional testing. Discover Network selected FIME R&D and consulting services to design and implement its global test and certification environment for contactless smartcards and terminals. Discover Network’s accreditation of FIME enables Contactless payment device and terminal manufacturers to develop products in compliance with Discover Network’s specifications and international standards.

The accreditation is the outcome of 12 months of work devoted to the three major industrial steps: The definition of a specific quality environment, the completion of more than 10 pilot processes and the demonstration of end-to-end expertise in contactless technology.

Discover Network’s new contactless payments technology, Discover Network ZipSM, enables fast, secure transactions using radio frequency (RF) or near field communications (NFC) technology in the form of cards, fobs, cell phones and PDAs. Discover Network Zip also supports a variety of banking functions and devices that deliver value to card issuers and merchants by driving transaction volume and customer loyalty.

With proven expertise in testing, certification, workforce training and quality assessment, FIME brings to the U.S. market the services and expertise required for contactless payment roll outs, involving, not only cards, but also other form factors devices such as NFC phones.

“As a pioneer of the contactless payment market in the U.S., Discover Network has a duty to ensure that products are rigorously tested and are interoperable with other U.S. contactless payment platforms. FIME’s 10 years of experience in smartcard testing helps Discover Network achieve that,” stated Vincent POTY, sales and marketing director for FIME.

FIME’s fully operable and dedicated test environment enables Discover Network to provide a comprehensive, user-centric contactless payment solution to consumers and merchants. Several contactless cards and fobs using Inside Contactless’ MicroPass contactless chip platform as well as a number of contactless payment terminals from the leading manufacturers in the industry have already been certified.

“Working with FIME enabled us to implement our type approval process for payment devices and terminals in a relatively short time frame while utilizing testing processes and procedures that are well known by the leading contactless card and terminal manufacturers,” said Beth Horowitz, vice president of product management for Discover Financial Services. “As a result, Discover Network will be able to offer its issuers and merchants a variety of contactless products that meet their individual needs whether it’s a card, fob, vending reader, or mobile point of sale terminal. We are pleased to be able to provide fast, secure contactless payments to all of our clients”.

Discover Network Zip’s test plan is based on four different steps:

• Analogue testing (ISO 14443 Radio Frequency characteristics)

• Digital testing (communication protocol)

• Application testing (payment application)

• Cross testing (card/reader interoperability)

About FIME

FIME is a global provider of test solutions for the smart card, RFID and NFC markets. With a total offer covering tests, tools distribution, consulting and outsourced R&D, FIME is a genuine business catalyst. A pioneer in smart card testing services in the 1990s, FIME is today well advanced in the field of contactless testing. With over 100 employees on three continents, FIME provides a solution adapted to customers’ local needs. FIME offers the stability of a company which is part of Orange Business Services, as well as the functional flexibility of autonomous teams strongly implicated in your project.

For more information, visit http://www.fime.com

About DISCOVER FINANCIAL SERVICES

Discover Financial Services operates the Discover Card with more than 50 million cardmembers, the Discover Network with millions of merchant and cash access locations, and the Goldfish credit card business in the United Kingdom. Discover Financial Services also operates the PULSE ATM/debit network, which serves more than 4,400 financial institutions and includes nearly 260,000 ATMs, as well as POS terminal, nationwide.

For more information, visit http://www.discoverfinancial.com

Media Contact

Elise Koenig
AxiCom France
+33 1 41 06 18 07