XEPS - Enabling card-based payment for mobile terminals

Mobile commerce. applications that attempt to introduce a new payment method to the public experience a high failure rate. This mirrors the experience on the web whereby a number of high profile 'webmoney' solutions were withdrawn due to poor adoption. Despite their technological advantage and suitability for mobile payments (lower overheads, cheaper for small transactions) the need to attract a critical mass of merchants before substantial user uptake is often an insurmountable challenge. The public relations failure of WAP-based commerce has undoubtedly discouraged users from making remote purchases with their mobile terminal. Only recently with the rollout of high speed mobile data and higher-resolution colour devices has browsing and buying via a mobile terminal enabled a user-friendly experience. In this paper we present a solution for facilitating credit card payments, using an established XML architecture to wholly describe transactions. Developed with Python for Nokia Series 60 phones, XEPS (XML-Enabled Payment System) allows for standalone applications to integrate a mobile commerce element, complete with SSL-encrypted card processing. To demonstrate the need for a card payment solution for mobile, we analyse the alternative payment mechanisms present on the web, and show how the integration of entrenched card networks is crucial for consumer acceptance. Furthermore, we chart the development of a major application on a relatively new platform for mobile, Python for Series 60 (PyS60), and show how the environment can be used for rapid development of applications which require more advanced interaction with the device hardware.