Inside Contactless, Sagem Orga and TazTag have announced the joint development of a new method of delivering near field communication, or NFC, payment functionality.

Inside Contactless said that based on TazTag’s TazCard, the new device is currently in prea-alpha testing and shows the feasibility of an option that facilitates NFC contactless payment transactions while providing full NFC functionality for other applications as well.

About the size of an ordinary credit card, the TazCard is a special-purpose, Java-based handheld device capable of supporting a variety of NFC applications, including payments. For the new payment device, Inside’s Java-based test payment application has been installed on a single wire protocol-enabled SIM card developed by Sagem Orga, which is connected to the Inside MicroRead NFC controller built into the TazCard.

The TazCard also utilizes Inside’s Open NFC protocol stack. With its 3.5-inch color touch screen, the TazCard is able to provide the user with a full NFC experience for payment and other NFC transactions, added Inside.

Charles Walton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Inside Contactless, said: “Our partnership with TazTag is part of an ongoing commitment to support companies creating innovative NFC solutions based on the MicroRead platform. It also demonstrates the versatility of our Open NFC protocol stack to support a variety of innovative NFC-based products for consumers.”

Jean-Christophe Tisseuil, head of marketing and business development, telecommunications product line at Sagem Orga, said: “The TazCard innovation clearly demonstrates the versatility of our NFC-enabled SIM card and our interest in reaching beyond mobile phone applications to provide secure elements for innovative NFC products. We believe the device will enable card issuers to provide their customers with a viable NFC bridge – a key success factor towards market adoption of Mobile NFC payments.”