Tag: verizon

  • Blend business and pleasure on the same phone with Verizon’s dirt-cheap new Second Number feature

    Blend business and pleasure on the same phone with Verizon’s dirt-cheap new Second Number feature

    Have you ever felt the need to use two different phone numbers for various business or, well, personal reasons? Instead of carrying two mobile devices with you all the time, which can be a bit of a hassle, Verizon will let you activate an aptly named Second Number feature on your account for just $10 a month until June 5.

    That sounds far more convenient than the traditional alternative and it also looks way less suspicious to anyone who might want to pry into your secret… business. Of course, you don’t have to be a double agent or a Tinder addict to find this new service useful, as Big Red points out a second phone number can greatly help folks operating side gigs as well as frequent sellers on online marketplaces keep their primary and secondary activities separate with little effort and minimal costs.

    Speaking of costs, it’s important to point out that the aforementioned June 5 cutoff date refers to how long you have to “lock in” the promotional $10 a month price, which should then go unchanged in perpetuity (or until Verizon changes its mind). If you don’t sign up by that date, you can obviously still do so at a later time, but only at a raised monthly cost of $15.

    Either way, this looks like a pretty affordable method to get an extra wireless service line with unlimited talk and text. There will be no data on it, however, which is what allows the plan to be so extremely cheap. You’ll need to take care of all data-related business on your primary line, mind you, which presents a series of… challenges you can only overcome using good old fashioned text messaging.

    To get started, you’ll have to be an existing Verizon customer (well, duh!) with a dual SIM smartphone in your possession. While the nation-leading carrier has an extensive support webpage dedicated to explaining how you can use two numbers on a compatible handset, there doesn’t seem to be a list anywhere containing all such devices (or at least some of them), which makes today’s launch feel a little incomplete and confusing.

  • Verizon confirms price changes for older Unlimited phone plans

    Verizon confirms price changes for older Unlimited phone plans

    There have been reports about possible price changes of Verizon’s grandfathered plans last month, but the carrier has only confirmed those reports this week. Unfortunately, monthly prices of specific legacy Unlimited and Single Basic Phone plan will be higher beginning August 29.

    The price increase impacts all of Verizon’s older Unlimited mobile phones, so unless you have a tablet or smartwatch plan, you’ll have to pay more for the carrier’s services come August 29.

    That being said, the following older Verizon plans will have their prices adjusted, so you’ll see an added charge of $3/month per mobile phone line:

    • Go Unlimited 2.0
    • Beyond Unlimited 2.0
    • Above Unlimited
    • 5G Start

    Additionally, Verizon confirmed that starting August 29, the Single Basic Phone plan will see an added charge of $5/month per mobile phone line. As per Verizon’s statement, the first month, customers may see a partial Plan Rate Adjustment charge in the One-time charges & credits section of their bills.

    However, the changes for the coming month can also be seen in the Plans section since customers usually pay for their monthly mobile service plan in advance. Lines with tablets, smartwatch and other devices will not be affected by the price hikes, as mentioned earlier.

    As far as the reasoning behind the price increases go, your guess is as good as ours. Verizon says that “it’s committed to bringing you the best experience for your Verizon mobile phone service,” but that’s standard practice in this type of situation.

    Those who want to avoid the price increase have two options: switch to another carrier or move to a current Unlimited plan, which aren’t subject to these new charges. A third option would be switching to a Verizon prepaid plan.

  • Verizon’s all-digital Visible unit has a deal on the Pixel Fold that starts on July 18th

    Verizon’s all-digital Visible unit has a deal on the Pixel Fold that starts on July 18th

    July is almost here already which means that from now through next Wednesday, July 5th, Verizon’s all-digital wireless unit Visible is still offering $5 a month off of its Visible plan for new subscribers. For $25 per month per line (taxes and fees included), you get unlimited talk, text, and data. This plan does support 5G and LTE connectivity, but keep in mind that the 5G service for this plan is limited to Verizon’s slower low-band 5G.
    The Visible plan includes unlimited calls and texts from the U.S. to Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Saipan. In times of heavy traffic for the Nationwide 5G and LTE networks, your data speed may get throttled. This plan also offers unlimited mobile hotspot capabilities for one device at speeds up to 5Mbps. During times of heavy traffic, your hotspot speed might get throttled. When you’re in the States, you can make unlimited calls and send unlimited messages to Canada and Mexico. And spam is blocked before it even gets to your phone. Again, this plan is $25 per month unless you wait until July 6th or later to subscribe when the price reverts back to $30 per month.
    If you want faster 5G data speeds, the Visible+ plan is $45 per month (fees and taxes included) and it uses both Verizon’s Nationwide 5G and its C-band Ultra Wideband signals. The latter delivers a download data speed up to 10 times faster (from personal experience) than Nationwide 5G. And yes, Visible+ has 4G LTE connectivity. With this plan, you can use your phone as a mobile hotspot with unlimited data speed of up to 5Mbps.
    This plan also offers $10 off on Verizon home internet, spam protection, and unlimited calls and texts to Canada and Mexico when you’re in the States. It also provides talk, text, and unlimited data when traveling in Mexico and Canada, plus the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. International calling is included from the U.S. to 30+ countries. You can call up to 500 minutes per month at no additional cost. With the Visible+ plan, you also can partake in unlimited texting internationally from the U.S. to over 200 countries & territories worldwide.
    Now here’s the big news. Starting on July 18th you can buy the Pixel Fold from Visible and receive a $200 gift card back. Here’s how it works. Join Visible and sign up for the Visible+ plan and create your account. Within 30 days of purchasing the Pixel Fold from Visible, transfer your number from an eligible carrier. Set up your SIM and activate the phone. After completing 3 full months of service payments on the Visible+ plan, you will receive an email with a code to redeem your virtual gift card.
    The Pixel Fold will be available in Obsidian with 256GB of storage and will be priced at $1,799; it can be financed through Affirm for 36 months ($49.97 per month).
    You can also test out the Visible network free for 15 days without having to produce a credit card number. You just need to have an unlocked iPhone XS/XR or later. The thing about Visible is that while it doesn’t have any physical retail stores, it does have a chat team that you can get in contact with 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And since Visible uses Verizon’s networks, its signals cover 99% of the U.S. population.
    Some say that wireless firms like Visible are the wave of the future since subscribers can take care of everything from the comfort of home without having to drive to a crowded store and be forced to deal with company reps. Still, not everyone is tech savvy which means that old-school retail stores are still necessary for now. But if you do know what you’re doing, an all-digital wireless provider might save you some money in the long run.
  • Verizon’s 5G network goes live in three more cities

    Verizon’s 5G network goes live in three more cities

    Verizon’s 5G network covered 31 cities in the United States until recently but starting today, three more cities will benefit from Verizon’s 5G mobility service. The carrier announced its 5G network is now live in three more cities: Little Rock, Kansas City, and Cincinnati.

    Just like every other city on the list, these three won’t feature full 5G network coverage. If you live in one of these cities, here is where you should be able to take advantage of 5G blazing-fast data speeds.

    • Little Rock: parts of Midtown, University District, Birchwood, Otter Creek and near landmarks such as UAMS College of Medicine, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Rock Creek Square Plaza Shopping Center, and Outlets of Little Rock.
    • Kansas City: parts of Downtown, Midtown-Westport, Plaza Midtown, Olathe and near landmarks such as The Garment District, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Rockhurst University as well as inside and around the professional football stadium.
    • Cincinnati: parts of Downtown, Mt. Adams, West End, Evanston, Walnut Hills, Corryville, Clifton, Price Hill, Over-The-Rhine, Mt Auburn, Avondale, Newport (KY), Dayton (KY), Bellevue (KY) near landmarks such as Great American Ballpark, Duke Energy Convention Center, Serpentine Wall, City Hall, Xavier University, Cincinnati Zoo, Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati Christian University and Newport Waterfront (KY).

    Besides the three cities included in today’s announcement, Verizon’s 5G network is live in parts of Cleveland, Columbus, Hampton Roads, Charlotte, Greensboro, Grand Rapids, Miami, Salt Lake City, Spokane, Hoboken, Memphis, Des Moines, Los Angeles, Boston, Houston, Sioux Falls, Dallas, Omaha, Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Providence, St. Paul, Atlanta, Detroit, Indianapolis, Washington DC, Phoenix, Boise, Panama City, and New York City.

  • Samsung angers its customers by advertising the Galaxy Note 10 line in the wrong place

    Samsung angers its customers by advertising the Galaxy Note 10 line in the wrong place

    You just can’t escape the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+ anywhere after Samsung introduced the new line this past week. And that happens to be true especially if you use an older Samsung Galaxy handset model with Bixby, Samsung Pay and the Samsung Push Service that disseminates updates and notifications meant for Samsung phones only. As spotted by a number of Twitter users including XDA’s Max Weinbach, those using the aforementioned features are being spammed by Samsung with ads for the new Galaxy Note 10 line.

    Bixby implores users curious about the new phones to inquire about them. “Curious about the Note 10? Ask Bixby!” shouts the virtual digital assistant. A screenshot of Samsung Pay shows the mobile payment system offering users a closeup of the Note 10 at AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Needless to say, the response from Samsung users is not positive especially since many of those spammed have already pre-ordered one of the new phones. And the manufacturer is making it harder to disable the spam it delivers via Bixby by forcing users to go into the Bixby settings to disable marketing notifications. To do this, open Bixby and tap on the menu icon on the top right. Tap on Settings and turn ‘Marketing Notifications’ to off.

    We also have to wonder what Samsung is saying to those who shelled out big bucks for the Galaxy Note 9. What is the message here? Is it that the phone you shelled out $1,000 for last year is no longer capable of doing great things? We get that Samsung is proud of the new Note 10 line, but spamming its own customers seems more than a bit unsavory.
  • Verizon launches its fifth 5G device in its fifth 5G market

    Verizon launches its fifth 5G device in its fifth 5G market

    Verizon is taking another small step today towards a nationwide 5G coverage dream that continues to seem so annoyingly distant by expanding the list of cities embracing the next standard in mobile connectivity to five. As expected, St. Paul, Minnesota is joining Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Providence, but fret not, as this sluggish rollout is about to substantially speed up.

    Big Red is not giving up on its rather ambitious goal of spreading the 5G love to “more than” 30 cities by the end of the year, although some of those locations remain under wraps and there are no words on future release dates. It’s also important to highlight Verizon’s “true” 5G Ultra Wideband network is only accessible in certain parts of the five aforementioned cities for the time being.

    As far as St. Paul is concerned, the new ultra-low latency and insanely high download speeds are available in “parts” of Downtown, Lowertown, and West Seventh neighborhoods “around” landmarks including the Minnesota Children’s Museum, the Minnesota Museum of American Art, the Fitzgerald Theater, Cathedral Hill Park, and the Alexander Ramsey House. That doesn’t exactly sound impressive, but it’s a start.

    Besides, the nation’s largest wireless service provider promises your 5G device will be able to seamlessly switch to 4G LTE connectivity where a 5G signal is out of reach. Speaking of devices, the Inseego 5G MiFi M1000 hotspot is exclusively available for Verizon subscribers starting today at an outright price of $650.

    This is the fifth 5G-enabled gadget released by Verizon, targeting both businesses and everyday consumers. The ultra-advanced hotspot allows up to 15 devices to connect simultaneously, supporting “near real-time” virtual reality and augmented reality experiences, as well as 4K and 8K video streaming with “near real-time downloads and virtually no buffering delays.”

    If $650 feels a little rich for your blood, you can get that price point down to $499.99 with a two-year contract or pay $27.08 a month for two years. Don’t forget you also need to pay a little something extra on your monthly plan to actually get 5G access.

  • Verizon Media unveils Hong Kong expansion plans

    Verizon Media unveils Hong Kong expansion plans

    Verizon Media has announced an aggressive expansion program for Hong Kong for the next 180 days and the year ahead, including the expansion of its Yahoo Studio in the market.

    The studio will be equipped with audio-visual production equipment for creating HD videos with virtual settings and advanced motion capture capabilities to deliver broadcaster grade production.

    The studio produces Yahoo TV live programs including celebrity talk shows and Engadget Updates.

    “The new studio can unleash video creativity, enabling us to produce more live programs, HD videos with 3D virtual settings, and e-commerce shows,” said Lorraine Cheung, head of audience at Verizon Media. Live programs include finance, tech, lifestyle, and entertainment programs.

    Cheung said the company will unveil its first virtual character this July. The virtual character will not only be a Yahoo KOL but also a co-host of Yahoo’s homegrown TV programs. “The character aims to enhance overall user experience via more fun interaction, turning media into a two-way conversation.”

    In addition, Verizon Media is bringing its new Yahoo Rewards membership program to Hong Kong. The program will allow users to earn points with their daily online engagement such as polling, following groups, e-shopping, and content consumption on Yahoo App.

    The company plans to roll out a Good Deeds Good Life campaign to the app, which will allow users to earn points by engaging in social causes that benefit the community.

    Verizon Media recently unveiled a first-of-its-kind virtual reality advertising offering for demand-side platform users, which aims to help advertisers seamlessly extend existing display and video assets into VR environments.

    “We see huge potential in AR and VR technology on improving engagement of ad and branded content. Our focus is to introduce the technology and facilitate the market adoption.” Verizon Media Hong Kong senior director for APAC ad creative technology Roger Li said.

    Verizon Media, a division of Verizon, was renamed from Oath in 2019. “The purpose of Verizon Media is to transform how people stay informed and entertained, communicate, and transact,” said Rico Chan, managing director of Verizon Media Hong Kong, Japan and INSEA. “The company’s priorities include growing our member-centric ecosystem, building brands B2B customers love and trust, as well as videofy our brands and platforms.”

  • Verizon expands 5G to 20 more cities

    Verizon expands 5G to 20 more cities

    Following the launch of 5G services in Chicago and Minneapolis, US operator Verizon announced 20 new cities where it will turn on its 5G Ultra Wideband network this year. Verizon previously said it will launch 5G services in parts of at least 30 cities in 2019.

    The new cities include Atlanta, Georgia; Boston, Massachusetts; Charlotte, North Carolina; Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus, Ohio; Dallas and Houston, Texas; Des Moines, Iowa; Denver, Colorado; Detroit, Michigan; Indianapolis, Indiana; Kansas City, Missouri; Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Phoenix, Arizona; Providence, Rhode Island; San Diego, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Washington, DC.

    Verizon also said it will roll out its fixed wireless 5G Home broadband service to some of those markets, but didn’t specify which ones would see the service. The 5G Home service delivers 300 Mbps to subscribers for $50 per month for customers with Verizon wireless service or $70 per month for those without.

    Verizon said it’s now taking pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, the first 5G-capable phone to launch in the US. Verizon has a limited period of exclusivity for the phone before carriers T-Mobile and AT&T can begin offering the device.

    “The Galaxy S10 5G on Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network will give our customers access to incredible speeds and the latest and greatest streaming, augmented-reality, gaming, and consumer and business applications that bring us into a future powered by 5G,” said Brian Higgins, Verizon’s vice president, device and consumer product, in a statement.

    Verizon is offering new and existing customers the opportunity to trade in an eligible smartphone and save up to $450 off the S10 5G, which retails for $1,300. Verizon is offering the 256GB version of the device for $54.26 per month for 24 months with its device payment plan; while the 512GB version is available for $58.33 per month for 24 months.

    Access to Verizon’s 5G network is available only to customers who have an “Above” and “Beyond Unlimited” plans and a 5G phone. Both plans include unlimited 5G Ultra Wideband data, hotspot and 4K HD video streaming in areas where the 5G network is available. During the company’s first 5G network launches in Chicago and Minneapolis, Verizon was charging customers an extra $10 per month, but the carrier will waive that fee for a limited as a promotion.

  • Verizon to waive $10 5G fee for three months

    Verizon to waive $10 5G fee for three months

    Verizon will waive for three months the $10 fee it planned to charge subscribers for accessing its 5G network. After launching in Chicago and Minneapolis earlier this month, the carrier announced an additional 20 cities across the US where it will turn on 5G services this year.

    Verizon said it’ll waive the charge for subscribers in Chicago and Minneapolis. A few of the reviewers reported disappointing results using the network, and some recommended consumers don’t pay for the service until the network is expanded and the kinks are worked out.

    While most people who tested the network reported achieving speeds of 300-600 Mbps, there were plenty of problems with finding the 5G network signal, or keeping the Motorola Z3 phone connected to it.

    During Verizon’s quarterly earnings call April 23, Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg said the network in those initial two cities was “performing as expected on a brand new technology being deployed for the first time in the world.”

    “As more features within the network become available for deployment through ongoing software innovation, we will provide increased coverage, improved capacity and greater throughput,” Vestberg said, according to a transcript of the call provided by Motley Fool.

    Verizon’s deployments in Chicago and Minneapolis used the carrier’s millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum technologies to deliver high speeds in dense urban areas. But as Wave7 Research’s Jeffrey Moore told FierceWireless this week, mmWave technologies tend to have weak signal propagation, pointing to concerns about the urban use case for the technology when there are large buildings and other obstacles that can block the signal.

    Vestberg seemed to concede that there are challenges with mmWave during the earnings call. “We all need to remind ourselves, this is not a coverage spectrum,” he said. It’s unclear if those considerations factored into Verizon’s decision to wave the $10 fee for its 5G network.

  • Verizon launches collaboration service in 80 markets

    Verizon launches collaboration service in 80 markets

    US-based telecommunications operator Verizon has launched a new collaboration service which will enable the company’s network customers to integrate their voice infrastructure to a Microsoft Teams environment across 80 markets.

    The new service will take advantage of Direct Routing and Verizon’s SIP Trunk connectivity to give users access to Microsoft Teams’ collaboration features, which include the ability to call to and from traditional phones, VoIP or mobile phone lines using the platform.

    Verizon is using its Session Border Control as a Service (SBCaaS) solution to deliver the virtualized, cloud-based service.

    Other capabilities within the Microsoft Teams unified communications platform include persistent workplace chat, video meetings, file storage and collaboration, and application integration.

    Teams is built on the Office 365 Groups subscription-based office productivity suite, and is now in use by 500,000 organizations worldwide.

    “Enterprises are always looking for tools and solutions for better productivity and collaboration,” Verizon SVP of business products Shawn Hakl said.

    “By integrating Verizon’s SIP Trunking into Microsoft Teams, users get the best of both worlds. They are able to have reliable communication services from Verizon, seamlessly integrated into their Microsoft Teams collaboration software.”

  • Verizon names former Ericsson chief as new CEO

    Verizon names former Ericsson chief as new CEO

    Former Ericsson chief executive Hans Vestberg was named Friday as the new CEO of US telecom group Verizon, succeeding Lowell McAdam as of Aug 1.

    Vestberg, 52, is currently chief technology officer and head of global networks for Verizon, the leading US wireless telecom group which also owns the AOL and Yahoo brands and is a major broadband provider.

    McAdam, 64, who has been CEO since 2011, will serve as executive chairman until the end of next year, when he will retire and become non-executive chairman, a Verizon statement said.

    Under McAdam, Verizon took over the stake in the important wireless unit from Britain’s Vodafone and built a customer base of more than 150 million.

    He also led efforts to buy faded internet stars AOL and Yahoo to create a digital media operation within the firm, under the brand known as Oath.

    Vestberg, a native of Sweden, served for six years as president and CEO of that country’s big telecom-networking group Ericsson before moving to Verizon.

    He takes over as telecom firms race to build fifth-generation, or 5G networks expected to lead to an array of new services such as telemedicine and autonomous vehicles.

    The transition also comes amid a pending tie-up between number three and four carriers T-Mobile and Sprint, subject to regulatory review.

    Verizon’s main competitor, AT&T, is seeking a transformation with the purchase of media-entertainment giant Time-Warner, a deal being challenged by US antitrust authorities.

    “I am humbled to be appointed CEO of Verizon at such an exciting and dynamic time for our company and industry,” Vestberg said.

    “We are experiencing unprecedented changes in the way users interact in the digital world, and we are racing ahead to remain at the forefront of technology, connectivity and mobility.”

  • Yahoo signs off, completes sale to Verizon

    Yahoo signs off, completes sale to Verizon

    Yahoo’s chief executive Marissa Mayer resigned as Verizon finalized the $4.48 billion deal. Internet pioneer Yahoo ended its two-decade run as an independent company on Tuesday, completing the sale of its core online assets to telecom giant Verizon.

    Yahoo’s chief executive Marissa Mayer resigned as expected, as Verizon finalized the $4.48 billion deal integrating the Yahoo internet operations into a new unit called Oath, which includes another former sector leader, AOL.

    Tim Armstrong, former CEO of AOL, now holds the same title at Oath, a division in Verizon’s Media and Telematics organization.

    “We’re building the future of brands using powerful technology, trusted content and differentiated data,” Armstrong said in a statement.

    “We have dominating consumer brands in news, sports, finance, tech, and entertainment and lifestyle coupled with our market leading advertising technology platforms. Now that the deal is closed, we are excited to set our focus on being the best company for consumer media, and the best partner to our advertising, content and publisher partners.”

    Verizon has made no indication of how it will use the Yahoo brand — which is used by over a billion people worldwide — but indicated it is keeping the names Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Mail and more.

    Some reports have said more than 1,000 jobs would be eliminated as a result of the merger, but statements from Yahoo and Verizon on Tuesday made no mention of any cuts.

    Yahoo’s sale caps a long decline from when it had a peak market value of some $125 billion in 2000.

    The original Yahoo group now becomes a holding company with stakes in Chinese internet giant Alibaba and Yahoo Japan.

    On Friday, it will change its name to Altaba Inc. and on Monday begin trading under the ticker symbol “AABA.”

    Mayer, who was unable to stem the decline of the iconic Silicon Valley company, is getting a departure package worth an estimated $186 million, according to regulatory filings.

  • Samsung, Cisco, Verizon to pioneer multi-vendor 5G Trials

    Samsung, Cisco, Verizon to pioneer multi-vendor 5G Trials

    Samsung Electronics America and Cisco are working with Verizon in what they described as the successful deployment of the first multi-vendor end-to-end 5G field trial, which took place in Detroit, Michigan.

    Earlier this year, Verizon announced plans for customer trials of 5G technology for home broadband service (Fixed Wireless Access). Five US cities are scheduled to begin trials in the second quarter of 2017, with pilot trials in a total of 11 markets expected by midyear.

    Each location offers a unique set of test parameters, including vendors, geographies, population densities and demographics, and the Ann Arbor location in Detroit was the first to tackle a multi-vendor deployment of 5G.

    The solution includes a 5G virtualized packet core as part of the Cisco Ultra Services Platform with Cisco Advanced Services and Samsung virtual RAN solutions (vRAN), paired with Samsung’s 5G Radio base stations and 5G home routers that will deliver broadband services to Verizon’s trial customers.

    Based on Verizon’s 5G Technical Forum specification, the three companies followed a series of comprehensive network vendor interoperability tests (NVIOT) that demonstrated seamless interworking between core network, radio edge and user devices that showcased a core principle of next-generation network virtualization via multi-vendor support.

    This trial demonstrates that service providers can deploy 5G networks specialized to their unique market needs by selecting individual network infrastructure components from a selection of multiple vendors.

  • Cybercrime rising Asia as cashless payments rise

    Cybercrime rising Asia as cashless payments rise

    Cashless payments are growing rapidly in Asia-Pacific and so is cybercrime, costing the region an estimated $US 81 billion.

    With new combinations of malware customised for local markets, phishing and social engineering attacks as well increasing e-commerce and ATM fraud, businesses are increasingly at risk for payment data theft, according to the PCI Security Standards Council.

    Singapore’s cards and payments market is one of the most competitive and attractive in the Asia-Pacific region. Already, 69 per cent of consumer spending in Singapore is made through electronic payments.

    It’s against this backdrop that global payment and cybersecurity experts met at the PCI Asia-Pacific Community Meeting in Singapore to collaborate on helping businesses prevent, detect and respond to cyberattacks that can lead to payment data breaches and fraud.

    “We simply must work together to advance payment security,” PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) international director Jeremy King told attendees.

    “New technologies are driving adoption of cashless, mobile and digital commerce in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region, and it’s critical that we ensure consumers remain confident in the security of their financial information with every payment transaction. As payments evolve, businesses must prioritise data protection with robust security standards and practices.”

    The PCI SSC has reinforced its mission to foster secure transactions globally and emphasised that as new cyber threats emerge, and advances in technology change the way payments are conducted, PCI Standards will evolve to protect the next generation of payments. Regional and industry experts speaking at the event included representatives from the PCI Security Standards Council, Interpol, Verizon, Diners Club Singapore, Foregenix, Beijing Information Technology and Pen Test Partners.

    Presentations and discussions addressed a mix of regional and global topics ranging from new threats via the Internet of Things; cybersecurity trends in Asia-Pacific; Point-to-Point Encryption for protecting payment data throughout the entire processing environment; preventing skimming at ATMs and the future of mobile and digital commerce.

    PCI SSC GM Stephen Orfei said the Asia-Pacific region has made tremendous advances in payment security in the past decade.

    “More and more companies in the region are making cybersecurity a top priority.  With the rapid growth in mobile payments, now, more than ever, we must join forces to devalue payment data and make it useless to criminals.  It is very encouraging to see industry and public-private partnerships in Asia-Pacific working together to address the ever expanding cyber threats from around the world.”

    The PCI Security Standards Council is a global forum that is responsible for the development, management, education, and awareness of the PCI Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and other standards that increase payment data security.

    Key focus areas at the PCI Asia Pacific Community Meeting included:

    • Devaluing data with point-to-point encryption: More and more solution providers in Asia-Pacific are encouraged to adopt the PCI Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) Standard to provide solutions that devalue data and simplify security and PCI DSS compliance efforts for businesses.
    • Simplifying security for small merchants: The PCI SSC Small Merchant Task Force urged banks, technology providers and security assessors with small business customers to adopt and disseminate newly published PCI Payment Protection Resources for Small Merchants.
    • Improving security of online and mobile payments with stronger authentication: PCI SSC chief technology officer Troy Leach discussed the newly released device standards (PTS POI v5 and HSM v3) that support online and mobile payment security. PCI SSC is collaborating with EMVCo to support 3-D Secure 2.0 (3DS 2.0), which provides a way for consumers to directly authenticate their card with the card issuer when shopping online.