Research In Motion announced the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and BlackBerry Curve 9360 smartphones are the first SIM-based NFC smartphones to be certified by MasterCard Worldwide as PayPass-approved devices.

With this certification, any MasterCard PayPass-issuing bank globally will be able to deploy PayPass-enabled accounts to the SIM card of these smartphones. The certification was granted on the basis of the BlackBerry smartphones meeting the functionality, interoperability, and security requirements of MasterCard.

The ecosystem to allow customers to take advantage of smartphones for near-field communitcation payments is already growing. France Telecom—Orange believes that mobile NFC has the potential to enable a new revolution in mobile by further connecting people’s mobile digital world with the physical world around them. France Telecom—Orange is the first operator worldwide to have commercial NFC launches in two countries, United Kingdom and France, with trials in several European markets.

Andrew Bocking, vice-president, Handheld Software Product Management at RIM said, “NFC technology is making smartphones even smarter and the MasterCard certification is a significant step forward in helping transform the way we use mobile devices for payments. We are working proactively with our carrier partners, banks, retailers, and other industry players and we are excited to push the boundaries of how NFC can enable new mobile experiences for BlackBerry smartphone users around the world.”