Rollcomm World Corp. in Budapest thinks Bluetooth technology is a more viable alternative to near field communication for mobile payments and has announced a payment plan to back up its words.

The main reason Bluetooth makes sense is that it’s already in most phones, while NFC has yet to make its presence felt. In addition, the bank would own the system which would simplify the business model, says a Rollcomm official. However, Bluetooth does have some major disadvantages, according to its critics.

For one, it would need the cooperation of mobile operators and for another, according to a MasterCard official and NFC supporter, the user’s phone would have to search for the Bluetooth-enabled device, such as a merchant’s terminal, then select that device. Compared with what NFC offers, that’s very cumbersome, he says.

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