The Payments System Board of the Reserve Bank has raised competition issues in the mobile payments market, prompted by stakeholder reports of conduct that may prevent or deter Australian card issuers from provisioning a competitor network for mobile payments.In a consultation paper issued yesterday, the PSB outlined issues of "conduct that has sought to prevent or deter Australian issuers of dual-network cards from provisioning those cards to enable Eftpos mobile payments."The PSB said stakeholders (which no doubt include Eftpos Australia) had raised concerns with the RBA about two types of actions.First, scheme rules or policies of a network that prevent or hinder Australian card issuers from provisioning a competitor network for mobile payments (either expressly or through policies or restrictions that achieve that outcome in practice)."In particular, stakeholders have raised concerns that issuers with existing dual-network cards might be prevented from enabling both networks on those cards for mobile payments," the PSB said.Second, there is concern about contractual terms for tokenisation services that could penalise an Australian issuer for provisioning a competitor network for mobile payments. In particular, stakeholders have raised concerns that contractual terms may allow a scheme to increase the price of tokenisation services for issuers that choose to also enable a network other than that scheme.The issues echo those considered by the PSB in 2013 over card payments.In a nod to the expected progress of mobile wallets, the PSB said these "represent a technology that allows greater choice by end users. "The Board's longstanding position is that the issuance of physical dual-network cards promotes payments system efficiency and competition between payment methods. Dual-network cards are convenient for consumers and enhance the ability of merchants to encourage the use of lower-cost payment methods."Thus, the PSB warned, "it would be concerning if, as a new technology is adopted, protocols or rules were put in place that have the effect of reducing competition in the debit card market by making it more difficult for schemes to compete, or impeding the efficient migration of existing competitive arrangements from the physical card to the mobile wallet environments."The PSB spelled out a drastic option: "Some stakeholders have suggested that it could be in the public interest for the Board to determine a standard that would preclude rules, policies or conduct of any scheme that prevent or make it more difficult and/or costly for issuers to provision a competing network."