NFC allows for wireless payments, alongside other features, and the deal will see Gemalto SIM cards enable Chunghwa Telecom users to pay for goods by tapping their mobile phones on a contactless card reader.
“Taiwan has a strong contactless infrastructure in place, with a long record of NFC trials,” said Kuo-Feng Lin, mobile business group president at Chunghwa Telecom.
“With Gemalto`s robust SIMs that comply with different generations of NFC readers, we are enabled to offer hassle-free mobile contactless services to a wide base of customers.”
The deal is supported by MasterCard and four leading Taiwanese banks, and will enable subscribers to download multiple credit cards on their phones in a banking-grade security environment.
“In addition to our strong track record of more than 50 NFC deployments worldwide, we have been ranked first in Transport and Ticketing by ABI Research Assessment 2014," said Suzanne Tong-Li, president for Greater China and Korea at Gemalto.
“This allows us to deliver a futureproof NFC platform, which will enable Chunghwa Telecom to add new NFC services such as access control, loyalty coupons and smart posters, through the progressive addition of new partners over time.”
Chunghwa Telecom is one of four Asian operators in the NFC alliance, formed in February this year and designed to improve compatibility and adoption in near field communication (NFC) technology.
In June this year, China Telecom selected Gemalto for its NFC technology.
