China Mobile calls upon Gemalto to help make payments more secure for Chinese commuters
Gemalto, a leading provider of digital security solutions, has been chosen by China Mobile to protect consumers using mobile payments for mass transit in Beijing, China. The company will be using its UpTeq NFC Multitenant SIMs in order to protect consumer information when they are making payments for transportation services. The SIMs that mobile consumers will be using will come pre-loaded with the Beijing transit application, which is used by more than 22 million commuters every day.
Transportation app will allow consumers to easily make payments for transit services
The application has been a boon for those making daily commutes. The app allows people to pay for transit services using their mobile devices, making the payment process more convenient. China Mobile has been a prominent supporter of mobile payments in recent years and believes that the public transportation space could use more support in its engagement of mobile consumers. Ensuring that payments made from a mobile device are secure could encourage more people to take advantage of the mobile services that the public transit space is offering.
New SIMs will provide mobile devices with NFC capabilities
The UpTeq NFC Multitenant SIMs will be able to host a wide range of mobile services, including couponing and loyalty programs. The SIMs will be able to give most smartphones NFC capabilities, allowing them to interact with NFC-based payment and marketing initiatives. China Mobile users will also be able to make use of NFC-enabled mobile applications that can be downloaded through the organization’s 4G networks.
Improving security may help make mobile commerce more attractive to consumers
Security is one of the top priorities for companies that are beginning to enter the mobile commerce space. Many consumers have been wary of mobile payments because of the lack of security solutions available for new payment platforms. As security increases, more consumers are likely to participate in mobile commerce. Gemalto has significant experience in matters of security and may be able to help promote mobile payments among Chinese consumers.
Smartphone penetration in China has surpassed 66%, with more than 3 million mobile point-of-sale systems set up throughout the country. The vast majority of these systems are equipped with NFC technology and can only be used by devices that are NFC-capable. Currently, these devices are still relatively rare in the global market. While some device makers have plans to launch NFC-enabled smartphones in the coming years, others are looking to bring NFC capabilities to current devices without having to force consumers to wait for or purchase new devices in the future.