Category: NFC Technology

New mobile commerce service set to launch in Taiwan

| December 11, 2014

Gemalto partners with Chunghwa Telecom to launch new mobile service for consumers

Gemalto, an international digital security firm, has announced that it has partnered with Chunghwa Telecom, the largest telecommunications operator in Taiwan, to launch a new mobile commerce service. The service will be based on NFC technology, allowing users to participate in contactless payments from their mobile devices. The launch of this new service is being supported by MasterCard and four of Taiwan’s leading banks.

Mobile commerce continues to gain momentum in Taiwan as mobile device ownership rises

Mobile commerce has become quite popular in Taiwan, largely due to the growing smartphone penetration. More consumers than ever are beginning to use their mobile devices to conduct the business of their daily lives. Shopping online from a mobile device is becoming a common practice among consumers in Taiwan, and a growing number of people want to use their mobile devices to make purchases in physical stores. As such, the demand for new mobile commerce services has been on the rise.

Consumers can use mobile service to pay for goods and services, including public transit

Taiwan Mobile CommerceThe new service will be making use of Gemalto’s UpTeq Multi-tenant NFC SIM, which can be used to give most mobile devices NFC capabilities. The services will allow Cunghwa Telecom’s customers to pay for goods and services, including the fare associated with public transit systems. These payments can be made by swiping a mobile device near an NFC reader, which will collect information and authenticate a transaction.

Gemalto will work to make NFC-based mobile payments more secure than they have been in the past

NFC technology has formed the backbone of mobile commerce for several years. There have been security concerns regarding the use of this technology, however, as mobile commerce has become a popular target for some malicious groups. NFC can be exploited to access consumer financial information, but Gemalto has extensive experience in security matters and ensuring that this information is not compromised. The company may be able to help make the new mobile commerce service secure and popular among consumers in Taiwan.

China’s UnionPay to launch new mobile payments service

| December 2, 2014

Competition is heating up in the mobile commerce field as large companies launch their own payment services

Competition among large companies participating in the mobile commerce field is heating up. Apple has delivered a strong blow to its competitors by entering into the field with its own mobile payments service, called Apple Pay. The service has a veritable armada of retailers supporting it and has also helped many consumers participate in mobile commerce. The service has also had an unintended effect, as Apple competitors have reported that they have seen a dramatic increase in mobile payments made through their own services since Apple Pay was launched.

UnionPay announces plans to launch new payment service called Android Pay

Apple Pay may soon have a very powerful competitor that aims to establish dominance in the burgeoning Asian market. China’s UnionPay, the largest financial service institution in the region, has announced that it will be launching its own mobile payment service, based on the Android operating system. The service, simply called Android Pay, us expected to significantly increase mobile commerce adoption throughout China.

New payment service is expected to use NFC technology to facilitate transactions

Mobile Payments launched in ChinaAndroid pay is expected to make use of NFC technology. If this is the case, UnionPay is likely to subsidize the cost of NFC-enabled SIM cards or other solutions, allowing consumers to make use of the service even if their mobile device does not have NFC capabilities of its own. The new platforms security features are still unknown, but it may be difficult for the Android platform to compete with Apple’s use of biometric technology to keep consumer information safe.

China continues to grow as a prominent mobile commerce market

China has become one of the most attractive and active mobile commerce markets in the world. Large retail groups, such as Alibaba, have been promoting mobile shopping among consumers for some time now and Chinese consumers have shown that they are willing to embrace mobile commerce. UnionPay may find significant success with its new mobile payments venture, if it can find a way to ensure the security of consumer information.