Channel NewsAsia - Saturday, June
21
SINGAPORE: Envious of our Japanese neighbours who get to pay for
purchases with a flash—and—go of their phones?
We just might be able to do the same soon. StarHub has announced
that it is working with Japanese communications provider NTT DoCoMo
to pilot a mobile wallet solution here next year.
Dubbed Osaifu—Keitai (Japanese for mobile wallet), it is the
first implementation of the service outside of Japan.
At CommunicAsia, NTT DoCoMo showcased the contactless payment
system, complete with turnstiles from a station and a
pseudo—convenience store environment.
StarHub said the mobile wallet can be used as an e—ticket for a
movie and will make it easier for users to redeem rewards or rack
up points in loyalty programmes.
This isn’t the first time the telco is dabbling in contactless
payments.
It completed a trial with EZ—Link in April, where participants
used mobile phones for transport payments and at McDonalds and
7—Eleven shops via wireless near—field communications technology.
It found that 70 per cent of the participants were keen on the
service.
StarHub is also working on getting EZ—Link payments to work on
the Osaifu—Keitai pilot.
Different payment systems will be able to exist on a single
device. Just like how your wallet can hold credit cards, an EZ—Link
card and other loyalty cards, Osaifu—Keitai enables you to do the
same. — TODAY/nt
