Overview of NFC Services by Telcos
Closer Look at The NFC Services
NFC Services Finally Arrive in Singapore
In October 2011, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) launched an initiative, the Call-for-Collaboration (CFC) to bring together seven companies (Gemalto Pte Ltd, Citibank Singapore Ltd, DBS Bank Ltd, EZ-Link Pte Ltd, M1 Limited, SingTel Mobile Singapore Pte Ltd and StarHub Mobile Pte Ltd) in Asia's first interoperable nationwide deployment of Near Field Communications (NFC) mobile payment system.
A total investment of S$40 million is used to deploy the Trusted Third Party (TTP) infrastructure which is operated by Gemalto, a company specializing in digital security. Gemalto will also work with service providers to deploy NFC mobile value-added services. Initially, at least three NFC mobile payment services were stated to be ready in mid 2012.
However, the deployment seemed to be slightly delayed till early August when Gemalto finally announced that it is ready to launch mobile payment services using NFC technology. On the same day, StarHub unveiled its SmartWallet app in collaboration with DBS, EZ-Link and Mastercard. SmartWallet and its suite of contactless payment and lifestyle services will be commercially available soon. M1 and SingTel made their respective announcements yesterday.
*Update on 28/3/2013: M1 announced the launch of DBS One.Tap as part of its NFC services.
For the average consumer out there, the new services may be a little too confusing and overwhelming. That's where this article comes into play - to help you get a better understanding of what each telco has to offer.
Telcos | M1 | SingTel | StarHub |
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Name of NFC Payment Service |
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Services |
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Supported Devices |
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NFC SIM Card Cost |
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Service Activation |
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Monthly Subscription |
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Activation of Payment Services |
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Security Mechanisms |
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Multi-SIM Support |
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Analysis
For now, M1 offers the lowest charges ($26.75 + $9.10) for new subscribers signing up for the NFC payment service. However, when it comes to existing customers, M1 and SingTel offer the lowest at $19.26 with no service activation. In terms of security, StarHub leads the pack with four security mechanisms in place to minimize fraud and misuse cases.
In terms of supported devices, all the telcos support the Sony Xperia S, followed by the Samsung Galaxy S Advance (M1 and SingTel), Galaxy S III (M1 and StarHub). In case you're wondering why only certain models are supported at this moment, all NFC phones being utilized in Singapore are to be certified by Gemalto, Visa, MasterCard and local payment service providers (e.g. EZ-Link) to ensure compatibility with the local payment infrastructure.
As such, all three telcos stated that they will continue to work with their partners to expand the list of endorsed NFC phone models. Do expect major phone vendors to jump on the NFC bandwagon in the near future.
Other Notable NFC Applications in the Industry
For example, Nokia introduced the Singapore NFC Hub, which is a site that allows businesses to order NFC tags and posters for commercial purposes. Nokia also partnered with ComfortDelGro to offer an NFC-enabled option as part of its FastCall automated taxi booking services at over 400 locations across Singapore.
Research in Motion (RIM), the maker of BlackBerry devices, unveiled the BlackBerry Tag for NFC-enabled BlackBerry devices such as the Bold 9900 where users can share contact information, documents and URLs through a single tap.
As seen in the table above, Sony is another active player in the NFC scene. Earlier this year, Sony gave us a comprehensive demonstration of its phones' NFC connectivity features with its SmartTags.
User Set-Up Guides
The three telcos have quite detailed user guides to their respective NFC payment services. Below are the links:
M1 | SingTel | StarHub |
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