Visa announces landmark public trial of Visa mobile platform in Taiwan
24 September, 2007
category: Contactless, Financial, NFC
Visa is partnering with a Taiwan telephone company and bank along with mobile phone provider Nokia to launch a six-month trial of near field communication. Besides NFC, the program will also include over-the-air (OTA) personalization, Visa payWave contactless payments and merchant direct marketing offers sent directly to the phone.
Taiwan, Singapore, San Francisco–Visa International is partnering with Chunghwa Telecom, Chinatrust Commercial Bank (CTCB) and Nokia to launch a landmark trial in Taiwan showcasing a feature-rich implementation of the Visa mobile platform.
The trial will bring together near field communication (NFC)-enabled mobile phones, over-the-air (OTA) personalization, Visa payWave contactless payments and merchant direct marketing offers sent to the phone.
Gordon Cooper, regional head, mobile payment, Visa International, Asia Pacific, said the public trial was a natural progression for contactless payments in Taiwan, the leading Visa payWave contactless market in the Asia Pacific.
“With more than 1.4 million Visa contactless cards in Taiwan[1], cardholders are aware of the speed, security and convenience that contactless payment delivers. This public trial is about extending our Visa payWave contactless payment feature to the mobile device and we are excited to be able to partner with Chunghwa Telecom, Chinatrust Commercial Bank and Nokia to make it happen in the tech-savvy Taiwanese market,” Cooper said.
Mr Luo Lian-fu, Chairman of Chinatrust Commercial Bank, said the public trial built on the experience the bank and Taiwanese cardholders had gained from Visa payWave and would provide important lessons for delivering services that centered on consumers’ mobile lifestyles.
The six-month trial involves 500 Chunghwa Telecom Call Call co-brand cardholders using NFC-enabled Nokia 6131i handsets to make contactless payments at any of the 3,000 stores that accept Visa payWave contactless cards in Taiwan.
As the latest Taiwan mobile penetration rates indicate, the mobile phone has become a daily necessity and an indispensable part of people’s lives[2]. Mr Ho-Chen Tan, Chairman of Chunghwa Telecom, said the public trial was important as it would illustrate how payment could be personalized on mobile devices. “We are delighted to partner with leading financial and technology organizations – Visa, Chinatrust, and Nokia – to enrich consumers’ lives through the integration of payment on to the mobile phone.”
Consumers will be able to obtain merchant offers by pre-registering their preferences to receive certain types of coupons or by holding their phone up to special posters located in popular shopping areas, thereby triggering on-demand download of specific merchant offers. On-demand offers are supported through the use of posters and other media embedded with NFC tags. All offers are stored in the graphics-rich software application that manages the Visa payWave payment on the Nokia handset.
As part of the mobile offers feature, Blockbuster Inc will trial discount coupons at all 61 of its branches in the Taipei metropolitan area while 11 other merchants have signed up to offer smart poster tags. These merchants include selected restaurants, cafes, bars and cinemas.
“Smart tag offers will focus on merchants in the Xinyi District as it is the most popular shopping, dining, and entertainment area in the Taipei city. Our merchant partners will include Mr. Brown Cafe, Vieshow Cinemas, and a wide array of restaurants at Eslite’s flagship shop in Xinyi,” Mr Luo Lian-fu, Chinatrust Commercial Bank said.
“Aside from the use of an OTA provisioning process and graphics-rich handset software born out of the Visa mobile platform, we are excited about complementing the Visa payWave experience with the mobile marketing solution that is also a core component of the Visa mobile platform. By incorporating mobile offers into this trial we will test the potential of the mobile device to deliver value-added services that complement the convenience of the Visa payWave contactless payment service,” Cooper said.
Visa’s Mobile Platform
Visa’s mobile platform is supported by leading mobile technology providers that enable Visa, its issuing banks, and mobile operators to engage in trials and develop mobile payments and services. Built on years of experience in mobile payments and developed in partnership with mobile technology companies, Visa’s platform includes handset manufacturers, chip suppliers, mobile applications developers, over-the-air (OTA) service providers and mobile messaging providers. Visa’s mobile platform complements the infrastructure of carriers and financial institutions.
“Today’s announcement is the latest demonstration of Visa’s mobile vision – to provide the services and enabling technologies for innovative mobile programs that bring value to financial institutions, mobile operators, merchants and their customers,” said Dave Wentker, vice president of mobile innovation, Visa International. “We’re pleased to be working with our partners on this trial and look forward to seeing how Taiwanese consumers will use and react to these mobile services.”
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