Thailand's Kasikornbank is offering selected customers the chance to come and collect NFC-enabled mobile phones which can be used to make contactless payments.
The bank is working with telecom operator Advanced Infor Services (Ais) and Gemalto on the service. It taps Gemalto's Trusted Services Management (TSM) centre, based in Taiwan, with the European vendor charged with the management and preparation of user information to operate over-the-air services.
Art Wichiencharoen, SVP, retail and SME e-business, Kasikornbank, says: "We have a simple user interface on the phone that guides a user to some 40 retail outlets where they can immediately perform mobile NFC payments like for food, entertainment and grocery shopping. They will appreciate this fast and fuss-free new means of payment."
Suvit Arayawilaipong, VP, product and service development, Ais, adds: "With the ubiquitous nature of mobile phones, we are always looking for innovations to improve our offerings to our customers. This is the first OTA provisioning service that is offered from outside the country. It allows NFC to be deployed in Thailand smoothly and securely."