Supported by the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) of the nation, the project to bring NFC to Singapore consumers lines up a consortium of local partners including mobile operators, banks and service providers. This is the first time that the mobile operators and a range of other service providers join forces to launch nation-wide NFC services to the general public using a unified, comprehensive TSM solution.

With the upcoming commercial rollout, consumers will have the freedom to tap and pay using their NFC-enabled mobile devices at over 20,000 retail points such as convenience stores, fast food outlets, retailers and even a fleet of taxis. Additional and innovative services are expected to join over the coming months when consortium partners launch their NFC services and consumers will be notified on how they can adopt NFC services as part of these launch plans.

All this is enabled by Gemalto's secure, interoperable and inclusive TSM infrastructure, which manages over-the-air provision of confidential payment credentials to users' NFC devices, offering dependable flexibility by leveraging cellular data, SMS or Wi-Fi channels in real time.

Gemalto's TSM data center in Singapore is MasterCard and VISA certified. This full-time and 24/7-available service enables highly-sensitive payment applications, while enabling easy on-boarding of new applications with smooth integration for service providers to be connected any time to the NFC ecosystem. In addition, Gemalto provides a SIM-based mobile wallet application that ensures a common user experience across compatible NFC handsets.

"As part of IDA's iN2015 Masterplan, the Next Generation e-Payments Programme promotes technology adoption that realizes the vision of Singapore as a leading e-payments nation," comments Mr Ronnie Tay, CEO of the national Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore. "The open access model for NFC infrastructure allows businesses to deploy innovative payment and other secured services, providing convenience to both consumers and merchants, and enabling commerce for all."

"This pioneer launch of an all-inclusive platform allows mobile operators, financial institutions and all the other service providers in Singapore to easily plug into and get on board to offer secure NFC services. The NFC capable SIM cards are already being deployed, the NFC infrastructure is ready and with our MasterCard and VISA certified TSM data center we are able to support customers as they ramp up their large-scale deployment of mobile NFC services," said Tan Teck Lee, Chief Innovation & Technology Officer and Asia President at Gemalto. "We are happy to see this landmark program go live as planned, appreciate the benefits it contributes to the country's economy, and want to thank our customers for their trust and for their confidence in the future."