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Taiwan’s largest mobile operator, Chunghwa Telecom, designed the sleeve for Apple’s iPhone 4 and 4S with an NFC chip and embedded secure element inside. The first service provider to distribute the device, EasyCard Corp., has enabled users since October to tap their “Easy NFC” iPhones to pay transit fares and make purchases at convenience and other stores that accept EasyCard's preloaded Mifare-based application. The device have been available through 7-Eleven convenience stores for NT$1580 (US$51.45), but only about 70% of the 1,200 units put on sale have sold over the first four months, and Chunghwa Telecom plans a redesign. Two banks, Cathay United and E.Sun, have added a preloaded MasterCard PayPass application starting in January 2012, with a third, Taishin, planning to launch the device in later in February 2012. The banks had delayed the launch until receiving approval from Taiwan’s financial regulators.

The EasyCard app has an auto-load feature for when the user’s balance falls below a certain limit. It would then recharge the e-purse from a preregistered credit card. And users will be able to tap to pay a fare or make a purchase even when the phone’s battery is dead, since the attachment draws power from the reader. The NFC-enabled device also works in tag-reading and peer-to-peer modes.