NFC Times Exclusive Insight – Far EasTone, one of Taiwan’s three major telcos, officially launched its mobile wallet Tuesday, offering a range of services and technologies as it prepares to compete with the coming of the “Pays” wallets, including Apple Pay, which is expected to launch in Taiwan in the first quarter.
Among the technologies that Far EasTone plans to add is HCE, as NFC Times reported in September, one of the first telcos planning such a move. While Far EasTone is also rolling out NFC SIM cards to enable NFC transit ticketing, it is now offering in-store payments using QR codes, funded by credit cards. It will also use HCE technology for credit card-based in-store payments. Both will co-exist in its friDay wallet.
The wallet, which Far EasTone soft launched in August, supports two closed-loop NFC-based services: Taipei-based EasyCard, which is accepted throughout the island nation on buses, at metro gates and at thousands of stores; and HappyCash, the e-purse launched by the conglomerate that owns the telco, Far Eastern Group, which is also accepted at thousands of stories, including many of the group’s own stores, as well as for fare collection.
