Watchdata has announced the continued successful deployment of its SIMpass mobile payment solution in China.
Around 200,000 China Telecom subscribers will soon be able to make low-value purchases in 11 cities of Jiangsu Province with local transit, e-purse or campus applications stored on SIMpass mobile cards.
SIMpass was first launched with China Telecom in December 2009 for several campuses in the Province of Jiangsu. More than 20,000 university students of Nanjing Zhongshan Institute and Yangzhou Technology Institute can now tap their SIMpass-enabled handsets to pay for their meals at the Canteen, get medical care, borrow books from the library or pay for public transport.
This was followed shortly by a deployment in Nanjing and Suzhou City, where citizens can use SIMpass for payment on buses, taxi, gas stations, supermarket, pharmacy, salon, laundry and restaurants, totaling over 11,000 locations.
As a second phase, China Telecom expects the SIMpass-enabled handset to combine the Nanjing City card functions, which could further extend into Nanjing’s social security and banking sectors.
According to Wang Jianmin of China Telecom, the solution is offered in two different forms: a UIM card with an antenna for people who do not want to change their handset, and custom-made phones for those who are willing to change their handset. ![[end]](/resources/bullet/nfcnews-4.gif)
