The NFC trial will involve over 20,000 ez-link payment acceptance points in the public transport and retail sectors.

EZ-Link and StarHub are rolling out the first public trial of Near-Field Communication (NFC) services in Singapore, which will involve over 20,000 ez-link payment acceptance points in both the public transport and retail sectors.

The EZ-Link-StarHub partnership aims to integrate the ez-link purse into a mobile phone with NFC, a short-range wireless technology that enables contactless applications. This would turn the phones into payment devices that could potentially be accepted at ez-link terminals on buses, trains and in retail locations. About 1,000 handsets have been distributed for the six-month trial, during which participants can use the NFC phone for payments and to download information from smart posters.

Besides making payment at ez-link acceptance points, users can also use the NFC-enabled mobile phones to access other innovative contactless mobile phone applications. For example, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be deploying smart tags at 32 selected bus stops with a high volume of commuter traffic along Orchard Road. By tapping against the NFC smart tag on the Bus Service Information Poster, trial participants can obtain a list of bus service numbers and routes that call at that bus stop via GPRS (general packet radio service). This service is provided free of charge to trial participants for the duration of the trial.

Smart tags are also being deployed on posters mounted in Wisma Atria Shopping Mall and Orchard MRT station’s concourse level, ClearChannel bus shelters, Golden Village Cineplexes and Sony Gallery Stores. They will be used to communicate their promotions and special offers to the trial participants.

“The feedback from our trialists will help us understand consumer behaviour toward the NFC technology and provide valuable inputs as we develop new and exciting applications and services that utilise the technology,” said Mr Anil Nihalani, Vice President of StarHub’s Mobile Services.

In September, Singapore Telecommunications and NETS also unveiled plans for a public NFC trial later this year. The payment solution being planned will allow users to download an mNETS application which will enable them to store and top up value in their phones any time via the GPRS network. Users will then be able to make payments using NETS FlashPay by flashing their SingTel mobile phones at NETS contactless terminals islandwide. One other application under mNETS will be the mNETS Coupons, an electronic coupon that can be downloaded with a NFC-enabled phone to provide the SingTel user with discounts and freebies.