DBS Customers with StarHub Plans are the First to Use the New NFC Mobile Payment Solution in Singapore

Trialists will be able to make everyday mobile payments, including bus and train fares, with their existing mobile handsets

SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Some 1, 000 DBS customers with StarHub mobile plans will be the first in Singapore to use the NFC Mobile Payment Solution trial service for everyday mobile payments. The trial will commence in December 2010 and will last for eight months. The project, which was collaboratively organised by DBS Bank, EZ-Link, Gemalto, MasterCard and StarHub, will involve adding an N-Flex solution enabling to turn conventional handsets into NFC-enabled mobile phone without any change to the device.

“The mobile phone has become an indispensible part of everyday life, making it an ideal tool to transform the way consumers pay for everyday purchases”

The N-Flex solution functions on SIM cards across multiple mobile handsets hence helping to accelerate the ubiquity of handsets supporting NFC. The solution is also the first-of-its-kind conforming to the Single Wire Protocol (SWP) as endorsed by the GSM Association (GSMA).

The NFC trial user will then be able to make payments with their mobile handsets at all merchant outlets that accept the MasterCard PayPass™ or the ez-link card, as well as on public transportation such as buses and trains.

The trial will involve a group of participants who will receive an electronic mailer from either StarHub or DBS Bank that contains instructions on how to register their participation online. Trialists will then be required to visit the StarHub Customer Service Centre at One Raffles Place (OUB Centre) or designated StarHub road shows to have the Upteq N-Flex device inserted and mapped onto the SIM cards of their mobile handsets before they can start making payments with their phones.

“With the rapidly expanding use of mobile devices, our customers are increasingly expecting financial services and payments to be offered on their mobile devices. We are happy our cardholders will be the first in Singapore that will benefit from the convenience of having the functionality of NFC-enabled chip embedded onto their mobile phones to make payments. Through this, we hope to further promote the adoption of cashless payment in Singapore,” said Ms. Ooi Huey Tyng, Senior Vice President, Cards & Unsecured Loans, DBS Bank Ltd.

“Through this partnership with industry partners in delivering the first mobile payment device that leverages on the NFC technology in Singapore, EZ-Link believes that its customers will benefit from the convenience of having the functionality of an ez-link card embedded onto their mobile phones. We hope to also promote the adoption of cashless payment by merging it with a device that is already a necessity most Singaporeans carry around with them at all times,” said Nicholas Lee, Executive Director of EZ-Link Pte Ltd.

“Gemalto is delighted to drive the technology behind this landmark trial. Our N-Flex solution was created specifically to empower mass adoption of the ever convenient and easy-to-use NFC mobile payments. As more countries deploy this service, we are glad to be part of a collaboration between industry leaders to roll this out for Singapore, making us one of the first in Asia to do so,” adds Tan Teck Lee, Gemalto Asia President and CITO.

“The mobile phone has become an indispensible part of everyday life, making it an ideal tool to transform the way consumers pay for everyday purchases,” said Julienne Loh, vice president and Country Manager, Singapore, MasterCard Worldwide. “Working closely with Gemalto, MasterCard is taking the lead to deliver a convenient and secure payment method for consumers using a wide range of mobile devices. Through this trial with our partners DBS, EZ-Link and StarHub, Singapore will be at the forefront of developments in this field.”

Ms. Yeong Mun Ling, Vice President of StarHub’s Business Strategy and Customer Lifecycle Management said, “With the proliferation of mobile handsets in Singapore, and the growing prominence of mobile payment transactions, we believe now would be a good time to implement this unique NFC solution. Not only will this trial help us measure the level of customer acceptance for the new technology, it will also help us gather critical feedback on how the service can be further enhanced.”

The service is currently scheduled to be launched to the masses in the later part of 2011.

About DBS

DBS - Living, Breathing Asia

DBS is one of the largest financial services groups in Asia with operations in 15 markets. Headquartered in Singapore, DBS is a well-capitalised bank with "AA-" and "Aa1" credit ratings that are among the highest in the Asia-Pacific region.

As a bank that specialises in Asia, DBS leverages its deep understanding of the region, local culture and insights to serve and build lasting relationships with its clients. DBS provides the full range of services in corporate, SME, consumer and wholesale banking activities across Asia and the Middle East. The bank is committed to expanding its pan-Asia franchise by leveraging its growing presence in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan to intermediate the increasing trade and investment flows between these markets. Likewise, DBS is focused on extending its end-to-end services to facilitate capital within fast-growing countries such as Indonesia and India.

DBS acknowledges the passion, commitment and can-do spirit in each of its 15,000 staff, representing over 30 nationalities. For more information, please visit www.dbs.com.

About EZ-Link Pte Ltd

A subsidiary of the Land Transport Authority, EZ-Link Pte Ltd was formed on 8 January 2002. Its core business is the clearing and settlement of all ez-link card transactions generated in transit and non-transit (retail/merchant) environments, as well as the sale, distribution and overall management of ez-link cards. To date, the company has sold and replaced more than 8 million new ez-link cards which are CEPAS-compliant. This is in tandem with the government’s plan to promote cashless payments in Singapore. In line with this vision, the new ez-link card is now also accepted as a mode of payment for Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) and at carparks fitted with the Electronic Payment System (EPS) when used in the dual-mode in-vehicle unit.

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL 0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security with 2009 annual revenues of €1.65 billion, and over 10,000 employees operating out of 75 offices, with research and service centers in 41 countries.

Gemalto is at the heart of our evolving digital society. The freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain, and work—anytime, anywhere—has become an integral part of what people want and expect, in ways that are convenient, enjoyable and secure.

Gemalto delivers on the growing demands of billions of people worldwide for mobile connectivity, identity and data protection, credit card safety, health and transportation services, e-government and national security. We do this by supplying to governments, wireless operators, banks and enterprises a wide range of secure personal devices, such as subscriber identification modules (SIM), Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) in mobile phones, smart banking cards, smart card access badges, electronic passports, and USB tokens for online identity protection. Moreover Gemato delivers on emerging applications related to the ‘Internet of things’ by supplying wireless modules and machine identification modules (MIM) for machine-to-machine communication. To complete these solutions we also provide software, systems and services to help our customers achieve their goals.

As the use of Gemalto’s software and secure devices increases with the number of people interacting in the digital and wireless world, the company is poised to thrive over the coming years.

For more information please visit www.gemalto.com.

About MasterCard Worldwide

As a leading global payments company, MasterCard Worldwide prides itself on being at the heart of commerce, helping to make life easier and more efficient for everyone, everywhere. MasterCard serves as a franchisor, processor and advisor to the payments industry, and makes commerce happen by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, governments, businesses, merchants, and cardholders worldwide. In 2009, $2.5 trillion in gross dollar volume was generated on its products by consumers around the world. Powered by the MasterCard Worldwide Network – the fastest payment processing network in the world – MasterCard processes over 22 billion transactions each year, has the capacity to handle 140 million transactions per hour, with an average network response time of 140 milliseconds and with 99.99 percent reliability. MasterCard advances global commerce through its family of brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro®, and Cirrus®; its suite of core products such as credit, debit, and prepaid; and its innovative platforms and functionalities, such as MasterCard PayPass™ and MasterCard inControl™. MasterCard serves consumers, governments, and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information, please visit us at www.mastercard.com. Follow us on Twitter: @mastercardnews.

About StarHub

StarHub is Singapore's fully-integrated info-communication company, offering a full range of information, communications and entertainment services for both consumer and corporate markets. StarHub operates Singapore's fastest two-way HSPA+ mobile network that delivers up to 21Mbps for downlink to complement its nation-wide GSM network, and an island-wide HFC network that delivers multi-channel cable TV services (including High Definition Television and on-demand services) as well as ultra-high speed residential broadband services. StarHub also operates an extensive fixed business network that provides a wide range of data, voice and wholesale services. Over Singapore’s fibre-based Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network, StarHub offers a broad range of home and business broadband plans along with a host of advanced media-rich value-added services.

Launched in 2000, StarHub has become one of Singapore's most innovative info-communications providers, and the pioneer in 'hubbing' - the ability to deliver unique integrated and converged services to all its customers. StarHub, listed on the main board of the Singapore Exchange since October 2004, is a component stock of the Straits Times Index and the MCSI Singapore Free Index.