AIS: Impressed by speed of Oberthur's NFC SIMs, which is "key for transport"

Advanced Info Service (AIS), the largest telecom operator in Thailand, has selected a next-generation SIM card from Oberthur Technologies for use in a public transportation and shopping pilot in Bangkok.

DragonFly NFC SIMs carry embedded Mifare DESFire technology licensed from NXP and, says Oberthur, offer "increased speed, security and convenience as well as best-in-class certifications and an integrated anti-virus".

"The Dragonfly also allows rich applications to be embarked on the SIM," the technology provider adds.

"We were really impressed by the reactivity of Oberthur Technologies' NFC SIM cards," says Supreecha Limpikanjanakowit, managing director of Advanced mPay, a subsidiary of AIS. "The major decision for us to select Oberthur Technologies was Dragonfly's speed because it is key for transport, in order to offer to our customers a best-in-class experience".

The Bangkok pilot will act as "a technical demonstration of Oberthur Technologies' and AIS' capabilities to provide the latest transport ticketing and e-purse technology within an NFC SIM card to service users," says Oberthur.

Pilot participants will be able to use their mobile phone as an electronic purse to pay for public transportation and make purchases in stores. Service users will also be able to directly top-up credit on their SIM card and check both their balance and transaction history using their mobile phone.