NFC Times Exclusive Insight – The head of the Canadian telco joint venture Suretap Wallet told NFC Times that this week’s launch of the telco’s new wallet service was not prompted by the expected expansion of Apple Pay into Canada later this year.

Jeppe Dorff, president of Suretap Wallet LP, contended instead that the telcos are seeking to offer a new mobile wallet with an “open ecosystem,” which will give consumers “ubiquity” in the way they interact with their payment cards in the wallet.

But Suretap will have much to prove.