NFC Times Exclusive Insight: TAIPEI, Taiwan – Taiwan’s mobile operator TSM joint venture Thursday announced plans to launch NFC service in the second quarter, following a trial within the next few months–though it remains to be seen when the JV will be ready for a full-scale commercial launch.

The Alliance Digital Technology Co., which includes major Taiwanese telcos Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile and Far EasTone, along with Taiwan’s largest transit fare-collection scheme, EasyCard, is facing a range of challenges, including competition from other TSMs in the market, high NFC SIM card prices and delays in integrating bank-issuing systems with its planned service provider-TSM platform and also with its separate wallet platform, NFC Times has learned. 

In its announcement Thursday, Alliance Digital Technology Co., or ADTC, said it would launch the pilot with the popular transit purse from EasyCard, along with credit cards supporting MasterCard PayPass from three large issuers, Cathay United Bank, E.Sun Commercial Bank and Far Eastern International Bank, the latter part of the same conglomerate that owns Far EasTone.