StarHub introduces NFC movie ticketing service

SINGAPORE--StarHub is ramping up its push into the near-field communication (NFC) space by partnering with movie theater operator Shaw Theatres to offer its movie ticketing service, which will be made available on its SmartWallet mobile wallet service.

In a statement Thursday, the local telco said the NFC mobile ticketing service will be made available on April 6, and allows subscribers to browse and buy tickets using the mobile app. They can then pick up their tickets by tapping their mobile phones on the self-service NFC reader-cum-printing kiosk at Shaw Theatres venues, it said.

StarHub customers will have to get the company's NFC SIM card and subscribe to its SmartWallet value-added service. They can then download the SmartWallet app via the Google Play appstore.

To promote the mobile ticketing service, the telco is waiving the one-time fees for the SIM card, activation of SmartWallet service and preloaded NFC payment cards such as the EZ-Link purse and MasterCard's FEVO, the company added.

Yeong Mun-Ling, vice president of business strategy at StarHub, said in the statement: "When StarHub launched SmartWallet in August last year, we were the first mobile operator in Asia-Pacific to successfully integrate contactless payment and location-based digital couponing services into a single mobile app. Customer response has been positive and we are encouraged by the continued growth in sign-up rate."

StarHub is not the only local telco offering NFC-based mobile wallet services. SingTel has its mPayment service which include the EZ-Link purse service, while M1's Mobile Wallet includes DBS One.Tap, its own MasterCard prepaid payment service and the EZ-Link purse.