The mobile network operator Digicel has added NFC technology to its Digicel Mobile Money service offering in the South Pacific archipelago nation of Tonga. Digicel said it will make the service available initially with 50 merchants in the capital of Nuku’alofa and it plans to extend the service across the island. The new service is a result of a partnership between Digicel and Verifone mWallet.
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Since the country has low credit card penetration and smartphones are still considered a luxury item, Digicel believes the new service is unique in terms of being fully inclusive. It is accessible from any type of mobile phone and uses a contactless POS payment service that is fully integrated with a mobile wallet and is not card-backed.
Digicel and Verifone are deploying an NFC-enabled merchant payments solution that use NFC tags linked to mobile numbers and to contactless POS devices supplied by Verifone – so rather than just being limited to smart phone users, any mobile phone subscriber can use the service.
Digicel belongs to the Digicel Groups and operates as a mobile network operator across six markets in the Pacific. Its unit Digicel Mobile Money (DMM) runs a service that turns mobile phones into mobile wallets, enabling customers to send money to each other, pay bills, and add airtime.
