China Telecom is deploying NFC transport services across Shanghai and Beijing, and has contracted digital security vendor Gemalto to provide SIMs for the rollout.
The operator will allow computers to pay for public transport using its BestPay mobile payment application via contactless payment.
Gemalto will provide its UpTeq multi-tenant NFC SIMs for the payment service. The vendor provided customized NFC SIMs for China Telecom's NFC rollout last year.
China Telecom will be able to use its new 4G network to take advantage of the LTE functionalities of Gemalto's NFC SIMs.
China Mobile deployed NFC mass transit services in Beijing using Gemalto's UpTeq SIMs last year. Gemalto said that with China's two largest operators offering NFC transit services in Beijing, nearly all the city's commuters can take advantage of contactless payment on Metro transit.
Beijing and Shanghai have a combined population of around 45 million, and China's large, increasingly urbanized population and strong smartphone penetration make the nation an ideal market for NFC transit services.