Electronic payment system provider, Touch ‘n Go Sdn Bhd (TNGSB), will introduce the near field communication (NFC) smartphone applications that will enable customers to use their smartphones as Touch & Go card in two months’ time.  

Its chief executive officer, Abdul Karim Md Lassim, said TNGSB was collaborating with Maxis and CIMB for the pilot project.

“After six months we will offer the service with other telecommunication companies, too,” he told reporters after launching the Touch ‘n Go Cares card in Kuala Lumpur today.

NFC is a short-range wireless technology that enables the communication between devices over a distance of a few centimetres.

The mobile NFC services will bring a whole new dimension to a customer’s digital life, transforming mobile phones into contactless devices for touch-and-go applications namely, transport ticketing, payment, loyalty and other innovative services such as smart poster, peer-to-peer or access control.

Abdul Karim said the company has invested over half a million ringgit to develop the services.

The amount excluded investments by Maxis and CIMB, he said.

Abdul Karim said Touch ‘n Go users would also be able to reload their cards using current accounts and saving accounts by year-end, too.

“The company is targeting to sell 1.3 million cards this year, a marginal increase from last year,” he said.

Meanwhile, TNGSB will be issuing a newly-designed Touch ‘n Go Cares card for its fund-raising charity.

The card, priced RM10 each, would be issued from July 18 onwards, said Abdul Karim.

For every card sold, RM3 would be set aside for a fund, which would be equally divided among three charity homes.

Ahmad Karim said the company planned to issue 10,000 cards and aimed to collect RM30,000 by year-end.

He said the company welcomed bulk purchases from any interested party that would like to support the charity project.

- Bernama