Dubai: Expect to see more uses for contactless payment in the UAE. Flous is the mobile wallet service by etisalat. Etisalat has launched this service in Egypt recently and is planning to offer it in the UAE.
“We are waiting for UAE Central Bank’s approval to launch NFC [Near Field Communiction] services in the UAE. We are ready with the technology, [we are] just waiting for the green signal,” said Khalifa Al Shamsi, chief digital services officer for the Etisalat Group.
Many app developers have already developed apps to support NFC and are available on app stores.
Similar services have already been launched in the UAE like NOL and Salik cards which use Radio-frequency identification (RFID).
The Salik card reader picks up a signal from the small chip that sits on the card that is stuck on the car and it is very powerful when compared to the NOL card.
In future, the advertisements and posters will have a NFC tag built into it and users will be able to scan the tag with their devices to know more about the products or buy an item from a retailer without leaving their homes. This is known as smart posters.
With the smart posters, consumers can scan the bar code with their smartphone cameras and buy the products sitting at homes and you can also get it delivered at home. It is easy and hassle free.
Payment is only a small part of NFC.
Consumers can also use it for variety of payments and transactions, including domestic and international money transfers, bank account management, opening the doors of your car and home, and purchase of tickets for travel.
