The inability to form a consumer mainstream, the lack of unified standards for near-field payment means that upstream manufacturers are unable to produce chips and equipment. Currently, the mainstream technical standards are 13.56 MHz and 2.4G. The former is used by China Unicom, China Telecom, and UnionPay, while China Mobile has chosen the latter. The solutions available are also varied, including SIM cards, full terminals, SD cards, and card sleeves.
"The breakout team" isn't alone. The sole motivation for merchants is: the future is bright. According to Qian Xiaolei, "In the U.S., some users simply take out an Android phone when making payments. The process is simple too; just take your credit card, sign on the phone, and the transaction is complete." "If friends want to go Dutch after eating in the future, they can just take out their phones and swipe them." He indicated that this might be the future direction of mobile payment development. Abroad, this mobile card-swiping model is already very mature.
To speed up progress, operators must first clarify their own business models. Qian Xiaolei said that over the past two years, some operators have been unclear about their businesses, such as distinguishing between mobile payment and "wallets"; they have also been hesitant in operational strategies, like whether or not to push forward, or how to do so. Some industry insiders pointed out that the immaturity of the business model and industrial chain for mobile payment services is a big environment issue, and it will be difficult to break through in a short period of time.
However, the breakout team isn't alone, and this isn't a personal battle among the three major operators. Qian Xiaolei stated that there are also companies like LeShua and LAKALA focusing on breaking through in payment services. LeShua adopts a model of bank card + card reader + a LeShua App phone; LAKALA can popularize POS machines found in large malls to chain stores, or even households. Although currently far from mobile payment, the future direction remains uncertain.
Mobile payment has become a global hot topic, but the domestic industry status is still in its infancy, with a "disconnection" existing between users and merchants. "When mobile services were first introduced, many people signed up, but slowly fewer users did," Qian Xiaolei said. This shows that the mobile payment industry has a promising future, and the "flowering and fruiting" time should not be too long.
Status of mobile payment services for the three major domestic operators:
China Mobile:
Since 2008, China Mobile has started paying attention to third-party payments and attempted to establish a third-party payment platform, officially founding China Mobile E-Commerce Co., Ltd. last June. Currently, China Mobile's mobile payment services are divided into two categories: the first is mobile payment, which enables remote payment via mobile phones; the second is the mobile wallet.
China Mobile's mobile payment service is mainly realized through a professional client software launched by China Mobile E-Commerce Co., Ltd. Users can use the comprehensive mobile payment services provided by China Mobile on their phones through this payment client, such as paying phone bills, receiving and making payments, living expenses payments, order payments, etc. It provides users with a mobile payment experience anytime, anywhere, ensuring the security and convenience of user transactions.