Bangkok--13 Dec--Spark Communications
Partners begin multi-phase “M-Cineplex” trial, offering added services and convenience to moviegoers through NFC enabled mobile phones
Major Cineplex Group, the leading entertainment and lifestyle chain in Thailand, in cooperation with NXP Semiconductors (formerly Philips Semiconductors), Payzy, POSNET, and ViVOtech, announced that they have launched a market trial of M-Cineplex, a mobile payment and promotion service, at Paragon Cineplex entertainment complex in Bangkok. The project marks the first ever combination of e-cash based contactless payment and promotion schemes using mobile phones from multiple phone makers embedded with a Near Field Communication (NFC) chip.
This project is being carried out with the close collaboration of these regional and global enterprises and addresses the whole ecosystem for mobile payment and promotion applications. Selected Major Cineplex customers have been provided with Samsung and Nokia mobile phones equipped with an NFC chip developed by NXP and loaded with the Payzy e-cash application enabling payment and promotion features.
At selected Point of Sale locations within Paragon Cineplex entertainment complex, customers can quickly and securely purchase items (including movie tickets, Food & Beverage, bowling and Karaoke sessions) simply by holding their mobile phone close to ViVOtech’s contactless NFC reader/writer attached to the payment terminal provided by POSNET.
During the first stage of this market trial, the mobile phones can be conveniently ‘reloaded’ with e-cash at the Point of Sale. In the second phase of the trial, customers will be able to perform this task Over the Air (OTA), enabling them to reload the e-cash remotely. Payzy is installing the application and personalizing the mobile phones, and POSNET is processing the transactions.
100 selected Paragon Cineplex customers will now enjoy fast, easy, and convenient payments with M-Cineplex at selected sales terminals, where earlier they used to pay by cash or credit cards. The M-Cineplex application in the mobile phone will also enable these customers to access and redeem special promotions during the market trial.
The trial is expected to last until April 2007.
About NXP Semiconductors:
NXP is a top 10 semiconductor company founded by Philips more than 50 years ago. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company has 37,000 employees working in 20 countries across the world. NXP creates semiconductors, system solutions and software that deliver better sensory experiences in mobile phones, personal media players, TVs, set-top boxes, identification applications, cars and a wide range of other electronic devices. News from NXP is located at www.nxp.com .
Quote from NXP Semiconductors:
Jeroen Keunen, Senior Director: “NXP Semiconductors is delighted to bring easy, convenient and secure transactions based upon Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to Major Cineplex Group customers. The trial is an important step forward towards large scale commercial deployment of mobile phone based payment systems in Asia-Pacific by 2007.”
About Payzy
Payzy ( www.payzy.com ) is the first company to develop and bring to market a complete end-to-end solution to enable contactless payments with mobile phone integrated with a promotion service that will generate more sales for retail merchants and consumer brands.
Payzy is a Dutch company with offices in Bangkok, New York and Shanghai. Payzy’s IT development center is based in Bangkok.
Quote from Payzy
Philippe Staib, Chairman: “Payzy is proud to launch the first implementation of its payment and promotion solution in the country where all its IT development is done. Thailand is where Payzy solution was conceived and where understandably the first implementation is made. This realization will serve as a model for the forthcoming implementations in China and in the US which are being deployed and will be operational within the next five months.”
About Major Cineplex Group and Paragon Cineplex
With vision and experience in cinema business, Major Cineplex Group PLC ( www.majorcineplex.com ) has solidly grown to be the leader in Thailand's cinema business. The Company still emphasizes and refines to be "The World's best cinema and entertainment complex". The Company's businesses are categorized as follows:
Theatre business
Bowling and Karaoke business
Advertising business
Rental and Services business
Films Distribution business
For Theatre business, the Company owns and operates multiplex cinemas, which serve at least 4 screens per complex to show many films released at the same time. As well, multiplex cinemas are able to offer various choices of films to satisfy customers. The Company's theatre is furnished in a modern luxurious interior concept, which differs by complex.
Presently, the Company has a total of 30 branches, of which 19 branches serving 162 screens and 39,900 seats are Major Cineplex and including 600 seats of an IMAX theatre at Ratchayothin branch. Another 11 branches serving 96 screens and 19,600 seats are under EGV brand.
Among the several entertainment complex owned and operated by Major, the Paragon Cineplex ( www.paragoncineplex.com ) represents a unique combination of modern design, modern technology and superior services.
Quote from Major Cineplex
Mr. Sakda Oudarasak, Managing Director of Major Online, a subsidiary of Major Cineplex Group is happy to bring this new service to Paragon customers: “We (Major) are very committed to integrate new consumer technologies with the goal of becoming a world class cinema operator.
We continuously strive to remain professionally competitive by implementing various marketing strategies to promote sales and satisfy our customers thanks to new technology channels such as our M-cash, Electronic Box Office and now our latest service: M-Cineplex by Payzy. As a result, we have a wide range of customers from teenagers, adults, retired age and whole families who feel comfortable with the convenience of our existing and new services.”
About Posnet
POSNET Company Limited ( www.posnet.co.th ), a subsidiary of Samart Telcoms Public Company Limited was formed to act as a service provider of the EFT/POS terminal and network nationwide utilizing both wire and wireless technology. We offer quality services and products for the banking and retail communities. Utilizing a breakthrough in wireless technology along with SAMART’s nationwide telecommunications infrastructure, we are the first company offering wireless EFT/POS solutions. With our services, our customers can easily and economically expand their point of sales coverage thus benefiting consumers and society in a better, easier, and more convenient lifestyle.
Quote from Posnet
Mr. Apichat Sirisalipochana, Managing Director of POSNET Company Limited: “We are very excited about this first launch of an NFC payment service in Thailand and we strongly believe that it will be getting popular in a short time. We see a lot of opportunities in the retail and mass transit markets where this service can bring many benefits to the consumers."
About Vivotech
ViVOtech ( www.vivotech.com ) is the market leader in contactless/NFC payment software, transaction management systems, and readers. These innovative solutions allow consumers to make contactless payments with radio frequency-enabled credit cards, debit cards, key fobs, and NFC-enabled mobile phones. ViVOtech's products are used by some of the most prominent retailers in the United States. Currently, with more than 200,000 units in 18 countries, ViVOtech's products are in use at movie theaters, fast food restaurants (QSR), casual dining establishments, convenience stores, gas stations, drug stores, grocery stores, buses, taxicabs and vending machine locations, enabling a wide variety of businesses to accept contactless/NFC payments. In 2005, ViVOtech received the prestigious Frost & Sullivan technology award for its role in transforming the contactless payment industry, as well as winning the first annual ETA Technology Innovation Award. ViVOtech was recently honored with a MasterCard "Best Vendor Partner Award" as the first vendor to deliver stand-alone contactless readers for MasterCard PayPass customers.
For further press information, please contact:
NXP Semiconductors: Mark Chisholm ( [email protected] ), Tel: +81-3-3740-4792