Paying with your mobile

Chinese handset maker TCL Communication Technology has partnered with China UnionPay on mobile handsets with m-payments capabilities.
The TCL China UnionPay phones will allow users to maek money transfers, remittances, credit card payments, flight bookings and utility bill payments from their mobile phones. Initially, the services will be available in Sichuan, Shanghai, Shandong, Shenzhen and Yunnan. It is expected to expand to 10 provinces and cities by the end of the year and across China eventually.
Telecom Paper reports that with the partnership, TCL hopes to boost its flagging domestic sales. In the first half, TCL sold 14.2 million mobile handsets worldwide with only 1.3 million, or less than 10%, sold in China. In 2009, domestic sales contributed 22% to TCL’s total sales volume, but the handset maker appears to be losing out to foreign brands. Hence the move to m-payments.