Taiwan’s leading mobile operator Chunghwa Telecom has announced a trial that will enable subscribers equipped with NFC-based Android handsets to make payments on Taipei’s metro system as well as in selected retail outlets.

The trial is expected to involve 500 to 600 of the operator’s subscribers in its initial six month period, says the operator. NFC handsets will be supplied by Samsung, HTC and Sony Mobile.  

Speaking at a press conference to announce the trial, Chunghwa Telecom president Lee Yen-sung said the operator will purchase “fewer than one million” NFC handsets in 2013 although this figure will be spread across more than ten handset models, according to a report by Focus Taiwan.

The country’s government has yet to grant regulatory approval to the joint venture, which involves Chunghwa Telecom as well as the country’s four other mobile operator, which proposes to build an underlying NFC platform. EasyCard, the country’s leading contactless payment provider, is also a member of the joint venture. 

In addition to supplying Chunghwa Telecom with NFC handsets, HTC is also potentially a competitor via a partnership with MasterCard, Cathay United Bank and EasyCard. The latter is also working with the country's mobile operators. A report in NFC Times says HTC has expressed interest in joining the mobile operators' joint venture.