Samsung fell further behind its rivals Apple and Google this week as it was forced to delay the launch of its mobile payments service.
Rhee In Jong, EVP at the smartphone maker, told investors in a call on Wednesday that Pay will now be rolled out in the US and South Korea in September, the firm having previously said it would appear in July.
If so it will follow almost a year after the debut of Apple Pay and four months after the launch of Android Pay, with Samsung’s offering expected to be rolled out in line with the next Galaxy Note smartphones.
The news comes only a day after Google upgraded Android Pay to allow Americans to turn their smartphone apps into virtual wallets that could be used both online and offline.
Samsung announced plans to enter mobile payments in March of this year, a month after it bought LoopPay, a firm that lets retailers accept mobile payments more easily.
Whilst other forms of mobile payment have existed for years the latest batch of products makes use of near-field communication (NFC), the technology used in contactless payment cards and travel cards such as Oyster.
The trend was prompted in part by upgrades to point-of-sales systems in the US to allow the use of wireless technology, which in turn was led by a need to enable the use of Chip and Pin, payment card security technology rarely used in the US until recently.
The rise of mobile payments has also coincided with a heating up of competition within the smartphone market, and many have interpreted Samsung’s move as a bid to defend its dominant position in the sector.
