Finnet Launches Tep-Aja, Goes Head to Head with Telkomsel's Tap- Izy

In addition of launching FinPay, in the EXPO Bisnis Online End to End & Cashless Transaction Society event, on May 30-3, PT. Finnet Indonesia also launched Tep-Aja. If FinPay is a payment platform, Tep-Aja is e-money service similar to Tap-Izy owned by Telkomsel.

Both e-money utilize Near Field Communication (NFC) technology implemented in the cell phone. If in Tap-Izy, this NFC chip is planted directly inside the SIM card, Tep-Aja offers some other ways to bring this NFC chip into the cell phone. Reported by Tekno Kompas, Vice President OTC Merchant Division Head of PT Finnet Indonesia, Ruby Hendrarto Wijoseno, said that Tep-Aja is currently provide card only. But mengatakan bahwa saat ini Tep-Aja baru menyediakan bentuk kartu. But later, Tep-Aja will appear in the form of sticker, microSD and cell phone with NFC technology.

When FinPay already established cooperation with many parties, it seems that there are not many merchants cooperating with Tep-Aja, yet. Tep-aja’s website hasn’t display any merchant logo cooperating with it. The website only mentions that Tep-Aja can be used in places commonly visited by customers such as the supermarkets, entertainment centers, sights, restaurants, and also to pay taxi fare, public transportation, parking and train ticket.

To promote its card, Tep-Aja cooperates with many communities, by making Tep-Aja card which directly function as member card of the community. Tabloid Pulsa reported that Tep-Aja has cooperated with communities like KONI, Komunitas ESQ and automotive communities.

When FinPay has the potential in capturing payment platform market, I don’t think so with Tep-Aja. FinPay is launched in the right time, when e-commerce in Indonesia is on its peak. Besides, by cooperating with many parties, FinPay has its own appeal so customers will be interested to use it. On the contrary, the launch of Tep-Aja seems to be too early and forced to be release in accordance with FinPay. Currently, there is no information on where Tep-Aja can be used as a mean of payment. People will be reluctant to use Tep-Aja except Tep-Aja did manage to realize its promise to cooperate with the merchants that have been mentiones.

Strange thing is, why Telkom made two e-money under its own subsidiary. TapIzy from Telkomsel and Tep-Aja from Finnet can be said as cousins. It’s weird if Telkom wants bothe of them to compete with each other, when the dream of e money is an integration where we can use one card to pay all of our needs.