Samsung's latest move to release its Samsung Pay service in India indicates the company's intentions to get its flagship mobile payment service in emerging markets.
In an addition to its efforts to expand Samsung Pay's reach, the South Korean conglomerate is also said to be working on making the service available on low-end smartphones in India.
According to Mashable, Samsung is planning to bring Samsung Pay support to non-premium Galaxy smartphones in India, including the inexpensive J series models.
The company will explore the opportunity to launch Samsung Pay for mid-range smartphones in the Indian market, and will use the knowledge to see if the plan works in similar markets around the world, the Mashable report said, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
One of the sources also told the publication that several low-cost and mid-level smartphones that Samsung recently launched in India have the hardware specifications needed to support Samsung Pay. Users of devices that don't feature fingerprint readers will be able to enter PIN for payment authentication.
Samsung Pay currently accepts Indians credit and debit cards powered by MasterCard and Visa. The app, which also allows users to link their Paytm digital wallets, currently works with Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy A7 (2016) and Galaxy A5 (2016).
What likely prompted Samsung to tap the Indian market is rapid growth of mobile wallets, cards and other forms of e-payment, especially after the Narendra Modi government's demonetisation move last year.
Other technology companies have also showed their interest in exploring the mobile payment segment in India. Google CEO Sundar Pichai had said during his visit to India in January that the company was working on to bring its own mobile payment solution to India.
