Untitled

Mobile FeliCa and Suica Merge

editors February 22, 2005 September 30, 2023

President Nakamura, NTT DoCoMo Inc., President Otsuka, JR East, President Ando, Sony East Japan Railway Company (JR East), NTT DoCoMo and Sony today announced they will offer a new service combining DoCoMo’s Mobile FeliCa smart-card handset with JR East’s Suica card starting in January 2006. The “Mobile Suica” service will enable FeliCa-enabled i-mode handsets to be used as Suica cards to board JR trains and make purchases in station shops and kiosks. With the news, two services that started as competitors for ecash settlement-on-the-go appear to have buried the yamakatana. Train-riding, phone-using consumers will have little excuse not to use FeliCa now. The companies said a test of the service will begin March 2005 using pilot i-mode FeliCa handsets.

KDDI Announces Mobile FeliCa

editors September 29, 2004 September 30, 2023

According yesterday’s press release, KDDI will roll out FeliCa IC chip-enabled handsets by Q42005. DoCoMo launched four models that utilize Sony’s non-contact solution earlier this summer and has stated that all future phones must have this feature. The Mobile FeliCa system allows users to make small cybercash transactions; it can also be used as an ID pass to access secure areas and for marketing programs such as retail customer loyalty point programs.

NTT DoCoMo to Offer Financing for FeliCa Service Startup at GEO

editors July 29, 2004 September 30, 2023

NTT DoCoMo, Inc. announced today that the company entered into a financing agreement with multimedia retail company GEO as part of a strategy to promote i-mode FeliCa service in the Japanese market. Under the agreement, NTT DoCoMo will provide financial assistance for the development of a network system to support i-mode FeliCa service at GEO outlets, and the installation of smart-card reader/writers at approximately 600 GEO shops beginning this November. In order to recoup its investment in the system, DoCoMo will collect a commission for each usage of the FeliCa service. GEO is a major player in the rental and sales of videos, DVDs, CDs and game software.

JCB, AEON Develop QUICPay for FeliCa

editors July 20, 2004 September 30, 2023

JCB, the international payment brand, AEON Credit Service, the retail-affiliated credit card company, and NTT DoCoMo jointly announced today that JCB and AEON have developed the QUICPay payment solution for cards with contactless IC chips. The QUICPay service is also compatible with NTT DoCoMo’s smart-card handsets. A trial project for the new QUICPay solution will begin this autumn.

Sony, VeriSign Japan Enter into Alliance for Security FeliCa Card

editors July 14, 2004 September 30, 2023

Under the terms of the alliance, Sony and VeriSign Japan will jointly market Sony’s latest FeliCa card that provides network security using VeriSign’s Managed Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Service. The network security-enabled card is embedded with Sony’s Dual-interface IC technology, co-developed with Infineon Technologies of Germany, to provide PC users with system authentication and email encryption capabilities.

FeliCa Handset Launch on July 10

editors July 7, 2004 October 23, 2023

DoCoMo has tossed its FeliCa chips on the table, and they’ll probably end up a winning number. In a press release today, Big D revealed that they are releasing their, and the world’s, first i-mode FeliCa Service smart-card handset on a (Gasp! Huff! Huge Disappointment!! Not 3G!!) mova P506iC 2G phone, on 10 July 2004. WWJ video of the 506i event here.

NTT DoCoMo's FeliCa Mobile Wallet Launch

editors June 16, 2004 September 30, 2023

The Mobile Wallet is nearly in our pockets. In what promises to be just the first ripple in a wave of material promoting FeliCa, Takeshi Natsuno, managing director of DoCoMo’s i-mode Planning Department, today took the covers off the first four FeliCa handsets that will be coming into stores this July. Regular Wireless Watchers will know we have been tracking this story over the last 6 months starting with the trial-launch video program Here.

FeliCa-Enabled Wireless Watch

editors June 11, 2004 September 30, 2023

JCB, a leading international credit card brand, in cooperation with Casio, today launched a two-month trial of its new “Offica” wristwatch-based corporate solution. The Offica Watch [image] contains employee ID, access control, and cashless payment functions using Sony’s FeliCa contactless interface chip. Twenty-five JCB employees will use the Offica Watch instead of the current Offica card to access the JCB tower in central Tokyo, make purchases at company restaurants and stores, and carry out a variety of administrative functions.

Fujitsu for FeliCa F900iC 3G FOMA

editors June 8, 2004 September 30, 2023

Yet another important pre-launch milestone for FeliCa, the break-through IC chip technology we feel is going to turn Japan’s mobile phones into e-wallets from next year, has been announced by Fujitsu: The company will incorporate the hardware it its next-generation F900iC handsets a scant 8 weeks from now. These new handsets, as we have argued in a series of articles over the last six months, have a very good chance of sparking a revolution in the way keitai are used in Japan.

Wireless Cash: Shopping with FeliCa!

editors March 19, 2004 October 23, 2023

Wireless Cash: Shopping with FeliCa! Here is the first of what we at WWJ think will be a rash of easy-to-use cell phone shopping applications using the FeliCa contactless IC chip solution. A few weeks ago we talked to Sony’s Shusaku Muruko, who told us that FeliCa Networks seeks to build a platform for a whole series of apps, and now here is NEC with its LightHolder i-appli technology to smooth the path into mobile online shopping, coupons and discounts, reservations and we hope, beer!
Full Program Run-time 11:30