“Docomo and KT plan to share the results of their commercial endeavor with global associations and standardization bodies, aiming to promote the realization of a commercial environment for globally compatible NFC services,” the Japanese and Korean carriers say.
Japanese mobile network operator NTT Docomo and Korean carrier KT have announced plans to develop a cross-border electronic money service.
The two operators have been working together to develop internationally interoperable NFC services since February 2011 and, earlier this year, introduced the first international NFC coupons and offers service.
In the first instance, the partners plan to allow Docomo customers with NFC smartphones purchased in Japan to make use of Korean prepaid electronic money service Cashbee.
Cashbee is run by EB Card, an affiliate of Korean retail giant Lotte. Cashbee is available at some 52,000 locations, including Lotte Group department stores, convenience stores and mass transportation facilities such as subways and buses, and currently has five million users.
“Docomo and KT will jointly deploy a new system to enable this and other cross-border NFC services between their two countries by the end of the first half of fiscal 2013 ending in March 2014,” the two carriers say. “Going forward, they will consider the deployment of other NFC-based cross-border services, such as mobile payments, promotional coupons and mass-transit ticketing.”
“Docomo and KT plan to share the results of their commercial endeavor with global associations and standardization bodies, aiming to promote the realization of a commercial environment for globally compatible NFC services,” the partners say.
“Docomo is excited about creating a cross-border environment that enables Osaifu-Keitai (mobile phones with wallet functions) services both in Japan and abroad,”
“Going forward, we will partner with international operators and service providers to drive the development of mobile payment businesses for increasingly enhanced mobile experiences on a global scale,” says Toshiki Nakayama, head of the carrier’s Frontier Services Department.
“The need for cross-border services for smartphones continues to grow as more and more people travel abroad,” adds Kook-hyun Kang, SVP at KT’s product business unit. “KT looks forward to develop highly useful international NFC services that offer greater convenience to customers traveling overseas.”
Next: Visit the NFCW Expo to find new suppliers and solutions