Mobile network operator NTT Docomo, founder of Japan’s Osaifu-Keitai mobile payments service, is to take its mobile payments service global from 5 February 2014, in conjunction with MasterCard. More
Banking group Sumitomo Mitsui is to introduce an NFC payments service this month that will be available through all three Japanese mobile network operators — NTT Docomo, Softbank and KDDI — and will work with a total of 31 NFC phones available from the three carriers... More
SoftBank Mobile has selected Gemalto as its trusted service manager for the commercial launch of NFC services in Japan... More
The Conexus Mobile Alliance, a regional grouping of mobile network operators, is promoting NFC throughout Asia with a “Tap and Get” smart poster campaign... More
Japan Airlines (JAL) has added coupons and special offers to its NFC-enabled boarding pass service and announced plans to extend operations to include customers of all three of Japan’s mobile network operators... More
Mobile network operators in the three countries have agreed technical specifications that will enable consumers to make use of NFC payments and other services in both their home country and abroad. More
Version 2.0 of the Tizen open source mobile operating system is now available and developers can download the source code and SDK from the Tizen website... More
The Japanese carrier, founder of Japan’s Osaifu-Keitai mobile wallet service, has signed a deal with MasterCard that will see its 17m iD mobile credit card holders being able to use a new generation of phones to make payments at MasterCard Paypass merchants in 41 countries as well as at 560,000 Osaifu-Keitai points of sale in Japan. More
“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. More
Japanese mobile operator KDDI will offer the world’s first phone with both NFC and Felica support from this summer... More
A new fingerprint sensor from Authentec is now being designed into a number of new devices so that NFC phone users can add an extra layer of protection to their mobile wallets, the company says. More
The first international NFC marketing service is to go live on 1 April, allowing customers of NTT Docomo and KT to collect and redeem special offers from NFC posters in both Japan and Korea — and payments and ticketing services as well as the participation of carriers in additional Asian countries are set to follow. More
The search giant is in discussion with mobile network operators around the world, NFC World has learned, with the aim of making its NFC mobile wallet available both internationally and on a wide array of handsets. US carrier partner Sprint is set to be the first, with up to ten additional handsets due to get Google Wallet this year. More
The chip maker has followed Samsung in announcing it will work with FeliCa Networks to develop solutions that allow phones to work with both NFC and Japan’s existing Osaifu-Keitai mobile wallet service. More
The joint venture between Sony and carrier NTT Docomo, which runs Japan’s Osaifu-Keitai mobile wallet service, has signed a deal with Samsung for the development of a new chip solution that will provide consumers with phones which work with both NFC services and Japan’s existing mobile payments infrastructure. More
The Linux Foundation has published a Tizen SDK preview to give application developers a pre-release look at the new mobile operating system... More
The mobile network operator will begin commercial NFC services from the end of January with partners including Japan Airlines, credit card issuers, loyalty programme providers and retailers. More
NTT Docomo, KDDI and Softbank Mobile have set up the Japan Mobile NFC Consortium with the aim of working together to coordinate the switch from Japan’s existing Osaifu-Keitai non-NFC standard mobile payments system to NFC. More
Japanese entertainment ticketing agency Boardwalk, whose shareholders include mobile network operator NTT Docomo, has announced plans to upgrade its system to support NFC... More
Japanese telco NTT Docomo is investing an additional 28.4m euros in Net Mobile AG, which it acquired in 2009, to allow the mobile content distributor to purchase a controlling stake in private German bank Bankverein Werther... More