Gemalto has been selected by KDDI for Japan's first commercial launch of mobile NFC services.
KDDI serves over 34 million subscribers in Japan. Successfully launched in January, Gemalto provides a one-stop service to KDDI, encompassing its Allynis Trusted Service Manager (TSM) software and UpTeq NFC high-end security device.
The launch is a part of the recently announced Japan Mobile NFC Consortium that brings together the country's three largest operators to coordinate the adoption of multiple international standards for NFC.
Subscribers are able to experience various types of contactless services ranging from mobile payments, transportation services, e-driver's licenses, e-ticketing as well as information acquisition from smart posters.
The launch sees participation from a wide-range of leading industries including car manufacturers, airlines and cinema operators. The launch in Japan will also allow end users to use NFC services both domestically and outside of Japan.
KDDI's early migration to Gemalto's Upteq NFC high-end security SIM-format device provides a solid protection for the operator's investments in NFC with lower risks and higher returns. KDDI began last year to insert
UpTeq NFC in handsets in place of the standard SIM/UICC so they are ready now to mass deploy NFC services. This further permits the operator to progressively incorporate new partners without the need to extensively pre-qualify each and every service and application or anticipate all the subscriber configurations ahead of time.