Some German bus commuters will soon be able to use their
mobile phones as electronic wallets when a new trial of the
technology called Near Field Communications (NFC) gets
underway.
Nokia and Philips Electronics announced a wireless ticketing
trial with RMV, a public transportation authority in Germany.
The trial will focus on using a new clamshell Nokia phone, the
3220, that features embedded NFC technology in its cover, and
contactless smartcard ticketing infrastructure, the companies
said.
The Nokia-Philips announcement follows a flurry of other recent
NFC moves by companies such as NTT DoCoMo, Motorola and Samsung
Electronics.
NFC has evolved from a combination of RFID (radio frequency
identification) and interconnection technologies. It enables any
two devices to connect and exchange information or access content
and services simply by bringing them together over a distance of a
few centimeters. Operating in the 13.56 MHz range, NFC is also
designed to work on other protocols, such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi,
allowing devices to communicate at longer ranges or transfer data
at higher rates.
Philips and Sony, which jointly developed NFC technology, teamed
up in March with Nokia to launch the NFC Forum to promote the
standardisation and implementation of this new short-range wireless
technology.
At the Frankfurt trial, RMV customers will use 3220 phones with
the NFC shell to buy, store and use bus tickets.
The electronic ticketing application, which has been developed
together with the Association of German Transport Operators, is
stored in an integrated smartcard in the phone. Users touch their
phones against a contactless reader as they enter the bus.
Nokia plans to offer one version of the 3220 model in Europe and
Asia, and another for the Americas. Phones will be available in
Europe in the first quarter of 2005 and during the second quarter
in the Americas and Asia.
Last month, Motorola also announced plans to test mobile phones
equipped MasterCard International's PayPass contactless payment
technology. The phones will enable customers to make payments by
positioning their handsets next to a PayPass reader equipped with
NFC technology.
In August, Samsung said it was teaming up with Philips to
manufacturer mobile devices that use Philips' NFC chips. Panasonic
Mobile Communications, Sharp and Fujitsu have also joined the NFC
fray.
The push to develop a wireless non-contact payment system
received a big boost at the end of last year when NTT DoCoMo
announced a string of trials.
The Japanese operator has worked closely with Sony to integrate
the latter's Felica non-contact smartcard system into a form factor
that can be integrated into a mobile phone. The project has tied
the two companies under a new joint venture, Felica Networks, that
is responsible for developing and licensing the technology
interested companies.
John Blau writes for IDG News Service