NTT Docomo intros wireless credit card service

So over in the land of the rising sun, where physical money is already so passe, NTT DoCoMo is expanding their existing Mobile Wallet prepaid electronic money service to offer payments via wireless credit. They've banded together with several other Japanese financial heavies (Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Sumimoto Mitsui Card Co., and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp.) to offer the wireless credit service, which will leverage the existing FeliCa contactless IC chips already present in most Japanese mobiles. For once, we're content to be far behind the Japanese on this one — we're bad enough with the credit cards as it is, and in no hurry to remove any more friction between the act of drooling and the act of buying.

[Via The Wireless Weblog]

[Dylan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

FeliCa is far from present in most phones in Japan. NTT Docomo only started selling FeliCa phones in the second half of last year and they've only sold a few million total. Plus Kddi Au and Vodaphone have commited to FeliCa but will not put out compatabile phones until later in the year. So while I'm sure in a couple of years it will be in most phones, it has yet to hit wide acceptance. The primary advantage of these phones are to do things like buy train tickets and stuff out of vending machine. Purchases that can be made quick and easy, and do not require alot of thought. I'd say it will be awhile before people start buying computers and cars with their cell phones. And by awhile in the Japanese cell phone business this means a year or two.

[Jon @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

Sometimes new cell phone technology comes on suprisingly fast here (Japan). I'm not sure it would take two years to have them in all cell phones (and certainly not all new cell phones!).

I really don't see Japanese people using this for more than buying a drink from a vending machine, either, but I could be very wrong on that one.

[Kris @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

The fact that Sony is building notebooks with felica scanners is a pretty good sign that they expect it to catch on in the near future...but I still don't want one ;)
My 901i is setup for it, but I can't say I have ever even considered using it to pick up a drink, rent a dvd or pay my tab at the local cafe...