Docomo and KT Corporation team for the sake of mobile commerce
Japan’s Docomo, a leading mobile network operator, has teamed with South Korea’s KT Corporation, an information and communications business, to develop a new mobile commerce system based on NFC technology. The mobile commerce system will be designed for use in both Japan and South Korea and will facilitate payments for goods and services through the use of a mobile device. The initiative is expected to help boost consumer exposure to mobile commerce and NFC technology exponentially.
Japanese consumers to use Cashbee service
The mobile commerce system will allow Japanese consumers with NFC-enabled smart phones to make payments in South Korea without having to worry about money changing. This will be accomplished through South Korea’s extensive Cashbee service, which already allows citizens of the country to participate in mobile commerce. The service comes from the KT Corporation and its accessibility to Japanese consumers is considered the first practical step of the partnership between the two companies.
Lack of NFC-enabled devices could slow plans for mobile commerce development
Docomo expects the Cashbee service to be available to Japanese consumers in the first half of 2013. After the service becomes widely available, both Docomo and the KT Corporation will begin introducing new, cross-border services concerning mobile commerce, marketing, and mass-transit ticketing, all based on NFC technology. The two companies believe NFC technology could help bring a wide variety of convenient services to consumers in both countries, but the lack of available NFC-enabled mobile devices may delay the duo’s plans.
Demand for NFC-enabled devices reaching new heights
Despite the growing popularity of mobile commerce and NFC technology, mobile devices capable of conducting mobile transactions are still rare. Many new devices, such as Samsung’s Galaxy S III, are equipped with NFC technology, but there are currently not enough to meet the demand of consumers interested in mobile commerce. Without the adequate supply of NFC-enabled mobile devices, any plans concerning the widespread use of mobile commerce services is expected to find some difficulty gaining traction with consumers.
