BARCELONA, Spain--()--Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), the world leader in Digital Security, and Sony Corporation have established an agreement to provide FeliCa / Near Field Communication (NFC) solutions globally. Under the agreement, Gemalto will incorporate FeliCa software technology into its UpTeq NFC SIM product lineup starting in 2012, offering mobile operators and service providers a more comprehensive range of mobile NFC services globally. The addition of FeliCa makes Gemalto’s UpTeq NFC SIM the secure element that can embed the world’s broadest set of applications, and with the highest level of privacy.
Gemalto will expand its UICC solutions with FeliCa technology to complement its existing NFC applications portfolio. UpTeq NFC SIM enables mobile operators to securely install additional applications from new service providers over time, even after issuance to end users. Equipping handsets today with NFC will smooth the adoption of the burgeoning Mobile Financial Services markets in Asia and around the world.
FeliCa is a contactless technology that is widely deployed in Asia for public transportation, access management, event ticketing, customer loyalty programs and micropayments. As of March 2011, there were over 516 million units of FeliCa IC Chips worldwide, incorporated in 346 million cards and 170 million mobile phones.
NFC is a short-range wireless communication technology to exchange data among various devices with various usages. This technology includes international standard ISO/IEC 14443 Type A/B as well as Type F technology compliant with ISO/IEC 18092 - NFC-IP1.
“In a robust industry landscape where various contactless solutions are quickly converging, we believe that Gemalto is well positioned to deliver FeliCa technology – they are involved in more than 45 NFC projects globally, well ahead of their peers,” commented Izumi Kawanishi, Senior General Manager of the FeliCa Business Division, at Sony Corporation. “Through this agreement, we aim to collaborate closely with Gemalto to develop globally compliant solutions for the growing NFC market.”
“With FeliCa’s proven commercial adoption particularly in the Asian markets, we strongly believe that our agreement with Sony will enable Gemalto to build the foundation for significant expansion for both companies at a global scale,” added Tan Teck-Lee, Chief Innovation & Technology Officer and Asia President of Gemalto. “Gemalto’s UpTeq NFC SIM is set to trigger the mass deployment of mobile NFC services now, while providing operators the flexibility to expand their offer in the longer term.”
About Gemalto
Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security with 2010 annual revenues of €1.9 billion and over 10,000 employees operating out of 87 offices and 13 Research & Development centers in 45 countries.
Gemalto is at the heart of our evolving digital society. Billions of people worldwide increasingly want the freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain, and work—anytime, anywhere, in ways that are convenient, enjoyable and secure. Gemalto delivers on the growing demands for personal mobile services, identity protection, payment security, authenticated online services, cloud computing access, modern transportation, e-healthcare and e-government services. Gemalto does this by providing secure software, a wide range of secure personal devices, and managed services to wireless operators, banks, enterprises and government agencies.
Gemalto is the world leader for electronic passports and identity cards, two-factor authentication devices for online protection, smart credit/debit and contactless payment cards, as well as subscriber identification modules (SIM) and universal integrated circuit cards (UICC) in mobile phones. Also, in the emerging machine-to-machine applications Gemalto is a leading supplier of wireless modules and machine identification modules (MIM). To operate these solutions and remotely manage the software and confidential data contained in the secure devices Gemalto also provides server platforms, consulting, training, and managed services to help its customers achieve their goals.
As the use of Gemalto’s software and secure devices increases with the number of people interacting in the digital and wireless world, the Company is poised to thrive over the coming years.
For more information visit www.gemalto.com, www.justaskgemalto.com, blog.gemalto.com, or follow @gemalto on Twitter.
About Sony Corporation
Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, computer entertainment and online businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be the leading electronics and entertainment company in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of approximately $87 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011.
Sony Global Web Site: http://www.sony.net/
FeliCa Web Site: http://www.sony.net/Products/felica/