Japanese wireless operator NTT DoCoMo has teamed with South Korean contemporary KT Corporation on NFC technology-based cross-border mobile payment services.
Through a joint business and technology cooperation committee, the two companies are developing NFC common specifications that will be incorporated in devices, networks and billing platforms.
The specs will be used to develop cross-border services for mobile payments, mass-transit ticketing and promotional coupons, which will launch by the end of 2012.
Customers travelling between South Korea and Japan will access the services using compatible Android handsets embedded with contactless IC chips.
DoCoMo says it also plans to submit an outline of the common specifications to global industry associations and standardisation bodies, such as the GSM Association.
The Japanese giant says its ultimate goal is to build an international environment for compatible NFC services and has formed strategic tie-ups with Visa, Samsung and Gemalto to this end.
Hyunmi Yang, EVP, KT, says, "Based on our long commercial experience in various financial-convergence services, the NFC collaboration between KT & DoCoMo will contribute to building a sustainable global ecosystem."
News of the partnership comes months after a similar arrangement between South Korea's SK Telecom and Japan's KDDI and Softbank Mobile. In an update, they now say they are ready to start testing their cross-border NFC payments services with a commercial launch expected by the end of the year.