TOKYO-NTT DoCoMo and four credit card firms jointly announced they would launch in June an experiment for payment services using mobile phones, targeting to launch a commercial-based service in the second quarter of 2004.
The four credit companies are Visa International, Nippon Shinpan, OMC Card and Aeon Credit.
NTT DoCoMo’s 504i series and 504iS series handsets will be used for the trial.
During the trial, users of the handsets will be able to download card data via iAppli and will be able to settle their payments at stores by transmitting their user identification data via infrared transmission IrDa ports. As the first step, they will invite 3,000 people to participate in the trial and will sell 500 terminals that will be involved in the trial at stores.
