Apple said to plan iPhone for Japan that supports FeliCa
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Apple is reportedly planning to launch an iPhone in Japan that supports FeliCa, the contactless mobile payment standard widely used in the market.
Sources told that a future iPhone designed for the market will include a FeliCa chip to support payments using the Sony-developed standard.
FeliCa is used in multiple public bus and train pass payment systems across Japan. The standard dominates in Japan over the NFC standard used in Apple Pay – there are an estimated 1.9 million FeliCa payment terminals in the country handling around $46 billion worth of transactions per year.
According to the report, Apple plans to work with multiple transit card providers on the launch, and is currently planning to store virtual representations of transit passes within the iPhone’s wallet app.
Apple is said to currently plan to introduce the FeliCa functionality into the next iPhone models bound for the market, although the introduction could be held back to next year if talks with Japanese payment networks stall.
One hurdle that could complicate the plan is the fact that FeliCa chips are designed to process transactions in a tenth of a second to accommodate Japan’s very busy transit system, whereas transactions using Apple Pay currently go through servers and require bank approval.
Questions & Answers
Q.What is FeliCa and why is it important in Japan?
What is FeliCa and why is it important in Japan?
FeliCa is a contactless mobile payment standard developed by Sony, widely used in Japan. It dominates the market there, especially for public transport and train pass payments, with 1.9 million terminals in operation.
Q.How will Apple integrate FeliCa support into the iPhone?
How will Apple integrate FeliCa support into the iPhone?
Apple plans to include a FeliCa chip in future iPhones designed for the Japanese market. Virtual representations of transit passes will be stored within the iPhone’s wallet app for payment use.
Q.What is the main challenge Apple faces with FeliCa integration?
What is the main challenge Apple faces with FeliCa integration?
The primary hurdle is FeliCa chips process transactions extremely fast for busy transit systems. This contrasts with current Apple Pay transactions, which require server and bank approval, potentially causing delays.
Q.When is this new iPhone expected to be launched?
When is this new iPhone expected to be launched?
Apple reportedly plans to introduce FeliCa functionality with the next iPhone models for the Japanese market. However, introduction could be delayed until next year if negotiations with Japanese payment networks are not completed in time.
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