Sony’s Felica technology is behind many of the most popular contactless NFC smart cards. Already the de facto standard in Japan for commuter travel payments, Felica is being used at the point of sale, railway and air ticketing, as well as for University ID cards – to name a few. It was recently announced that bitcoin has been successfully integrated with Felica technology. Plans have been announced for each contactless smart card to include a bitcoin wallet that holds a private key on the card.Size of Felica’s User Base
Japanese electronics and entertainment megacorp Sony Corporation originally developed Felica contactless RFID-based smart card technology. In 2007, a company called Felica Pocket Marketing Inc. was founded to sell, promote and distribute Felica contactless cards as well as leasing card terminals to member companies.
Built into smart cards, smartphones, and other devices, Felica technology is behind many of Asia’s mass transit systems and can be used as e-money, e-ID, e-tickets, and membership cards. For example, the technology is in use by both of Japan’s largest airlines, All Nippon Airways (ANA) for its Skip Service, and competitor Japan Airlines (JAL) for its Touch and Go service. It is also used in ID cards at more than 365 universities in the United States.
In 2016, Nikkei Asian Review reported that the global shipments of Felica chips were expected to top 1 billion that year.
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