Toshiba enters NFC market with UIM card

Toshiba Corp. will start delivery of commercial User Identity Module (UIM) cards to Japanese mobile network operator (MNO), KDDI Corp., this February. Toshiba's UIM card, equipped with CDMA2000 and GSM, supports NFC, which is projected to go into commercial service in the near future.

The card was developed based on the specifications of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute-Smart Card Platform (ETSI SCP), GSMA and GlobalPlatform (GP). It is likewise compatible with GSMA's Pay-Buy-Mobile program and meets the security level required for international payment applications. Mobile handsets supporting UIM and NFC shall enable users to access services in such areas as electronic payment, transportation, personal identification, coupon redemption and more.

KDDI initiated verification testing on contactless IC technology subject to the ISO/IEC14443 Type A/B international standards in May 2010. KDDI used handsets supporting NFC in order to verify the technical reliability and user-friendliness of the application systems including electronic payment.