KDDI, East Japan Railway In Pact Over Payment Systems"

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Subscribers to KDDI Corp.'s (9433.TO) "au" mobile phone service will be able to pay train fares with their handsets at East Japan Railway Co. (9020.TO) stations starting next January, the two companies said Monday, the Kyodo news agency reports.

JR East will allow its Suica electronic train fare card functions to be installed on Internet-capable mobile phone handsets for use with KDDI's EZ FeliCa service to be launched in September in combination with Sony Corp.'s (SNE) FeliCa contactless integrated-circuit card technology, Kyodo said.

KDDI will release two new handsets for the EZ FeliCa service.

Under the Mobile Suica service JR East plans to begin in January, travelers will be able to get through ticket gates by placing their handsets over them, Kyodo said, adding KDDI and JR East will conduct field tests on the joint service beginning this fall.

Other major cellphone operators, NTT DoCoMo Inc. (DCM) and Vodafone K.K. (9434.TO), are set to begin similar services in cooperation with the Tokyo-based railroad operator, the Kyodo report said.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires"

Posted to the site on 11th July 2005