Sep 02, 2011
Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (hereafter Toppan Printing; head office: Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo; President & Representative Director: Shingo Kaneko) has developed NFC compatible IC tags that can be processed into a variety of forms for the NFC (*1) market, for which significant growth is anticipated. From mid-September 2011, sales will be launched targeting a wide range of applications including concert tickets, admission management for amusement facilities, and ID authentication at gas stations.
Toppan Printing has developed a highly sensitive and durable compact antenna, and made it possible to reduce tag size or process tags into various forms. Toppan Printing will commercialize and customize NFC compatible IC tags that can be used in a wide range of applications to suit customer needs.
Since 2005, overseas there have been over 130 examples of practical tests and commercial adoption of payment and ticketing that uses NFC compatible mobile phones, and consumers are broadly aware of NFC’s convenience.
It is also predicted that use of NFC compatible mobile phones and smartphones that have reader/writer functions will expand in Japan, and it is said that by 2015, around half of Japanese mobile phones, or 59 million handsets, will be NFC compatible (source: eCURE Co., Ltd.’s "NFC Complete Guide 2010"). In addition, with an increase in the number of devices with NFC functions built-in and of services that use such devices, it is predicted that the NFC-related market will be of a scale of a cumulative 30 billion yen by 2015 (Toppan Printing research).
With an eye on the future spread of devices with built-in NFC functions, Toppan Printing has developed NFC compatible IC tags that can be processed into a variety of forms in addition to plastic cards, such as key holders and wristbands.
* This product will be displayed in the Toppan booth at the Auto ID Expo 2011 held at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center’s East Hall 1 from Wednesday August 31 to Friday September 2, 2011 (Sponsor: Japan Automatic Identification Systems Association).
Background
-It is predicted that the number of NFC compatible mobile phones and smartphones with reader/writer functions will increase in Japan in the future, and it is forecast that the related market will be of a scale of a cumulative 30 billion yen by 2015 (Toppan Printing research). With this development, businesses such as event organizers will be able to switch to business that uses the reading functions of widely used NFC compatible mobile phones without having to buy purpose-built IC tag reader/writers that were previously necessary for operations such as admission management. Therefore, needs for NFC compatible IC tags will increase.
-With existing card-based services such as fan club membership cards and gas station ID cards, numerous companies are looking for media other than cards that will enable differentiation from other companies. There are also increasing needs centered on younger consumers for items that can be used casually such as by being attached to a mobile phone or key holder, or as a wristband. By developing a compact antenna, Toppan Printing has made it possible to produce NFC compatible IC tags, for which future growth is anticipated, in a wide variety of forms.
Features
-Toppan Printing has developed a highly sensitive and durable compact antenna that is compatible with ISO14443-TypeA, FeliCa, and ISO15693. The compact antenna has made it possible to process the IC tag into items such as mobile phone cleaners.
-Various forms and customization such as printing are possible to respond to the specific needs of companies and consumers.
-NFC compatible IC tags in the form of key holders, mobile phone cleaners, labels, mobile phone straps, wristbands and other items have been produced.
Examples of use
-Fan club membership card tags with functions for ticketing for concerts or professional sports events.
-Point management for amusement or bathing facilities, admission management tags, annual passport tags.
-ID tags that are linked to credit cards and can be held over a reader for payment at gas stations.
-ID tags for admission management and for gathering information on which parts of venues are being visited at events such as corporate showcases, exhibitions and career fairs.
-ID tags that allow information on a child’s whereabouts to be sent to their parents’ mobile phones when they hold the tag over a reader when arriving at or leaving school or cram school
Reference price
From 350 yen per tag in case of 10,000 tags being manufactured (mobile phone cleaner type)
(Prices vary depending on the IC chip being used, the lot size and the form)
Sales target
Toppan Printing is targeting sales of 100 million yen in fiscal 2012 (including orders for related systems).
Future developments
Toppan Printing will develop IC tag products compatible with electronic money services such as the PayPass (*2) and Visa payWave (*3) contactless IC payment services. Together with the "Contactless IC card-based payment platform service (*4)" offered by Toppan Group company Toppan Forms Co., Ltd., these products will be provided to credit card companies and electronic money businesses.
Toppan Printing will also develop systems for using IC tags, ID authentication services, applications for NFC compatible mobile phones, and other related solutions, and provide superior services and products to the expanding NFC market.
*1 NFC (Near Field Communication):
This is an international standard short distance wireless communication method stipulated in ISO standards. It is compatible with type A, type B and FeliCa communication methods, and contactless IC card functions, reader/writer functions and inter-device transmission functions can be used.
*2 Mastercard® PayPass(TM)
Mastercard’s® contactless IC technology-based payment service
*3 Visa payWave
Visa’s® contactless IC technology-based payment service
*4 Contactless IC card-based payment platform service
This is a cloud-based payment platform that uses NFC technology and is used by companies such as electronic money businesses and retailers for payment via contactless IC card-based electronic money.
* FeliCa is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation.
* FeliCa is a contactless IC card technology developed by Sony Corporation.
* The company and product names featured in this press release are the trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies.