DoCoMo/Sony smartcard chip JV

Unconfirmed reports indicate that NTT DoCoMo and Sony may be about to form a joint venture for smart card chips:

The venture will develop a chip based on Sony's FeliCa non-contact smart card technology.

The Nihon Keizai newspaper reported on Wednesday that DoCoMo, Japan's biggest mobile phone operator, will start selling third-generation mobile phones containing the smart-card chip in the middle of next year.

What this means is that it becomes possible to have train commuter passes and e-money in a cellphone, which can be passed over a reader to take you through the ticket barrier or settle a transaction. This has been mooted for a while, but this sharpens up the details of who's doing what when.