Term of the Moment
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Definition: FeliCa
(FELIcity CArd) An NFC-based, contactless smart card technology from Sony, first deployed as the Hong Kong subway's "Octopus" card in 1997. Pronounced "fell-ih-cuh" and popular in Asia, FeliCa is used for transportation tickets, ID cards and digital wallet transactions. It supports multiple services in the same card as well as separate access rights to individual files. Appropriate for turnstiles in the fast-moving train station environment, the system can detect, authenticate and transfer data in 100 milliseconds.
Mobile FeliCa
For both contactless and remote transactions, FeliCa can be built into mobile phones, enabling money amounts and other messages to be viewed on screen. Because the technology was designed to give people an enjoyable experience, the name was coined from the word "felicity," which means happiness. See smart card.
FeliCa Card and Reader
Mobile FeliCa
For both contactless and remote transactions, FeliCa can be built into mobile phones, enabling money amounts and other messages to be viewed on screen. Because the technology was designed to give people an enjoyable experience, the name was coined from the word "felicity," which means happiness. See smart card.
The reader activates the RFID chip in the card to transmit the user's data. (Image courtesy of Sony Corporation.)