TOKYO, October 9 /PRNewswire/ --
NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com) announced on October 9 the development of a system that can securely integrate the reward cards of more than 100 retailers into a single mobile phone. Users can easily register, access or overwrite membership and loyalty data just by waving their mobile phone, equipped with a contactless IC chip, over a terminal in a retail shop.
The system, named "Gyazapo"(pronounced "gah-zah-poh"), frees users from carrying and searching through multiple rewards cards while shopping. By simply waving their phone over the terminal, they can enjoy the convenience and benefits of shopping with membership services, including customer rewards and discounts.
Gyazapo is also a green system that helps to save natural resources by eliminating the need for traditional plastic cards.
Key-Shuttle (Japanese and international patents pending) is the NTT Com-developed technology that integrates the information in the phone. Once a dedicated application is downloaded into the phone, Key-Shuttle enables loyalty points, ID photos and other membership information of multiple retailers to be registered under a single platform.
The system includes features for security and privacy, such as unauthorized access detection and user-required permission before a retailer can share membership information with other retailers. Reward cards registered in Gyazapo are more difficult to duplicate or falsify than traditional plastic cards, making this a more secure system for loyalty programs.
NTT Com will test the Gyazapo system in a trial from February to June 2009. Participants will include major Japanese retailers Bic Camera Inc., Nojima Corporation and Runsystem Co., Ltd.
About NTT Communications Corporation
NTT Com delivers high-quality voice, data and IP services to customers around the world. The company is renowned for its diverse information and communication services, expertise in managed networks, hosting and IP networking services, and industry leadership in IPv6 transit technology. The company's extensive global infrastructure includes Arcstar(TM) private networks and a Tier 1 IP backbone(connected with major ISPs worldwide), both reaching more than 150 countries, as well as secure data centers in Asia, North America and Europe. NTT Com is the wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, one of the world's largest telecoms with listings on the Tokyo, London and New York stock exchanges. Please visit http://www.ntt.com/index-e.html.
Contact: (Ms.) Yasuko Oka or (Mr.) James Corbett Public Relations Office NTT Communications Tel: +81-3-6700-4010 e-mail: hodo-cp@ntt.com
Web site: http://www.ntt.com/index-e.html
(Ms.) Yasuko Oka or (Mr.) James Corbett, Public Relations Office of NTT Communications, +81-3-6700-4010, hodo-cp@ntt.com
