New trends from Japan: Mobile phones become media terminals, credit cards and remote controls
"The mobile phone will evolve from a communication tool to an integrated communication device, media terminal, credit card and remote control, according to a new report released by the telecom research firm Berg Insight. Sabine Ehlers, IT and telecom analyst, has looked at the world's most advanced mobile market, Japan, for clues on how mobile technology and consumer behaviour will evolve. 'The most significant trend is that the mobile phone has become the ubiquitous tool for most personal electronic needs', says Sabine. She explains that service providers have taken advantage of the fact that the mobile terminals follow the users wherever they go, and have made it possible to pay, check in, enter, and travel just by waving the phone in front of sensors. Five million songs have been downloaded since a service for downloading entire songs directly to the mobile handset was launched in November, and 30 million handsets with contactless chips can be used to pay with in 7 million shops throughout the country."