Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Bank plans to let
customers start accessing ATMs via cellphone this fall, but that doesn't mean just dialing for cash. The bank will use
NTT's FeliCa e-wallet, a near-field communication system similar to
one being tested by Cingular
in Atlanta. Phones will be equipped with a special chip that will be able to communicate with the ATM. Customers
will still be required to enter a PIN or password, so cellphone thieves won't have access to accounts unless they also
know the user's PIN. Sumitomo Mitsui is the first national Japanese bank to offer cellphone access to ATMs; a smaller
bank, Ogaki Kyoritsu, began offering a similar service in 2004, and NTT set up an experimental cellphone-accessible ATM the same
year.