Fujitsu puts finger in sensor market pie

Japanese technology giant Fujitsu announced it will start selling fingerprint readers for mobile handsets.

The sensors, made out of silicon, are to work as a biometric authentication device to secure user access and transactions from handsets. Fujitsu claims the sensor will make it almost impossible for anyone other than the owner to access the handset and its information.

The firm believes authentication systems are a necessity for secure transactions and access to databases.

Fujitsu said it aims to take-over 40 per cent of the global fingerprint sensor market, currently at $16m but said to grow to $800m by 2004.

The company recently posted a net loss of Y220bn (£1.2bn) for the full year, after a Y42.3bn (£239m) operating loss in the first quarter.

Net loss for the first quarter deepened to Y55.4bn (£313m) compared to Y13.3bn (£75m) in the same period last year.