Telecom Lead Europe: Orange and China Mobile decided to work together on Near Field Communication (NFC) services.
Their agreement will ensure large-scale adoption of SIM-based NFC services and the availability of compatible devices in a open and transparent way.
The interoperability of NFC services will also facilitate the emergence of a range of applications, and the development of standardized solutions that will provide consistency across eco-systems, regardless of the mobile network operator or third-party involved in providing the service, and regardless of the device used.
China Mobile and Orange will cooperate in the fields of service model design, marketing strategy, product standards for mobile payment, promotion of NFC services and handsets based on SWP-SIM1 and to develop a harmonized ecosystem based on standard solutions.
“In order to encourage the wide-spread take-up of NFC services, the industry as a whole needs to find ways to offer NFC services that are simple, transparent and secure,” said Thierry Millet, Orange’s Vice President of Mobile Payment and Contactless solutions.
By working together with China Mobile, Orange hopes to show that the development of a SIM-card based approach using recognized standards will be a key factor in winning over consumer confidence as NFC services become more and more prevalent over the coming years.
“Many major mobile network operators including China Mobile promised to adopt SIM-based NFC standards and promote the launch of new products,” said Shen Hongqun, vice president of the Data Service Department of China Mobile headquarters.
Moreover, Orange and China Mobile will also contribute to the industry-wide effort coordinated by GSMA to draw up a global vision to facilitate the development of an open SIM-based NFC market over the coming years.
