PARIS -- Mobile contactless services, often known as Near Field Communication (NFC) services, facilitate transactions enabling users to validate transport tickets or make purchases in local shops simply by swiping their phone over an electronic reader. By adopting internationally recognized standards for embedding the secure technical protocols directly into the SIM-card, the two operators will participate in the development of a market in which users can access NFC services regardless of their device or operator.

NFC services are expected to become a major growth driver for the telecoms industry in the coming years. Orange and China Mobile share a common belief that, for such services to take-off on a global scale, the industry needs to work together in order to adopt a common set of standards that operate within a fully-interoperable business platform.

"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, we hope 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."

Orange Business Services