GSMA appoints new head of NFC

Pierre Combelles has been appointed as the GSMA‘s new business lead for NFC, replacing Nav Bains, who left to join Vivotech earlier this year.

GSMA NFC lead Pierre Combelles
PIERRE COMBELLES: “Many rewarding challenges ahead”

Combelles joins the GSMA from France Telecom-Orange group, where he was involved in multi-operator NFC projects as vice president of open innovations.

“I am delighted to be joining the GSMA’s NFC program as we reach a unique turning point in delivering innovative NFC services to mobile subscribers across the globe,” says Combelles. “The work being done already in the NFC arena is showing us that this is a life-changing era in the history of mobile connectivity.

“I believe that end-users are ready and are looking to the mobile ecosystem to deliver NFC services. There are many rewarding challenges ahead and I look forward to working with the GSMA and its partners to encourage the development of interoperable NFC services for everyone to enjoy.”

The GSMA’s NFC program for the next year will have three priorities, says Combelles:

  • Helping operators in promising NFC markets roll out services using lessons from the handful of rollouts already launched by telcos
  • Streamlining testing and certification of NFC handsets
  • Filling in the gaps in NFC standards and procedures

Combelles will start work at the GSMA’s London headquarters on 1 November where he will work with James Heaphy, the GSMA’s NFC program director. Overall, the association now has more than twenty staff working on NFC.

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