John Skovron, group program manager for Windows Phone 8, showed off the capabilities of the software giant’s new NFC-enabled wallet at the NFC World Congress last week and explained how the technology could help Microsoft gain mobile phone market share. More
Orange
Orange France to stock 20 NFC phones by year end
Close to 50% of the mobile phones stocked by Orange France will be equipped with NFC functionality by the end of 2012, Thierry Millet, the carrier’s VP of mobile payments and NFC, has told attendees at the NFC World Congress in Nice... More
French carriers pick Adelya for mobile loyalty wallet
“The Cityzi Fid wallet brings together all the loyalty and coupon offers of your favorite stores directly on a Cityzi phone, simplifying the way you shop as you say goodbye to a bulging wallet full of cards,” the NFC loyalty specialist says. More
Carriers get green light to launch NFC in the UK
The European Commission has given its unconditional approval for the UK’s three largest mobile network operators to form a joint venture company to introduce NFC mobile payments and promotional services in the UK. More
Orange and Barclaycard add Galaxy S III to Quick Tap NFC payments service
The UK carrier and card issuer’s service is now available on an Android smartphone for the first time and customers who activate Quick Tap on an S III by 5 October will receive a £50 credit they can use to make NFC purchases with their phone. More
Everything Everywhere signs mobile payments deal with MasterCard
The exclusive deal between the payments network and the UK’s largest mobile network operator will see Everything Everywhere subscribers being offered a co-branded prepaid NFC payments product and a service allowing small businesses to accept payments using mobile devices. More
Orange joins patent pool
Mobile network Orange has joined the NFC Patent Licensing Program, a patent pool run by France Brevets and launched in June with Inside Secure... More
EU set to approve Project Oscar UK NFC venture
The European Commission is set to green light the creation of a joint venture company to bring NFC to market in the UK, according to the Financial Times... More
Orange France rolls out NFC SIMs
Orange France is to issue NFC SIMs to all its 27m subscribers, making it the first carrier in Europe to deploy NFC-enabled SIM cards nationally... More
Cityzi hits 1m NFC phones
French mobile network operators Orange, Bouygues Télécom, SFR and NRJ Mobile have announced that more than one million Cityzi NFC phones have now been sold... More
Orange and BRD test NFC payments in Romania
Orange Romania and BRD, part of France-based banking group Société Générale, have launched an NFC payments pilot... More
Windows Phone 8 launch video details Microsoft’s plans for NFC
The launch presentation for Windows Phone 8 shows how Microsoft plans to make its NFC mobile wallet more widely accepted than Google’s, provides details of a forthcoming NFC-enabled Chase payments app and highlights a new deals platform and in-app purchasing technology that charges items to the user’s default payment card. More
Microsoft unveils its NFC mobile wallet plans
Windows Phone 8 is to come with both NFC and a mobile wallet that Microsoft will deliver in partnership with mobile network operators, the company has revealed. More
Orange launches Intel-based San Diego NFC phone
The Android NFC device will be available to Orange customers in the UK from 6 June, either on contract or for £200 (US$308) on pay-as-you-go. More
NFC in action at French Open
Orange has added NFC functionality to its mobile app for this year’s French Open tennis tournament, which takes place this week at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris... More
Stagecoach partners with Everything Everywhere for NFC bus ticketing pilot
The trial is set to lead to “a wider nationwide transport roll out” to buses and trains in 2013, says the leading UK-based public transport operator which carries 2.5m Brits every day. More
Toulouse-Blagnac Airport to test NFC check-ins
“With NFC technology, the mobile phone simplifies the passage of the flyer through the airport,” says the CEO of the first airport in the world to pilot the use of NFC phones to improve the airline passenger experience. More
Orange tests NFC ticketing at Stade de France
Mobile network operator Orange has conducted an NFC trial at the Stade de France, the country’s national stadium... More
Barclaycard expands Quick Tap NFC service and offers PayTag stickers to Visa credit card holders
The UK-based financial institution has announced two enhancements to its mobile payments offering, increasing the reach of the Quick Tap NFC service it runs with Orange and announcing plans to provide all its Visa credit card customers with a free mobile contactless sticker. More
Hands on: The Lumia 610, Nokia’s first Windows NFC phone
Nokia has unveiled an NFC version of its Lumia 610 Windows Phone at the Wima show in Monaco, announced that Orange will be the first operator to stock it from the middle of this year — and reconfirmed its commitment to include NFC “right across our portfolio”. More