Mobile network operator China Telecom is to launch an NFC mobile wallet in China later this year, in cooperation with more than a dozen financial institutions. More than 30m NFC-enabled SIM cards will be distributed in 2014, the carrier says, and customers will be able to choose from over 40 mobile phones that work with the new Tianyi mobile wallet. More
Brazilian mobile network operator Vivo has chosen Gemalto as its trusted service manager (TSM) for its NFC payments service in Brazil... More
SimplyTapp, the US startup which created Host Card Emulation, bypassing the need to use a carrier controlled SIM-based secure element in NFC transactions, has raised a Series A funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. More
Eight out of ten testers of the Hungarian mobile wallet pilot project have found the service “very useful” prompting the Hungarian Mobile Wallet Association — an alliance between mobile network operators Magyar Telekom, Vodafone and Telenor with MasterCard, OTP Bank and SuperShop — to declare the MobilTarca wallet ready for market. More
Absolut Vodka is promoting its new bottle designs using NFC posters located in 20 venues in Dublin... More
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An Australian startup is to begin issuing NFC tags that act as Bitcoin wallets, NFC readers that merchants can use to charge customers in Bitcoins, and to provide Bitcoin ATMs that can be used to issue new wallet tags as well as top up and withdraw funds from Bitcoin accounts. More
Australia’s transit authority for New South Wales is seeking partners in the IT industry to develop an Android NFC phone app that Transport for NSW officers could use to interact with the authority’s contactless Opal transit cards... More
The Eden Theatre in La Ciotat, one of the oldest cinemas in France, has installed NFC tags to enable visitors to watch movie trailers and access a mobile website containing news, previews, special events and schedules... More
The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston has published a summary of a June meeting of its Mobile Payments Industry Workgroup (MPIW) that sets out a number of reasons why NFC has not yet taken off in the US. It also suggests actions the workgroup could take to increase the adoption of contactless mobile payments. More
Sensor tag maker SensMaster has introduced a tag that is designed to be worn like a watch and intended for safety, personnel tracking and security applications... More
SmarTone has become the latest Hong Kong carrier to participate in Hang Seng Bank’s NFC mobile payments service... More
The Hong Kong Association of Banks (HKAB) has issued Best Practice for NFC Mobile Payment in Hong Kong, a set of common standards and best practices that aims to help establish an interoperable, as well as safe and effective, NFC mobile payment infrastructure. More
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The US Department of Defense is considering using NFC for mobile device authentication, reports Federal News Radio... More
Chinese supplier OrientDeal has launched the OrientPhone P6 Plus, an OEM NFC smartphone with a 6-inch Full HD display and 13 megapixel rear camera. More
Danish jewellery designer Shamballa Jewels is to add an NFC and QR-based anti-counterfeiting solution to all its products from next year... More
The number of consumers with an NFC phone has doubled since 2012 according to Deloitte‘s third annual Global Mobile Consumer Survey, with 10% of 37,600 consumers surveyed in 20 countries saying they know that they have the technology embedded in their smartphone. 62% say they do not and 28% do not know if their phone has NFC or not. More
Microsoft’s new Xbox One entertainment system includes support for NFC functionality, via a Marvell Avastar 88W8897 combo chip that also incorporates Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi, an iFixit teardown of the new console has revealed... More
Thirty US department stores are to place NFC labels on items in their shoe sections, letting shoppers tap a product to find out if their size and preferred colour is in stock and, if not, get details of the nearest store that has stock available or place an online order for later delivery. More
NXP Semiconductors has developed a new version of its PN544 NFC controller chip for Intel and MasterCard... More
China Mobile has chosen Micropross’ Contactless Test Station to test NFC devices for compliance with NFC Forum requirements... More