NFC TimesThe premier source for news, analysis and commentary on
Near Field Communication and all contactless technology

Telefónica (O2) UK will not launch NFC this year and will only trial other mobile-wallet services–not launch them commercially–before the end of 2011, a spokesman confirmed to NFC Times.

NXP Semiconductors' sharply lower forecast for NFC phone shipments for 2011 comes as little surprise to many, who point to delays in handset shipments and failure by many mobile operators to firm up their NFC business plans.

Contactless payment continues to grow rapidly in the United Kingdom, but transaction volume is still low, and it remains open to debate whether 2011 will be a tipping point for the technology.

Mobile operator Orange UK and payment issuer Barclaycard face challenges as they seek to get their “Quick Tap” service off the ground, say UK analysts.

Orange UK and Barclaycard today announced their much-anticipated commercial launch of NFC, a mobile-payment service called “Quick Tap.”

MasterCard Worldwide’s certification of a Gemalto SIM card product to carry its PayPass application in NFC phones is believed to be a first by a major card scheme.

Mobile operator Orange UK has launched one of the first contactless prepaid payment cards–with the application also likely to be available on NFC phones later this year.

It seems just a matter of time before Telefónica O2 UK launches NFC commercially.

While contactless retail payment in the UK has been slow to take off, don’t blame Barclaycard or its parent Barclays PLC.