NFC Times Exclusive Insight – With the launch of Apple Pay imminent in France, telcos there are continuing to push SIM-based NFC technology, hiring a trusted service manager for their new NFC SIM “hub”–although No. 1 telco Orange will also support Apple Pay.
The French telcos’ NFC association, AFSCM, has hired Oberthur Technologies to provide the TSM hub. The contract, which was actually approved earlier this year, calls for Oberthur to manage SIM cards as secure element-issuer TSM for major French telcos Orange, SFR and Bouygues Telecom. It represents another blow to Gemalto, which had been serving as TSM managing NFC SIMs for Orange in France.
France-based Oberthur for years has served as TSM for the other two telcos, SFR and Bouygues, though neither had really rolled out NFC services, especially Bouygues, which had earlier suspended its long-standing NFC program. Oberthur also served as Orange Group’s secure element-issuer TSM, but not in the past for the group’s flagship operator in France. And Oberthur has served as TSM on the service provider side for Orange, as well, to provision the telco’s Visa-branded Orange Cash prepaid application onto the telco’s SIMs.
