The SIMalliance trade group and GlobalPlatform standards organization say they are working on what they predict will become a “de-facto standard” for the way apps on NFC phones communicate with secure elements.
The Open Mobile API, which the SIMalliance released last year, appears to already be popular among mobile operators, which are asking for it when they order Android NFC phones, according to the vendor group. The API, or application-programming interface, also could work on other operating platforms, such as BlackBerry OS and Windows Phone.
The API, however, still has not been adopted by Google, which controls the Android platform; or by other operating system providers, such as Research in Motion, owner of the BlackBerry OS; and Microsoft, keeper of Windows Phone.