Seeking to encourage service providers to introduce NFC applications, France Telecom-Orange group said it plans to roll out 3 million SIM-based NFC phones this year and 10 million in 2013.
The commitment was one of 10 made by Orange group chairman and CEO Stéphane Richard this week to European Union officials, including Neelie Kroes, European commissioner for the digital agenda. The commitments include rolling out 4G-LTE network infrastructure to all 10 of Orange’s European operators.
The commitment for NFC is to provide phones supporting the single-wire protocol standard to its customers in EU countries. The SWP-enabled phones would enable Orange to use the SIM cards it issues to store payment and other secure applications.