Orange and China Mobile sign NFC development deal

“By working together with China Mobile, we hope to show that the development of a SIM-card based approach using recognized standards will be a key factor in winning over consumer confidence as NFC services become more and more prevalent over the coming years,” says Orange’s Thierry Millet.

Orange and China Mobile
PARTNERS: Orange and China Mobile are joining forces to push SIM-based NFC

France-based mobile network operator Orange has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China Mobile that “aims to accelerate the commercialization of mobile contactless services” by “integrating standardized technical protocols based on the SIM card into their respective services.”

“By adopting internationally recognized standards for embedding the secure technical protocols directly into the SIM card, the two operators will participate in the development of a market in which users can access NFC services regardless of their device or operator,” says Orange.

“Orange and China Mobile share a common belief that, for such services to take-off on a global scale, the industry needs to work together in order to adopt a common set of standards that operate within a fully-interoperable business platform,” the carrier adds.

The two carriers’ goal for their partnership is to achieve:

  • The large-scale adoption of SIM-based NFC services and the availability of compatible devices in an open and transparent way.
  • The interoperability of such services in a way that will lead to the emergence of a wide range of applications
  • The development of standardized solutions that will provide consistency across ecosystems, regardless of the mobile network operator or third party involved in providing the service, and regardless of the device used.

“To encourage the widespread take-up of NFC services, the industry as a whole needs to find ways to offer NFC services that are simple, transparent and secure,” says Thierry Millet, Orange’s vice president of mobile payment and contactless solutions.

“By working together with China Mobile, we hope to show that the development of a SIM-card based approach using recognized standards will be a key factor in winning over consumer confidence as NFC services become more and more prevalent over the coming years.”

“Many major mobile network operators including China Mobile promised to adopt SIM-based NFC standards and promote the launch of new products,” adds China Mobile’s Shen Hongqun. “By signing this MoU between China Mobile and Orange, the two MNOs can cooperate in the fields of service model design, marketing strategy, product standards for mobile payment, the promotion of NFC services and handsets based on SWP-SIM and to develop a harmonized ecosystem based on standard solutions.”

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