Nokia is to bring out an NFC version of its Lumia 610 smartphone which can pair with NFC (near field communications) accessories and tags. Orange will be the first operator to carry the device.
The Windows Phone device, according to Nokia, has the hardware and software enablers for the implementation of NFC payment and ticketing solutions.
It has been certified for contactless payments both with MasterCard’s PayPass technology and with Visa’s mobile app payWave for point of sale payments.
“Nokia continues to lead the field in NFC with this latest implementation on the Windows Phone platform, in which we have the full support of Orange,” said Ilari Nurmi, head of product marketing for Nokia’s Smart Devices business unit.
“We’re bringing NFC right across our portfolio, and together with our ever-growing range of NFC accessories we’re making it easy for people to connect via a single tap. We’re also enabling operators and other service providers to build NFC payment and ticketing solutions on top of our smartphones.”
M-commerce rollout
Orange says it is committed to rolling out NFC services in all of its European territories, Yves Maitre, senior VP for Mobile Multimedia and Devices at Orange said.
“The Nokia Lumia smartphones have been very well received by Orange customers,” Maitre said.
“We are now going one step further and adding an NFC-enabled handset to this popular range of devices, enabling people to use contactless services via a single tap,” Maitre said.
