European operator Orange, who operates in numerous countries and serves 144.5 million customers as of September 2010, has announced that they’re going to commit to making near field communication a reality in 2011 and that by the end of next year they hope to have half a million NFC devices in the hands of French citizens. New near field compatible SIM cards will come out during the second half of 2011 and Orange is in talks with handset makers to ensure that 50% of the devices they buy (and then resell to people on contract) have some sort of NFC capability built in.
“The smartphone revolution has changed the way people organize their daily lives. People today are constantly connected and constantly on the move. We are seizing the opportunity this creates to make everyday transactions simple,” said Stephane Richard, CEO of France Telecom–Orange. “Our commitment to contactless services will benefit customers, giving them a seamless, convenient and secure way to validate transport or make payments. To make it a reality for our customers, Orange is working with other operators, banks, retailers, transport and service providers to create an eco-system which will stimulate the development of services adapted to everyone’s needs.”
With rumors that Apple’s next iPhone will come with NFC, and the Google Nexus S, the first Android device with the new technology built in, starting to ship this week, it’s easy to believe that 2011 will be the year when this technology finally takes off, but I’ve got a gut feeling that we’re going to get a lot of hype and very little in terms of deliverable goods. Maybe 2012 will see NFC fully take off, but for 2011 it’ll be limited to high end devices available in limited quantities. When Nokia makes a sub 150 Euro NFC enabled phone, then you’ll see the technology take off.
Until then, don’t hold your breathe.
[Via: NFC World]