Orange Launching Contactless Payments In Q2 For Europe

European carrier Orange announced today that the company will have NFC (near-field communications) services for contactless payments in the UK, Spain, France, and Poland starting from Q2 of this year. Orange will bring in other European markets later on. The carrier hopes by the end of 2011 over half of its smartphones will be NFC enabled.

The Samsung Wave 578 will be Orange's first phone with NFC capability and mobile contactless services. New SIM-card technology will allow users a range of services from mobile payments to ticketing and transportation. Contactless mobile phones have a second antenna that allows NFC exchanges of information. This enables you to wave your phone over a scanner and exchange information like payments or confirming a ticket.

"Mobile contactless services will change people's daily lives. We are pleased that partners like Samsung are helping us to accelerate these plans. Our clear ambition is to create an vibrant eco-system and by combining our own mobile innovations with the best handsets, we can fulfill our vision of bringing new mobile services that will benefit everyone, " said Anne Bouverot, Executive Vice President, Mobile Services of Orange.

[Via IntoMobile]