City of Nice to pilot NFC mobile payments in 2010

PARIS — After the French cities of Caen and Strasbourg, Nice will host mobile NFC (Near Field Communication) payment trial, in partnership with the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, bus and tram operator Véolia Transport and mobile operators Orange, Bouygues Telecom and SFR.

Starting in Spring 2010, 3000 Nice residents will use mobile phones with an embedded NFC chip as a means of secure payment in public transportation and receiving information on routes and times. Additional NFC-based services are expected to be available at local museums, cultural events and on the campus of the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis.

The pilot has received support from banks, local authorities and the French "Mobile Contactless Services Forum", launched by Luc Chatel, French state-secretary for industry and consumer affairs, in April 2008.

This project comes shortly after Nice-Côte d'Azur Airport, Air France, Amadeus and IER announced they had partnered to pilot a new mobile boarding pass, dubbed Pass and Fly, in a view to simplify passenger recognition, the crediting of CAP (Club Airport Premier) points and airplane boarding through the use of a NFC-enabled mobile phone.