HTC to Introduce 4G NFC Phone; U.S. Launch Planned

Handset maker HTC is introducing its first NFC-enabled phone in the West, with U.S. mobile carrier T-Mobile USA announcing that it will sell the 4G Android handset along with an NFC version of Samsung’s popular Galaxy S II starting Oct. 10.

T-Mobile, the fourth largest mobile operator in the United States, said the high-end HTC phone, the Amaze, will support NFC for “wireless searching, information sharing and, in the future, mobile payments.”

The carrier also confirmed that it will sell the NFC version of the Galaxy S II. Samsung this week announced it had sold 10 million units of the flagship Android phone since introducing the follow-up to its popular Galaxy S, but except for shipments on its home soid of South Korea, none of the Galaxy S II phones to date carry an NFC chip.

An even larger U.S. carrier, AT&T, is also reported to be planning to introduce the NFC version of the Galaxy S II next month. The Galaxy S II will also come with NFC next month in Europe, where France’s largest operator, France Telecom-Orange announced it will sell the handset. Sister operator Orange UK is also expected to introduce the NFC version in coming weeks.

For Taiwan-based HTC, which ranked as the seventh larger manufacturer of phones worldwide in terms of unit shipments in the second quarter, according to U.S.-based Gartner research, it’s the first NFC phone outside of a special Android model it produced for China payment card network China UnionPay, called the HTC Stunning. That phone, which was set to be introduced last month, has a special connection to the microSD card slot, which hooks into the phone’s NFC antenna. The flash-memory cards store UnionPay’s contactless payment application, which users could tap at a growing number of point-of-sale terminals UnionPay is rolling out supporting the technology.

The HTC Amaze supports the 2.3.4 version of Google’s Android operating system, which means it likely packs an NFC chip from NXP Semiconductors. Like the NFC version of the Galaxy S II, it also is expected to support the single-wire protocol, enabling T-Mobile to put applications on SIM cards.

The Galaxy S II does not support an embedded chip, an executive with Samsung Electronics said recently. That would explain why U.S. carrier Sprint is stocking the non-NFC version of the phone. Sprint is rolling out the Google Wallet, which is anchored to an embedded secure chip inside the carrier's Nexus S 4G. 

If the HTC Amaze also does not also support an embedded chip then it probably could not be used for the Google Wallet in the United States.

T-Mobile USA, which is part of the Isis consortium with AT&T and Verizon Wireless, is not expected to introduce NFC payment from either the HTC Amaze or Galaxy S II until planned launches of the Isis wallet in Salt Lake City, Utah and Austin, Texas. These launches are scheduled for the first half of 2012. 

But by announcing the NFC features of the HTC Amaze and Galaxy S II yesterday, T-Mobile appears likely to be planning to turn on other NFC features after the phones are launched, to support tag-reading and perhaps peer-to-peer applications.

Besides HTC and Samsung, other NFC-enabled Android phones are expected from LG Electronics, ZTE, Sony Ericsson and Motorola. Chinese handset maker Huawei is already shipping an Android model in Turkey for mobile operator Turkcell.

 

HEADLINE NEWS

Australian Transit Agency to Launch Mobility-as-a-Service Trial as It Pursues Long-Term MaaS Strategy

Plans by Transport for New South Wales, Australia’s largest transit agency, to launch a trial enabling users to plan, book and pay for multimodal rides is the next step toward the agency’s long-ter

Updated: U.S. Transit Agency Seeks to Reduce–Though Not Eliminate–Cash Acceptance with New Fare-Collection System

Updated: The Spokane Transit Authority in Washington state confirmed that its new fare-collection system will include contactless open-loop payments–with a beta test planned for next October, a spokesman told NFC Times' sister publication Mobility Payments.

UK Government Seeks to Bring London-Style Contactless Fare Payments System to Other Regions

The UK government’s plan to equip 700 rail stations over the next three years to accept contactless open-loop payments is a major initiative, as it seeks to replicate the success of London’s contactless pay-as-you go fare payments system elsewhere in the country–a goal that has proved elusive in the past.

More Cities in Finland Expected to Move to Open-Loop Fare Payments

A fourth city in Finland is beginning to roll out contactless open-loop payments, with “more in the pipeline,” according to one supplier on the project, making the Nordic country one of the latest hotspots for the technology.

Moscow Metro Expands Test of ‘Virtual Troika’ in Pays Wallets, as It Continues to Develop Digital-Payments Services

Moscow Metro is recruiting more users to test its “Virtual Troika” card in two NFC wallets, those supporting Google Pay and Samsung Pay, as one of the world’s largest subway operators continues to seek more ways for its customers to pay for rides.

Ohio Transit Agency Expects Significant Revenue Loss as it Builds Equity with Fare Capping

The Central Ohio Transit Authority, or COTA, officially launched its new digital-payments service Monday, including a fare-capping feature that the agency estimates will cost it $1.8 million per year in lost fare revenue, the agency confirmed to Mobility Payments.

Special Report: Interest Grows in ‘White-Label EMV’ for Closed-Loop Transit Cards

As more transit agencies introduce open-loop fare payments, interest is starting to grow in use of white-label EMV cards that agencies can issue in place of proprietary closed-loop cards for riders who don’t have bank cards or don’t want to use them to pay fares.

Swedish Transit Agency Launches Express Mode Feature for Apple Pay, though Most Ticketing Still with Barcode-Based App

Skånetrafiken, the transit agency serving one of Sweden’s largest counties, announced today it has expanded its contactless open-loop payments service to include the Express Mode feature for Apple Pay.

Major Bus Operators in Hong Kong Now Accepting Open-Loop Payments–Adding More Competition for Octopus

Two more bus operators in Hong Kong on Saturday launched acceptance of open-loop contactless fare payments, with both also accepting QR code-based mobile ticketing–as the near ubiquitous closed-loop Octopus card continues to see more competition.

Moscow Metro Launches Full Rollout of ‘Face Pay;’ Largest Biometric Payments Service of Its Kind

Touting it as the largest rollout of biometric payments in the world, Moscow Metro launched its high-profile “Face Pay” service Friday, as expected, and predicted that 10% to 15% would regularly us

Indonesian Capital Seeks to Expand to Multimodal Fare Collection and MaaS

Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, whose metropolitan area is home to more than 30 million people, is notorious for its stifling traffic congestion. In response, the government metro and light-rail networks and now it is funding an expansion of the fare-collection system to enable more multimodal payments and to build a mobility-as-a-service platform.

Exclusive: NFC Wallets Grow as Share of Contactless Fare Payments and Not Only Because of Covid

Transit agencies that have rolled out open-loop contactless payments are seeing growing use of NFC wallets to pay fares, as Covid-wary passengers see convenience in tapping their phones or wearables to pay.