Gemalto’s unique experience in NFC
Extract from an interview in the 2007 Summer Review magazine.
Gemalto is at the crossroads between Mobile Network Operators (MNO), banks, and transport operators. It offers complete end-to-end solutions and business facilitator services. Vincent Véran, NFC Marketing Director for Gemalto, takes stock.
« The massive arrival of ADSL brought with it harsh competition. MNOs are looking for new growth areas. ‘Contactless’ is in fact an evolution, not a revolution. » Gemalto’s solution for NFC compatibility is the Single Wire Protocol (SWP). This protocol enables secure connection between an NFC chip and a SIM card via a single electric cable. This option is the only one compatible with existing SIM cards and complying with European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) directives. At the GSM Association* (GSMA), mobile operators representing 40% of the worldwide GSM market have supported this solution. « Among the numerous pilot projects,» says Véran, « let me mention the one launched in November 2006 with Bouygues Telecom and the French RATP [Paris transport organization]. At stake was the ability to offer a service similar to the RATP’s Navigo card, with the same level of reliability and speed, coupled with good security in topping up the credit. Our mobile phones had integrated enhanced Near Field Communication (eNFC) which has the important characteristic of being able to function even if the portable is switched off or the battery is run down (SWP protocol). Feedback from users was very positive, both for the ease of useand the freedom and time saving that NFC brings.»
Gemalto’s NFC solution therefore brings security to the user, the transport companies, the banks and the operators. « The user can easily change mobile phones, because he simply needs to keep the same SIM card. Payment is therefore separate from the phone. In the event that the handset is lost or stolen, the procedure is the same as for a bankcard, namely to declare the loss or theft. Consumers like the all-in-one approach. Banks and mobile operators have also adapted easily to this new technology. Telephone manufacturers will have very little modification to make to the handsets. It therefore appears entirely logical to integrate ‘contactless’ technology into mobile phones. » Vincent Véran concludes: « 2007 will be the year of commercial pilot trials and the first deployments, 2008-2009 will see commercial deployment of the NFC services. From 2010, NFC will become a service for the masses. »