Nokia unveiled on April 11 its Lumia 610 NFC model, first to take the emerging near-field communication technology that drives instant payment systems to Microsoft's Windows Phone platform, and promised more models in the future.
Sales of NFC-enabled cellphones are expected to more than triple to 100 million handsets this year as manufacturers and operators roll out new models, hoping to tap emerging market for mobile payments, research firm Berg Insight said last month.
NFC enables data to be exchanged wirelessly over distances of a few centimetres, meaning mobile phones can be used to pay for goods, store electronic tickets, download music and swap photos and business cards.
Nokia said Orange will be the first operator to sell the Lumia 610 NFC - which has been certified for contact-less payments both with MasterCard and Visa technologies - starting early in the third quarter.