TfL to Accept Contactless Bankcards by 2012

Transport for London yesterday announced that it is preparing to accept contactless bankcards at its Oyster Card readers by next year's Olympics.

The payment option will be available for the tube, buses and the Docklands Light Railway.  TfL is also in discussions with National Rail to accept contactless bankcards for the railroad routes that already take Oyster. 

Will Judge, TfL's head of future ticketing said: "As more people use their bank-issued cards to pay for their travel directly, TfL's costs will reduce, delivering better value for money for London's fare and taxpayers". 

With 12 million contactless bankcards already in circulation, expected to grow to 20 million by 2012, there should certainly be demand for the option.  Still, the statement does not say if the system will accept payment with NFC-enabled mobile phones - the device that is most likely to accelerate NFC-adoption in the coming years.

Orange Launches its First NFC Mobile with Samsung

Orange launched its first NFC enabled Samsung Wave 578 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today.  This is Orange first step into NFC, which is slated to be its big theme for the 2011. 

In coming months, Orange is set to launch similar phones from LG, Nokia and other manufacturers, in order for half its phones to be enabled by year-end.

This positions Orange to partner with other players and enter areas that could become important revenue sources in years to come, such as payments, ticketing and transport.