James Delahunty
21 Feb 2010 5:13
Finnish mobile handset giant Nokia Corp. has scrapped its 6216 NFC handset. The 6216 was set to be the third Near Field Communication (NFC) equipped handset, but also the first that would see the operator's SIM control the payment system through the Single Wire Protocol (SWP). China Unicom had planned an NFC service launch and had chosen the SWP architecture.
"We felt the quality of the consumer experience was not what it needed to be," Nokia told NFC World when asked about the cancellation of the 6216. Nokia objects to giving total control to the operator instead of the handset itself.
Using NFC technology, users can avail of a proximity payment system to carry out transactions, such as paying for public transport.
Besides having the NFC to facilitate wireless communications, the handset would also need a lot of various elements to be stored safely that control the system securely. Operators have lobbied for the SWP standard which would store all of this important data in the SIM and facilitate such features, but Nokia would prefer that the secure module be embedded in the handset itself.
This may be a setback for China Unicom, which has announced it will be launching an NFC-Forum-compatible service to compete with China Mobile's RF SIM system.