SNCF and Orange test contactless services on mobile to make daily travel easier for passengers
Paris, November 5, 2007
SNCF and Orange are experimenting contactless services by mobile phone to facilitate travel for passengers of SNCF, Keolis (bus) and Effia (inter-modal operator), the latter two being subsidiaries of SNCF in the region surrounding Rennes.
Over a two-month period, 50 subscribing passengers will test a prototype contactless telephone integrating NFC (Near Field Communication) technology in the SIM card and providing access to various services, including transport ticketing, payment of purchases, timetable information and car-park access. Customers will be able to take the TER train (suburban train), bus or metro of the local network, using the mobile as the sole medium for all transport tickets. They will also be able to buy and receive their coupon on line.
In addition, SNCF Proximités will install NFC labels (the size of a calling card) on posters in the stations where the trial takes place. All test customers will have to do is position their mobiles against the NFC label. They will then receive direct timetable information on the next trains arriving and departing.
Orange and contactless technology
Orange's strategy in NFC began in Caen, in October 2005, with a trial involving nearly 200 customers provided with a Samsung NFC mobile phone. Customers had the possibility of paying with their Cofinoga card and entering Vinci underground car-park. They could also pay for their purchases at Galeries Lafayette, and Speedy. Using NFC labels, Orange customers were able to receive information on tram timetables or historic monuments, as well as trailers for films.
From June 2007, in Bordeaux, Orange has offered companies the possibility of providing their customers with contactless services in urban transport, payment and loyalty programmes. A commercial offer will be available for Bordeaux residents at the beginning of 2008.
On October 19, 2007, Orange announced a new trial in the field of ticketing in the United Kingdom. This experiment, which will start at the beginning of 2008, consists in providing around fifty Manchester United supporters with NFC mobiles, which will give them access to the Manchester stadium simply by swiping their mobile phone in front of an NFC device.
Besides, Orange actively participates in the Pegasus and Ulysse working groups, in order to set up inter-operable services:
From 2006, Pegasus has brought together BNP Paribas, Bouygues Telecom, Groupe Crédit Mutuel-CIC, Crédit Agricole, Société Générale, Orange and SFR with the participation of MasterCard and Visa. It is working on the standardisation of a mobile contactless payment solution placed in the SIM card.
April 2007 saw the launch of Ulysse, a working group uniting Bouygues Telecom, Orange, SFR, Keolis, RATP, SNCF, Transdev and Veolia Transport. This group is working on the definition of a standard for "transport ticketing on mobile phone" and the technical solutions on the SIM card. These enable all users to enjoy access to contactless transport ticketing whatever the operator or public transport network.
À propos d'Orange
Orange is the key brand of France Telecom, one of the world's leading telecommunications operators. France Telecom serves more than 163 million customers in five continents as of June 30, 2007, of which two thirds are Orange customers. The Group had consolidated sales of 51.7 billion euros in 2006 and 25,9 billion euros for the 1 st semester of 2007. At June 30, 2007 the group had 102.5 million mobile customers and 10.5 million broadband internet (ADSL) customers.
Launched in June 2005, the NExT program (New Experience in Telecommunications) will enable the Group to pursue its transformation as an integrated operator and make France Telecom the benchmark for new telecommunications services in Europe. In 2006, Orange became the Group's single brand for Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the company operates, and Orange Business Services the banner for services offered to businesses worldwide. France Telecom is the number three mobile operator and the number one provider of broadband internet services in Europe and one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies.
France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris and on the New York Stock Exchange.
For more information : www.orange.com, www.francetelecom.com, www.orange-business.com
Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Personal Communications Services Limited.
About SNCF Proximités
SNCF Proximités is one of the four branches of the SNCF with France Europe Passengers, Freight and Infrastructure. A major player in public transport, SNCF Proximités concentrates contracted activities in the fields of urban, inter-urban, regional and inter-regional passenger transport via train, coach, tram, etc. The SNCF Proximités branch brings together four brands: Transilien, TER, Chemins de Fer de la Corse and Corail INTERCITÉS.
Every day, 3 million passengers take one of the 11,300 trains serving 3,000 stations or stops, which are all potential links for developing inter-modal efficiency.
