Sony Ericsson to launch NFC phones

Picks software maker NXP to supply it with NFC tech for range of Android Xperia devices.

What a week for NFC, with the three big UK operators agreeing to run a collective mobile payments project – and now another of the big handset makers has pitched in behind the 'wave and pay' tech.

For all the positive noises around NFC, there remain few compatible handsets out there in Western markets.

Nokia has some in circulation (and is set to launch the C7 with a pre-loaded Angry Bird NFC game), while Samsung embedded NFC in the Nexus S 'Google phone' last year and the Samsung Galaxy S II.

So this is a positive move from Sony Ericsson, and may soon be echoed by RIM, which has made positive noises, HTC and the Apple iPhone 5.

Jan Uddenfeldt, chief technology officer at Sony Ericsson, said: "NFC offers our consumers the ability to broaden their communication experience beyond the phone, and we are poised to drive the development of new, exciting and creative entertainment experiences."