PARIS , November 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

- BNP Paribas to Offer NFC Payment Solution in Partnership With Oberthur Technologies in the Spring of 2010 in Nice, France

- To the First Showcase City for SIM Centric NFC Deployment Worldwide

BNP Paribas has selected Oberthur Technologies, the world's second largest supplier of smart card solutions to supply the NFC (Near Field Communication) Services Management Solution for an NFC project in Nice, France . Oberthur Technologies will manage the mobile payment service on behalf of BNP Paribas via an OTA (Over the Air) Platform.

Starting in the spring of 2010 over 3,000 residents in the French city of Nice will be able to pay for public transport tickets and obtain information on routes and timetables using NFC handsets. Additional NFC-based services are also due to be available at local museums, cultural events and on campus at the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis. Future NFC functionality is expected to be rolled out gradually, in a bid to turn Nice into France's 'NFC City'.

Oberthur Technologies' "NFC Now" offering for banks and financial institutions provides an integrated solution for secured remote personalization, PIN management and EMV parameter updates. The NFC solution is compliant with the latest standards for mobile payment and is hosted by Oberthur Technologies' secured Service Centers which are certified by MasterCard, Visa and GIE CB.

Through its partnership BNP Paribas is demonstrating its willingness to participate in and lead the Nice NFC Project. BNP Paribas will offer NFC mobile payment services to its customers in the area, which will allow them to pay for goods with their mobiles as of Spring 2010.