Orange has announced what it says is the first NFC-based Android smartphone in Europe, a version of the Samsung Galaxy S II. The handset will actually go on sale in France next month followed closely by other countries across Europe, says the operator. It will be the fourth handset for the operator’s French Cityzi NFC service.

This version of the handset has been developed by teams from Orange and Samsung using specifications laid out by the French mobile contactless association (AFCSM). Orange says it will be the first operator in Europe to offer a SIM-based NFC Android mobile “using the SIM card to guarantee the security of contactless mobile services”. A new generation of secure SIM cards will be introduced in France shortly, the operator said. It is working with handset vendors to ensure half of its new smartphones are compatible with the contactless service.