Orange, the key brand of Paris-based France Telecom S.A., has announced a large-scale near field communication (NFC) rollout that will enable consumers to pay for purchases with their mobile phones.

Orange will begin issuing NFC Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards to current Orange subscribers in the second quarter of 2011. NFC enables the exchange of data between devices within four inches. SIM cards identify the mobile phone owner.

Orange has pledged to work with handset manufacturers to ensure built-in NFC functionality for more than half of the new smartphones the company sells in 2012. Orange has a set a target of 500,000 NFC device sales next year. The company has been an active participant in NFC-payment trials in Europe.

Orange has worked with U.K.-based Barclays Bank on the development of contactless payment applications. In addition, the company has worked on a large-scale NFC project in Nice, France. Orange has its headquarters in Arcueil, France.